Chevy Chase Village Annual Meeting

Monday, April 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the Village Hall
Reception beginning at 7:00 p.m. 

The Annual Meeting is an excellent opportunity to get caught-up on issues affecting the Village. Residents who have moved into the Village during the past two years are especially encouraged to attend to see their Village government in action, and to meet Village Committee/Commission members, elected officials and staff.
 
 Committee/Commission Chairs and representatives will provide reports of their Committee/Commission’s activities over the past year. Also at the Annual Meeting, the Board will adopt the operating budget for FY 2024 (July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024) and will set the real estate and personal property tax rates for the same period. The confirmed candidates for the Board of Managers will be announced by the Election Supervisors.
 
 All residents are invited to join the Board in recapping the past year’s events and accomplishments and to discuss the Village’s goals in the upcoming year.  Those who are unable to attend in person may access a livestream of the meeting.  Participants who join via audio or video conference will be muted until the Public Discussion Period. 

Click to view the Meeting Agenda

Stormwater Committee Community Survey

Hello Neighbors!  Please take a moment to fill out the Chevy Chase Village Stormwater Survey, available at bit.ly/3lJHP5w.  The committee welcomes survey responses from all households in the Village through Friday, May 5, 2023 (one response per household). While residents are urged to complete the survey online,  a printed version of the survey will also be mailed to all Village households.  Regardless of whether your home is directly affected by stormwater runoff, we would like to hear your opinions and experience.  

Your participation is critical as we (the Village Stormwater Committee) identify stormwater problems and collect potential solutions to manage runoff in Chevy Chase Village.  We hope you will invest a few minutes to complete this survey!  Thank you!

-Chevy Chase Village Stormwater Committee

Montgomery County Executive Elrich to Hold 
‘Community Conversations’ to Talk About 
Long-term Priorities and FY 2025 CIP Budget

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich will hold six “community conversations” at sites around the County in April and May to talk about long-term priorities and how he will address the Fiscal Year 2025 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) budget.

A capital budget plan that states how much money is needed for major construction projects and for purchase and maintenance of the assets. It also determines the amount of time that will be used for the planning and design of the project.  The CIP refers to items such as land, buildings, equipment and other investments in the County. The capital budget addresses planning for long-term major projects. It differs from the County operating budget, which funds spending needs for a one-year period.

The community conversation events will address how the County Government will make decisions on major projects such as the construction of public schools, building swimming pools, transportation improvements, improvements to sidewalks, improvements to local parks, building parking garages and establishing childcare centers.

• Wednesday, April 19. 7-8:30 p.m. In-person event. Conversation for Bethesda-Chevy Chase Region. Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center (East-West Room). 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda.
• Monday, May 1. 7-8:30 p.m. Virtual event. Details to be announced.

See the full news release for information regarding the other scheduled ‘Community Conversations’.

Montgomery County’s Eighth Annual Greenfest:
April 22 & 23

Montgomery County’s eighth annual GreenFest is back this year, taking place in two different locations, ‘GreenFest in the Gardens’ will take place at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton on Saturday, April 22. ‘GreenFest in the City’ will happen at Marian Fryer Town Plaza in Downtown Wheaton on Sunday, April 23. Both will be free, family friendly events organized by a coalition of public, nonprofit and university partners.

The Greenfest events, which are part of the County’s celebration of April as “Earth Month,” will feature more than 60 vendors at each location. The vendors represent green businesses, environmental nonprofits, arts and crafts vendors. They will feature educational activities for children and adults.

GreenFest is an excellent opportunity for residents to learn more about environmental issues, connect with local organizations and celebrate the planet. 

For more information on GreenFest, visit https://montgomerycountygreenfest.org.

Clarification Regarding Montgomery County’s Announcement of a New Requirement to 
Maintain the County Income Offset Tax Credit

This week, Montgomery County issued a news release announcing that Montgomery County property owners would lose the $692 “county income offset tax credit” if they did not follow the new requirement to first apply for the Maryland Homestead Credit by May 1.  This news release caused confusion regarding the Homestead Tax Credit application.  PLEASE NOTE:  Homeowners need only apply ONCE for the Homestead Tax Credit. If you have already received the credit, there is nothing more you need to do at this time.

Homeowners can verify whether they have already received the Homestead Tax Credit by searching their property on the SDAT’s real property data search webpage and scrolling down to “Homestead Application Information”.  Step by step instructions are available by clicking here.

The State Department of Assessment and Taxation (SDAT) has reported an influx of phone inquiries resulting from the county news release.  These calls are preventing the SDAT tax credit team from issuing the necessary Access Code for property owners who must have this code in order to file their initial Homestead Tax Credit application by the May 1, 2023 deadline.

