Holiday Office Closure

The Village Administrative Office and Public Works Department will be closed on Monday, February 20, 2017 in observance of President's Day. As a reminder, the Communications Center and Police Department are open 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.

Bethesda Downtown Plan Letter

Please click on the following link to view the final letter that was sent by the Coalition of Bethesda Area Residents to the Montgomery County Council regarding the Bethesda Downtown Plan:

Joint Community Letter

Live Online Discussion with County Executive Ike Leggett

Residents are invited to participate in a live online discussion with County Executive Ike Leggett.

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett will hold a “virtual” town hall meeting on Tuesday, February 21 from 1 to 2 p.m. County residents may submit questions to the County Executive before and during the chat at Live Discussion with Ike Leggett. Questions and answers will be posted both during and after the chat. For more information, call the Office of Public Information at 240-777-6507

Weekly Police Beat for the Week Ending 2/17/2017

Expect Lane Closures on Western Avenue Near
Western Grove Park Next Week

As a part of the Western Grove Park development, storm drains will be installed under Western Avenue. According to the permit, the work will be completed by Wednesday, February 22. One lane in each direction will be shut down while the work is being done.

Trash and Recycling Will Be Collected on President’s Day
(Monday, February 20)

The President’s Day holiday will not impact trash and recycling collection. The Village’s solid waste contractor has advised us that they will collect refuse and recycling as usual on Monday, February 20.

Distracted Driving is Dangerous: Put it Down and Drive!

What is distracted driving?
Anything that diverts a motorist’s attention away from the primary task of driving results in distracted driving. There are 3 basic forms of distraction: visual (taking your eyes off the road), manual (taking your hands off the wheel) and cognitive (taking your mind off of driving). While all distracted driving is dangerous, those activities that involve all three forms of distraction are the worst such as:

Texting (reading, writing and sending a text)
Using a cell phone or smartphone
Eating or drinking
Reading, including maps
Manipulating GPS, radio, CD player or other device

How bad is the problem?
Here is what we know: distracted driving kills 9 people and injures 1,060 every day in the U.S. (NHTSA). As grim as these numbers are, the scope of the problem is likely much larger. The National Safety Council has completed at least one study which shows that distracted driving is woefully underreported. We see it everywhere every day. Some people appear to be nearly addicted to their electronic devices. Don’t be one of them. Stop it. Just drive. In Maryland, it is illegal to read or send messages, check Facebook, etc. even while you are stopped. Put the phone where you can’t get to it if you can’t trust yourself to ignore your device. You will hurt yourself or someone else sooner or later. It is not worth it.

Board of Managers Election

Four Board seats will be up for election this spring. The current Board members whose terms are expiring in June are Gary Crockett, Minh Le, Richard Ruda and David Winstead.

Any Village resident may run for a seat on the Board provided he/she is a qualified voter in Montgomery County, has resided in Chevy Chase Village for at least one year prior to the election and files the required Certificate of Candidacy and Financial Disclosure Statement in proper form. Note that the Certificate of Candidacy was only introduced last year. Board members serve two-year, staggered terms. If the number of qualified candidates equals the number of available seats, the candidates will be declared elected at the Annual Meeting on Monday, April 17, 2017 (the meeting begins at 7:30 p.m.). If the number of candidates exceeds the number of available seats, a contested election will be held on Saturday, May 6, 2017.

The Village Election Supervisors oversee Village elections, including receiving nominations to serve on the Board of Managers. Residents interested in running for a seat should please contact Election Supervisors Chair Charlotte Jones-Carroll by email at cjonescarroll@aol.com so that the Elections Supervisors can begin to plan for the election.

To qualify as a candidate, an individual, including sitting Board members, must submit to the Village office a completed Certificate of Candidacy along with a Financial Disclosure Statement, at any time after February 6 (90 days prior to Election Day), but by no later than April 6 (30 days prior to Election Day). Upon receiving both completed forms, the Village Manager will submit the Financial Disclosure Statement to the Village Ethics Commission, which will review the form within ten days of filing for compliance with the provisions of the Public Ethics Code. Please note, however, that candidates are not certified to appear on the ballot until the Certificate of Candidacy and Financial Disclosure Statement have been reviewed and determined to be filed in proper form. Forms are available in the Village office or by email request to the Village Manager Shana Davis-Cook at shana.davis-cook@montgomerycountymd.gov.

For more information regarding Board elections, please visit the dedicated page by clicking here “Board of Managers Elections.”

Proposed 2017 Spring Public Right-of-Way and Park Tree Planting

DEAR VILLAGE RESIDENT: In keeping with the Village’s adopted policy, the Village anticipates planting 45 trees this coming spring. Please review the proposed list of sites under consideration for planting in Village rights-of-way by clicking on the image of the tree to the right. The list has been prepared by the Tree Committee in consultation with the Village Arborist.

Should you have request for a different species, or if you have questions or concerns or would like to propose an additional site, please submit them in writing to the Village office, c/o Tree Committee at ccv@montgomerycountymd.gov by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 28, 2017 including your name, address and telephone number. A member of the Tree Committee will contact you to discuss the matter.

