What's Going On In Rockville? A Lot.

I just want to write you a note and let you know what the Mayor and Council are working on especially in relation to what could be described as a consumer protection/renters rights provisions. I don't write too often but I think periodic reminders are hopefully all right. It is a privilege to represent you and the City of Rockville. 

There are a lot of things we are working on so bear with me –

First I want to say a big thank you to City staff, Rockville City Police (RCPD), Rockville Volunteer Fire Department (RVFD) and all the associated organizations and vendors and volunteers who helped make this past Memorial Day Weekend so spectacular. From Hometown Holidays to Flags for Heroes to Rockville's Memorial Day ceremonies and Rockville's Memorial Day Parade it was a great weekend and I really enjoyed seeing everyone in Town Center and elsewhere. It was great to have Hometown Holidays back in Town Center for so many reasons - not least of which was that many people with mobility issues could access the festivities.

Here are some other things we are working on:

• Council in the Community - this is a big priority for me and for many members of the Council - including the Mayor. I want to get out to the community and have meetings there so that we are not in City Hall sitting behind a dais but instead talking with residents where they live, at times convenient to them and where they feel comfortable talking about issues or problems or even showing them to us. We have so far only done one - at Parkside Landing but I'm pushing to do more and do them sooner not later. In the meantime I'm getting out personally to the King Farm Citizens Assembly, Fallsgrove HOA Board, Woodley Gardens Civic Association, College Gardens Civic Association, Rockville Senior Center, Montrose Civic Association, Lincoln Park Civic Association, the Huntington Tenant Association, Fallsmead, and the Ingleside Retirement Community and of course the Rockville Neighborhood Villages.
  
  I want to hear from everyone not just people who agree with me. If you know of groups in Rockville who want an update from the Council or have issues they want to bring to the City please let me know.

• Public Safety - the search for our new Police Chief is ongoing. There are some good candidates and our City Manager is hard at work winnowing the field down and getting feedback from residents and City staff about what we need in a new Police Chief. I want to say that having spent a lot of time with the police officers in the field and at events I am impressed by their dedication and professionalism. Their morale is high and they continue to look for new ways to engage with our residents - they take community policing seriously. I also am very impressed with the men and women of the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department. They are largely volunteers who give their efforts and their time to Rockville in order to keep us safe.
• Nonprofit Summit - we held a nonprofit summit which brought together around one hundred Rockville nonprofits to discuss common issues, opportunities and ways to partner with the City, the County and each other. Thanks to the City staff and NonProfit Montgomery for pulling it all together and Visarts for hosting the meeting space. I am excited about the good that can come out of this for Rockville's residents. Hopefully we can do even more together and build a stronger network of support together.
• Budget - the Mayor and Council did pass a FY26 budget after hearing from staff, residents, civic leaders and others. Thank you to everyone who participated in this process. While we did not raise taxes and the revenue looks solid for the near term, we are concerned about recent changes in the federal landscape. The City will be monitoring those changes closely and making adjustments as needed, depending on if we see an impact from what is happening at the Federal and State levels of government.

• Transparency – we have heard that a lot of fees are hidden or non-disclosed until the lease is signed. We should do two things – ban or otherwise encourage full disclosure and try to find ways to publicly reward those landlords who are playing fairly and by the rules.

• Addressing Fair Cause Eviction, Algorithmic Pricing – while we have supported these important changes that will help tenants/renters they have failed so far in the state legislature. We will keep trying and at least on the algorithmic pricing we can explore what we can do as a City to discourage use of this tool as it unfairly allows landlords to price share and raise rents in concert.

• Building the Housing Opportunities Fund (HOF) – A step toward sustaining long-term affordability, the fund aims to ensure continued investment in housing solutions for Rockville residents and future residents. The Mayor and Council have taken steps to increase the resources of the HOF. I think that is a good step but want to find ways to increase the fund much more and faster. I will be discussing this with city staff, my colleagues and with residents.

• Addressing Housing Needs – the city is moving forward with a Housing Assessment. This assessment will help identify key gaps and guide future housing policies.

• Rockville Emergency Assistance Program (REAP) – we just had a presentation on REAP on Monday. We are expanding the program, increasing the amounts program recipients can receive and increasing the amount in the REAP program in anticipation of increased need in the community.

• Tenant and Landlord Outreach – Efforts to increase education and outreach for landlords and tenants are also underway to improve the multi-family inspection program. There are meetings underway with tenant and with landlords to understand concerns and work through a process to address concerns and issues that arise.

• Housing Action Team (HAT) – the City has set up a Housing Action Team that recently conducted a tenant engagement meeting at two rental properties. The Mayor and Council approved additional fundings for tenant outreach efforts in a Feb budget amendment.

• Housing Preservation and Code Updates – preserving existing housing remains a priority for the Mayor and Council and city staff. The City is developing a housing preservation plan, which is expected to be presented to the Mayor and Council in early summer. The City is also reviewing and updating Chapter 18 of the City Code which governs rental facilities and landlord-tenant relations. This update will focus on enhancing tenant protections and transparency regarding fees, rights and responsibilities.

• Expanding Homeowner Access – a work session occurred on Rockville’s homeownership program. The Council voted in its FY26 budget for a full time staff member dedicated to managing homeownership programs.

• Economic Empowerment and Job Training – financial empowerment remains a key focus with four Bank On workshops conducted in March 2025. The FY26 budget seeks to support financial empowerment initiatives, helping residents build financial stability.

• Town Center Master Plan – the Mayor and Council put the finishing touches on a Town Center Master plan which increases the flexibility of developers to build the needed housing in the Town Center, removed parking minimums which is anticipated to have an impact on making rents more affordable and enacting floating zones so that those new provisions can be accessed by developers more quickly and not be held up in our comprehensive zoning rewrite plan. We have heard several projects planned in Town Center including a 147 unit affordable housing multi-family building incorporating 1,2 and even 3 bedrooms in their plan.

• Future Units - it should be noted that there are approximately 3,000 new housing units in Rockville's near future, but this Mayor and Council are trying to look at ways to expand that further and faster.
  

• Other Initiatives – we will soon update the Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit (MPDU) ordinance which aimed at refining affordable housing policies and increasing the number of affordable housing units in Rockville.

I know that is a lot but I know I'm leaving out a lot as well.  I just want to give you a taste of what is going on in the City to address consumer protections/tenant or renters rights and housing in general.

I said it before but if you know of groups in Rockville who want an update from the Council or have issues they want to bring to the City please let me know. Send me an email at bjackson@rockvillemd.gov, stop by a Council meeting, drop-in during our drop-in visits with the Mayor and members of the Council. Or send me an invite to meet with your group or organization.

Let me know if you have questions. Thank you again for the privilege to represent you and the City of Rockville.

See you around!

Barry