SDAT is allocating additional resources to its tax credit department to ensure that every homeowner who needs an Access Code is in receipt of one by the May 1, 2023 deadline.

Dry Wells and Their Maintenance

If you have dry wells (underground receptacles for stormwater runoff) on your property as part of a stormwater management system, it’s important to know that these underground retention pits require ongoing maintenance—“out of sight” should not be “out of mind”! Debris from gutters (leaf litter and such) can cause clogging of the gravel retention area, and even above ground, it is important not to block the overflow cap or to build on top of the dry well.
 
If you notice that the area around your dry well is soggy, or worse, if the overflow cap seems to activate at the least amount of rain, then it probably means your system is due for a cleaning. Generally, every three to five years the gravel containment area needs to be flushed out, to eliminate sediment and debris that can hamper performance. This process is often referred to as “refreshing” the dry well.  If this maintenance is neglected, the well will not function and you will experience adverse impacts to your yard and possibly to your basement.
 
Check with the company that installed the system, or if it was in place when you purchased your home, many landscape companies can perform this service. Keeping your dry wells in good condition will go a long way to improving the stormwater management conditions in your yard. Here is a link to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s website [a] with information on dry wells and their maintenance, as well as link to the Montgomery County website [b] with information on dry wells in general, their sizing and location.
 
Note that installation of a dry well on your property does require a Chevy Chase Village Building Permit. Permitting & Code Enforcement Coordinator Aurelio Baca-Asher can assist you with the permitting process.
  
[a] https://www.cbf.org/document-library/presentation-webinar-materials/CBF_Dry_Well_011614.pdf
  
[b] https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DEP/Resources/Files/PostersPamphlets/dry-wells.pdf

Access to COVID-19 Test Kits and N-95 Masks; 
 Vaccine Access & Information

In partnership with Montgomery County, the Village continues to provide COVID-19 rapid (antigen) test kits and N-95 masks at no charge.  Test kits are available at the Village Hall with a limit of two (2) boxes per person, per visit while supplies last.  

Residents can also obtain free rapid test kits at county libraries during regular operating hours. The nearest is the Chevy Chase Library, located at 8005 Connecticut Avenue, or go online to view the complete list of county library locations.  

For those who may prefer to receive them by mail, test kits are available to be delivered to your home by USPS through the federal distribution program by visiting https://www.covid.gov/tests or calling 1-800-232-0233 (limit one shipment per household).

The CDC recommends everyone stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and bivalent boosters for their age group:

1. Children and teens aged 6 months–17 years
2. Adults aged 18 years and older
3. People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised have different recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines.

To find COVID-19 vaccine locations, visit the  Maryland Department of Health website, or call 1-855-MDGOVAX (1-855-634-6829).   To view available testing sites in the county (government operated and private), visit: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/testing.html.

Help Village Staff Keep the Community Safe and Beautiful

Report Areas for Repair and Maintenance

Village staff prides itself on being responsive and working hard to ensure that the Village remains a safe, beautiful and welcoming community—but we cannot do it alone. While we are constantly on the lookout for areas that need to be addressed, we need the support of residents serving as our eyes and ears throughout the community:
 
Sidewalk Repairs
The Village maintains brick paver sidewalks throughout the community. The brick pavers are not mortared and are set on a bluestone base to allow the sidewalks to gradually move as adjacent tree roots grow.  Compared to the former concrete sidewalks, the dry-laid brick pavers are much easier for Public Works staff to repair by removing and resetting sections that have shifted.  This is ongoing maintenance that our crews perform throughout the year as trip hazards are identified by staff or are brought to our attention by residents.
  
Tree Maintenance
There are well over 2,500 “public” trees located within Village parks, greenspaces and public right-of-way.  The Village’s consulting Arborist and our Director of Public Works perform routine assessments for tree maintenance needs including areas for pruning, removals or treatments to improve a tree’s health.  These assessments supplement our ongoing response to observations made by staff and residents.
  
How to Report an Issue or Concern
Residents can use the Village’s online form system to report any number of issues or concerns, by visiting: https://www.chevychasevillagemd.gov/RequestTracker.aspx. From this page, residents can report sidewalk trip hazards and streetlight outages, and request public tree maintenance and recycling toters. 
 
As always, residents may also call the Village’s 24-hour Communications Center or email uests/concerns to the Village’s main email address at ccv@montgomerycountymd.gov (emails are then routed to the appropriate department).
 
Thank you for helping us to continue addressing the needs of the community! 

Join the Village Listserv on Groups.io

CCVillage (CCVillage@Groups.io), is the neighborhood mailing list (listserv) for residents of Chevy Chase Village.  CCVillage is a resource to allow neighbors to stay connected with one another other.  Click for more information and to join the listserv.