In selecting tree species, an effort has been made to emphasize native species and, where there are power lines, to plant trees that will not exceed 35’ when mature. Preferred species may in some cases prove not to be available and all listed sites are unlikely to be planted this spring. In these cases, the Tree Committee will contact the owner of the adjacent property to review alternatives.

RSVP/AARP Tax-Aide Program Offers Free Tax Preparation

The Montgomery County Volunteer Center's RSVP/AARP Tax-Aide Program is providing free tax preparation assistance. This service is available to low-to-moderate income taxpayers who live or work in Montgomery County.
Special attention is given to those age 60 and older.

The Tax-Aide program has more than 100 volunteers who are trained to prepare simple federal and Maryland state tax forms. Taxes are prepared at more than 20 different locations across Montgomery County, and an appointment is required. The program runs during tax season, the second week of February through Tuesday, April 18.

Individuals can learn more specifics and schedule an appointment on-line at http://www.montgomeryserves.org/tax-aide/overview or call 240-777-2577.

Tax Return Reminder (MD Form 502)

Revenues received through our residents’ paid income taxes remain the most significant source of Village revenues. We need our residents’ help to ensure that all income tax revenue due to the Village actually gets here. This money goes directly to services benefiting Village residents. Village residents DO NOT pay any additional income taxes to live in Chevy Chase Village. By law, as a municipality, the Village receives a portion of the tax you pay to Montgomery County. It is very important, however, that the State of Maryland knows to return this revenue to the Village. Consequently, please take special care to mark your tax return as shown below (if filing electronically, there is a character limit, therefore, you may have to use the abbreviation
“Ch Ch Village”).

Please be aware that MD Form 502 has been updated this year with a separate political subdivision section located under your mailing address. When you complete your Maryland income tax return, remember to put Chevy Chase Village under “Maryland Political Subdivision” and include 1613 the “4 digit Political Subdivision Code” to ensure the Village receives our share of the state income tax (see below).

Did You Know?

Special Pickups of bulk items are collected on Wednesdays. Requests must be submitted either by phone or the Village website by 2:00 p.m. on the preceding Tuesday to ensure collection.
We have a Pet ID Program but it only works if your pet’s information is included in our pet album. If you have not already done so, please go to www.chevychasevillagemd.gov and complete the Pet ID Program enrollment form provided under the “Forms” menu for ALL of the pets in your home (including dogs, cats, birds, ferrets, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, etc.).

Are You Prepared?

As we saw last season during the record Blizzard of 2016 and as gear up for the upcoming winter season, the Village reminds residents that it is important to be prepared. In order the assist residents in their preparedness, the Village in partnership with the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS) offer a number of helpful tools, plans and free alerts to assist and keep you informed.

Village Website and Blast Email System – Have you signed up for the Village’s blast email system? This is primary electronic method of communication with you. The Village has 2 email lists you can sign-up for:

Urgent News Alert – include messages such as criminal activity, neighborhood disruptions such as water main breaks, power outages and road closures and major weather events.

General News Alerts – include messages about Board and committee meetings, community events, changes in public services such as refuse/recycling collection schedules and upcoming road closures.

To sign-up for the blast email system visit the Village website at www.chevychasevillagemd.gov and click on the tablet icon at the top of the Village’s homepage.

Alert Montgomery – Alert Montgomery is the office emergency communications service for Montgomery County, MD. During major crisis, emergency or severe weather events, Montgomery County officials will send event updates, warnings and instructions directly to you on any of your devices. To sign-up for Alert Montgomery please visit the OEMHS website www.montgomerycountymd.gov/oemhs and click on the “Alert Montgomery” link at the top of the page.

Family and Community Preparedness Information – Emergencies can take many form and occur with or without warning. By taking a few simple steps now, you can ensure that you, your family and your community are better prepared to handle emergencies. To assist in your family planning please visit the Village’s emergency preparedness page, www.chevychasevillagemd.gov/emergencyprep for helpful tools and links. Another important tool the Village has to assist you in your preparedness efforts is to always request a House Check when you are out town and ensure that your emergency contacts are up to date with the Village office.

For additional information please visit the Village’s website at www.chevychasevillagemd.gov and click on the “Are you prepared? – Emergency Preparedness Tips” link listed in the Quick Links on the homepage.

Emergency Contact Sheet

EMERGENCY - 911

Chevy Chase Village Police
Non Emergency/24hrs - 301-654-7300

Montgomery County Police
Non Emergency/24hrs - 301-279-8000

Bethesda - Chevy Chase Rescue Squad - 301-652-0077

Chevy Chase Fire Dept
(Opposite Columbia Country Club) - 240-773-4707

Bethesda Fire Dept
(Wisconsin Ave and Bradley Blvd) - 240-773-4706

National Capital Poison Center
(George Washington University Hospital) - 800-222-1222

Utilities

Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPCO)

Emergency-Live wires down, power failure - 877-737-2662

Customer Service - 202-833-7500

Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission

Emergency - 301-206-4002

Complaints, Leaks, Information - 301-206-4001

Washington Gas

Emergency - 703-750-1400

Information & Customer Service - 703-750-1000

Comcast - 800-934-6489

Verizon - 800-837-4966

**A cut out sheet is also located on page two of the January 2017 Crier.

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