Advocacy

County Council Hearing Dates of Interest

2017-06-29T14:17:49-04:00December 7th, 2016|Advocacy, Nonprofit Resources|

HHS: Human Rights and Civil Liberties – County Minimum Wage – Amount – Annual Adjustment (12/7, 9:30am)

HHS/GO: County government event sponsorship  (12/12, 9:30am)

GO: Taxation – Property Tax Credit – Elderly Individuals and Veterans (12/12, 11am)

Recently, the County Council launched a revision to its website to allow users to access Council agendas and committee meetings in one place. The site also provides access to informational packets, links to live meetings, and archived videos of past meetings. Users can click Council Meeting Portal to get to the right place.

Nonprofit Montgomery’s Minimum Wage Survey Results

2019-01-07T15:21:43-05:00December 6th, 2016|Advocacy|

The Council Bill 12-16 (to increase the minimum wage to $15 by 2020) is still under consideration with a Council HHS Committee worksession taking place on December 7 at 9:30am. We will share the results of this survey with Council staff as they complete their research. Please attend tomorrow’s worksession if you are interested in this issue.

Nonprofit Montgomery has not taken a stand on the minimum wage increase.  At Council public hearings in the spring we shared broad sector perspectives voiced by our advocacy committee, members and similar advocacy groups across the country.  These include funding challenges related to wage increases, especially for especially for organizations reliant on county, state and federal funding.

Nonprofit Montgomery put out a survey about the impact that a minimum wage increase to $15 by 2020 might have on local organizations. Some highlights:

  • Six of the 22 respondents indicated they would experience increased personnel costs directly attributable to the minimum wage increase
  • Seven organizations described potential service disruptions if funding doesn’t increase to help address wage increases.
  • When asked if a minimum wage increase would improve clients’ lives, responses were divided. Reasons for choosing no or unknown: It may lift clients out of poverty but may remove their eligibility for services and possible service disruptions.
Click here to see more results. There’s still time to join Nonprofit Montgomery’s Advocacy committee and play a part in developing and delivering our advocacy agenda. The monthly conference call is on the second Wednesday of each month at 3pm. Join the call to make your voice heard as we advocate for nonprofit organizations and the residents we serve.

County Executive Budget Forums—Dates Announced

2017-06-29T14:17:50-04:00December 5th, 2016|Advocacy, Events|

Nonprofit leaders and staff, board members, and volunteers are strongly encouraged to attend these public forums on the county’s operating budget to share insight into community needs, and to hear the County Executive’s priorities about the Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18) Operating Budget.

January 9, 7pm, Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center
January 11,7pm, Eastern Montgomery Regional Services Center
January 18,7pm, Mid-County Community Recreation Center
January 25, 7pm, Silver Spring Civic Building
January 30, 7pm, BlackRock Center for the Arts

The County Executive will announce his Recommended FY18 Operating Budget on March 15 and will approve it by the end of May.

Important Minimum Wage Survey

2017-06-29T14:17:50-04:00November 20th, 2016|Advocacy|

The Council Bill 12-16 is still under consideration with a Council HHS Committee worksession taking place on December 7 at 9:30am. We will share the results of this survey with Council staff as they complete their research. Please attend the worksession if you are interested in this issue.

Please answer the following questions about the impact that a minimum wage increase to $15 by 2020 might have on your organization (Council Bill 12-16).

Nonprofit Montgomery has not taken a stand on the minimum wage increase, but after consultation with our advocacy committee, members, and similar sector advocacy groups across the country, during public hearing in the spring, we shared broad sector perspectives about funding challenges related to wage increases, especially for organizations reliant on county, state and federal funding, with the County Council.

These perspectives included practices from other jurisdictions with minimum wage increases. For example, a wage increase should be passed with a commitment to renegotiate contracts when costs of delivering services rise. And, in the interim between the wage increases and contract renegotiation, to create a county-funded mitigation fund to help organizations make up the difference.

The results of this survey will help to inform Nonprofit Montgomery’s next steps as the council deliberates this bill. Please fill it out by November 30.

Advocacy Alert: County Council Updates

2019-01-07T15:21:43-05:00November 7th, 2016|Advocacy|

On November 14, the HHS Committee (Councilmembers Leventhal, Berliner, and Rice) will discuss funding nonprofits through grants vs. base budget. This could potentially address organizations that have received Council Grants funding for multiple years to deliver essential services. Prior to the worksession, Nonprofit Montgomery will send out information about base budget funding and link to the legislative packet. If this is a topic that interests you, consider attending the worksession.

It is likely that Bill 12116, proposing an increase of the county’s minimum wage to $15, will be back on the council calendar in early December. Please share your perspective on this legislation with Councilmembers. As the next packet is being prepared, information about how this will impact your organization and the clients you serve will help provide valuable background information to Councilmembers.

As a reminder, Nonprofit Montgomery has not taken a position on the minimum wage, but has proactively educated Councilmembers about the impact that minimum wage increases may have on nonprofit budgets and service delivery without a commensurate increase in funding to organizations delivering services. We have shared information about the City of Seattle’s experiences in creating a nonprofit mitigation fund when they increased the minimum wage to $15/hour, and have alerted Councilmembers and staff to a University of Washington study that is being released soon about how Seattle nonprofits were impacted by the wage increase. We will continue to monitor and educate with regards to this issue, but please share your own organizational perspective.

Advocacy Update

2017-06-29T14:17:52-04:00October 26th, 2016|Advocacy|

On October 13, the Council’s Government Operations and Health and Human Services Committees held a joint work session that discussed the Council grants process. They discussed short-term changes to the process. Click here to see the packet for the work session.

The resolution for the FY18 Council grants has been introduced for a vote on November 1. The resolution packet, which incorporates the changes made in the work session, can be foundhere. To watch the archived video, click here. On November 14, the HHS Committee will discuss grants vs. base budget and a DHHS return on investment calculator.

Community Development Advisory Committee (CDAC) Public Hearing

2017-06-29T14:17:52-04:00October 10th, 2016|Advocacy, Events, Nonprofit Resources|

Montgomery County’s Community Development Advisory Committee (CDAC) will conduct a Public Hearing on Community Development Needs to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The CDAC recommends how Montgomery County’s federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds are used. The hearing will be on October 19, 7:30pm at the 7th Floor Council Hearing Room (100 Maryland Ave., Rockville). For more information or to testify, call (240) 777-3621.

County Council Hearing Dates of Interest

2017-06-29T14:17:53-04:00October 9th, 2016|Advocacy, Events, Nonprofit Resources|

  • Government Operations/HHS Committees Discussion – Community grants process (10/13, 9:30am)
  • HHS Committee Bill 32-16, Human Rights and Civil Liberties, Earned Sick and Safe Leave, Use of Earned Sick and Safe Leave, Parental Leave (10/17, 9:30am)
  • HHS Meeting with HHS boards and commissions (10/19, 8:30am)
  • HHS/ED Committees Follow up discussion, My Brother’s Keeper initiative, OLO Report 2016-6, The School-to-Prison Pipeline (continued), OLO Report 2016-11, Out of School Time and Children’s Trusts (10/24, 9:30am)
  • County Council Silver Spring Town Hall Meeting (11/9, 7:30-9pm)
  • HHS Discussion – Grants and base budget funding in DHHS (11/14, 9:30am)
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