Montgomery County Council to Hold Public Hearings on Feb. 3 and 24, 2026

MARYLAND, January 23 - For Immediate Release: Friday, January 23, 2026

The County Council will hold public hearings to receive testimony on new items introduced to the Council as follows:

Feb. 3, 2026 at 1:30 p.m.
Deadline to sign up to speak is Feb. 2 at 2 p.m.

Feb. 24, 2026 at 1:30 p.m.
Deadline to sign up to speak is Feb. 23 at 2 p.m.

• The Council will hold a public hearing on the Planning Board Draft Amendment to the Master Plan for Historic Preservation for the Rose-Budd House. The draft amendment can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/Rose-Budd-House
• Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 26-01, Commercial Uses - Data Center, would define Data Center as a new use subject to zoning requirements, specify the zones where Data Centers may locate in the County as conditional uses, establish minimum standards for the location of Data Centers in the County, and generally amend the law regarding permissible locations and conditions for Data Centers in the County.
• Bill 1-26, Human Rights and Civil Liberties - County Minimum Wage - Actual Impact Analysis - Amendments, would remove the requirement that the Office of Legislative Oversight provide an annual report regarding the implementation of the County minimum wage and the local economy, and generally amend the law regarding County minimum wage.
• Bill 2-26, Taxation - Fuel-Energy Tax - Green Bank - Amendments, would allow the Montgomery County Green Bank to use revenue received from the fuel-energy tax toward resiliency activities, and generally amend the law regarding the fuel-energy tax.
• Bill 4-26, Buildings - Task Force on Data Centers - Established, would establish a task force to study the potential risks and benefits of data centers in the County, require the task force to produce a report that identifies the impacts of data centers and evaluates the feasibility of potential legislative, policy, or zoning changes, and generally amend the law regarding data centers in the County. 

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A full list of upcoming public hearings is available on the Council Calendar. Review the public hearing frequently asked questions for additional information.

To testify in-person or remotely during a live public hearing at the Council Office Building, residents need to preregister on the Council's web page. Residents may also choose to provide pre-recorded testimony in written, audio or video formats or submit testimony by mail. 

Send testimony by mail to County Council, 100 Maryland Ave., Rockville, MD 20850; or residents may sign up to testify remotely by phone (call 240-777-7803 for information). To express an opinion call 240-777-7900.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Montgomery County Council provides reasonable accommodations to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to testify at public hearings. Email [email protected] or call the public hearing line (240-777-7803) at least five business days prior to the public hearing date to request an ADA accommodation (MD Relay - Dial 711 or 800-201-7165).

The Council meeting schedule may change from time to time. View the current Council and Committee agendas, Council staff reports and additional information on items scheduled for Council review on the Council website.

Public hearings will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM) on Xfinity channels 6 and 996, RCN channels 6 and 1056; and FiOS channel 30. Also available live via streaming through the Council website, Facebook Live (@MontgomeryCountyMdCouncil or @ConcejodelCondadodeMontgomery), or YouTube (@MoCoCouncilMD).

How to Sign Up for Public Hearings

The Stay Council Connected video series is a step-by-step guide to navigating the Montgomery County Council that offers instructions for residents.

Release ID: 26-029
Media Contact: Sara Tenenbaum