Chamber Action Alerts

GGCC is opposing County Council bill 42-23 and has issued a joint statement with the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce, and the Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce.

On behalf of the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce, Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce, Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce, and Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, we recommend against supporting Bill 42-23, Menstrual Products Access and Equity Act as currently drafted. While we commend the good intentions of the bill in seeking to further address real concerns, our chambers ask that the Council oppose this bill and consider other proposals that would have a positive impact on period poverty…

Click here to read the full statement.

CURRENT STATUS: Under consideration by County Council. Heard in public hearing December 12.

 

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The GGCC has sent letters in opposition to County Council Bills 34-23 (Establishment of a Wage Commission) and 35-23 (Elimination of the Tipped Wage Credit).

Please see video here from GGCC’s Linkedin Page.

Please click here for our statement on the Wage Commission legislation.

Please click here for our statement on the Tipped Wage legislation.

Please click here for our joint statement with the Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce, and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Montgomery County regarding the Tipped Wages legislation.

CURRENT STATUS: Under consideration by County Council. Moved to joint HHS/ECON Work Session 1/18/24.

 

Oppose a 10% Property Tax Increase:

A 10% property tax increase is proposed by County Executive Elrich in the FY2024 Operating Budget. Paula Ross, President & CEO of the GGCC will testify in opposition to the property tax rate increase at the County Council budget hearing on April 11 at 1:30. Please come to the hearing.

RECAP: The Council passed a 4.7% property tax increase on 5/24/23. 

ACTIONS TAKEN:

• Paula Ross, President & CEO of GGCC, testified at the April 11 County Council budget hearing. To see that testimony, visit our LinkedIn Page.
• The GGCC submitted testimony to the County Council.
• The GGCC issued action alerts to our members requesting letters to the Council in opposition to any property tax rate increase. 
• The GGCC joined in a coalition of several area Chambers and GCAAR in opposition to this legislation.

Oppose Rent Control Legislation:

There are dueling rent control bills being considered. One bill, Bill 16-23, Landlord-Tenant Relations – Rent Stabilization (The HOME Act), sponsored by Councilmembers Jawando and Mink, proposes a 3% rent cap. The other bill, Bill 15-23, Landlord-Tenant Relations-Anti Rent Gouging Protections, sponsored by Councilmember Fani- González and five other Councilmembers, proposes an 8% rent cap plus CPI.

RECAP: Bill 15-23 was passed with amendments 7/18 by the County Council, capping rent increases at 3% plus inflation, capped at 6%.

ACTIONS TAKEN:

• Paula Ross, President & CEO of GGCC, testified at the April 11 County Council budget hearing. To see that testimony, visit our LinkedIn Page.
• The GGCC submitted testimony to the County Council.
• The GGCC issued action alerts to our members requesting letters to the Council in opposition to any property tax rate increase. 
• The GGCC joined in a coalition of several area Chambers and GCAAR in opposition to this legislation.
• GGCC sent a final letter to County Council requesting they vote no to this legislation. 

Oppose Recordation Tax Increase:

Bill 17-23, Taxation – Recordation Tax Rates – Amendments, sponsored by Councilmembers Jawando and Mink, proposes to increase Montgomery County’s recordation tax.

The recordation tax is expected to support the Capital Improvements Budget for things like schools, libraries, and recreation centers. (Whereas the Property Tax Rate increase is designed to support the County’s Operating Budget.)  The GGCC will oppose the proposed recordation tax increase.

RECAP: Bill 17-23 passed on 5/10/23 with amendment.

Actions Taken:

• Paula Ross, President & CEO of GGCC, testified at the April 11 County Council budget hearing. To see that testimony, visit our LinkedIn Page.
• The GGCC submitted testimony to the County Council.
• The GGCC issued action alerts to our members requesting letters to the Council in opposition to any property tax rate increase. 
• The GGCC joined in a coalition of several area Chambers and GCAAR in opposition to this legislation.
• Paula Ross appeared on WJLA9 news in an interview in opposition to the passing of this legislation.

Statement from the GGCC after the passing of bill 17-23:

The recordation tax rate bill has passed, with an amendment to include a premium rate increase on homes starting at $600,000. We remain concerned that this tax increase, especially combined with the massive proposed property tax rate increase, will discourage investment in our community. As Montgomery County is arguably one of the most expensive places to live in the region, and with home prices and assessments rising, this new tax makes home ownership even more unaffordable for the next generation of professionals hoping to root themselves here and to grow a family here, and makes it a less attractive area for employers to attract and build a sustainable workforce. Further, the amendment to include the premium rate increase at homes starting at $600,000 is misguided. Home purchases in the $600,000-$1MM range are firmly middle class in Montgomery County. Many folks stretch to afford the down payment, and now will be required to bring thousands of dollars more to the closing table that cannot be rolled into a mortgage. This will simply make a home purchase unattainable for many middle class Montgomery County families.

We do not debate the need for CIP funding for our schools. However, similar to our stance on the operating budget, we encourage our County leaders to prioritize the needs and make hard decisions so that Montgomery County remains an attractive place to invest. We also continue to encourage additional accountability in our MCPS school system budgets. 

Further, the County’s School Impact Tax is also set to significantly increase on July 1. Click here for some background and context from Montgomery Perspective: “These new rates will add many thousands of dollars in cost to new housing.  They may even affect the decisions of some developers to proceed with projects, particularly when they are facing cost increases of their own.  And their combination with potential increases in recordation and property taxes could make the county’s housing market even more challenging than it already is.”