Budget and Tax Matters:
Public Comments Welcomed on the Draft FY 2019 Budget

The Chevy Chase Village Board of Managers held a budget work session on February 28 to review the proposed operating and capital budgets for the fiscal year that will begin on July 1, 2018 and end on June 30, 2019, as prepared by the Village Manager and staff. The Board will invite public comments on the draft budget and tax rate during its regular meeting on Monday, March 12. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. Copies of the budget summary and details are available on the Village website and hard copies can be obtained at the Village office. Residents can submit written comments in advance (c/o the Village office) of the March 12 discussion.

A report from Board Treasurer Mr. Gary Crockett along with a summary of the proposed budget will be included in the April issue of the Crier in advance of the Board’s Public Hearing on the budget scheduled for Monday, April 9. Adoption of the FY2019 budget and tax rates will take place during the Village’s Annual Meeting on Monday, April 16. 

Board of Managers Election

Three Board seats will be up for election this spring.  The current Board members whose terms are expiring in June are Michael Denger, Robert Goodwin and Elissa Leonard. Mr.Goodwin and Ms. Leonard are considering running again. Mr. Denger has decided not to run for re-eleection.
 
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. 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 16, 2018 (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 5, 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 5 (90 days prior to Election Day), but by no later than April 5 (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 on the Village’s website by clicking on “Board of Managers Elections” under Quick Links on the homepage. 

Board of Managers:
Financial Disclosure Q & A

 
In 2012, the State’s financial disclosure requirements for elected officials were extended to include municipalities like the Village.  If you are considering serving on the Board, you may have questions about those requirements.  I’ll try to anticipate and answer some of them here, and we also encourage you to contact any Board member or the Village Manager for any additional questions or discussion.  You can find the disclosure form on the Village web site by selecting Government / Board of Managers / Board of Managers Elections / Candidate Financial Disclosure Form.
 
What do I have to disclose?  The disclosures are annual and are due in April.  All of the following disclosures are for the previous calendar year, like your tax return.  You need to disclose the following:

• Some details about any property you own, including your home.
• Ownership or interests in corporations or partnerships.  This includes holdings of stock in public corporations.
• Purchases or sales of stock or other interests in corporations or partnerships.
• Sources of earned income
• Any involvement (ownership, employment, gifts, debt) with the Village or any entity doing business with the Village, for yourself or your immediate family.

 
How public is this information?  It’s public but not published.  Anyone may request a copy of your disclosure forms, but you may choose to be informed of any such requests.  Your home address will be redacted when the disclosure form is provided.
 
Am I revealing my net worth to the world?  No.  Some forms of wealth and income (see next question) are not reported.  For ownership and transactions you do have to report, you can use ranges for percentage of ownership (less than 1%, 1-5%, 6-10% or over 10%) or number of shares (0-100, 101-250, 251-500, over 500).
 
What about CDs, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds?  You are not required to report bank interest or certificates of deposit, publicly traded mutual funds, or exchange-traded funds.
 
How hard is this?  The annual report is due at roughly the same time as your income taxes, and the information you’ve gathered for your taxes covers almost all of what you need for the financial disclosure.  Some Board members have their accountants complete the disclosure documents, and some fill them out themselves.  If your finances aren’t too complicated it should only take an hour or two per year.

Steer Clear of Illegal Tree Workers

Do Not Hire Tree Workers Who Knock on Your Door and Offer Services 

State law requires persons who perform tree work be licensed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) as a Licensed Tree Expert (LTE).  It is a criminal offense for anyone to represent themselves as a Licensed Tree Expert or perform work without being an LTE —even if they are licensed to do similar work in another state.  Virtually all of the tree workers in the region are aware of this, yet time and again, ‘tree experts’ from Virginia or elsewhere drive through the Village offering their services.  Do not hire these folks. 

Here is what we have learned:

• The LTE certification ensures that the contractor has received training in safe tree practice. It also protects homeowners in the event of an accident or damage to property- yours or your neighbor’s.
• Some of these workers have defrauded residents—especially the elderly—by charging exorbitant rates for minimal work.  County police investigators have seen cases where homeowners have paid thousands of dollars for little or no work at all. 
• Some of these workers have had active arrest warrants and significant criminal histories.  
• They will often assure residents that the proper permits have been obtained when that is not true.  Remember, it is ultimately the resident’s responsibility to obtain the proper tree removal permit from the Village.

If anyone offers to perform tree work at your home, please call the Village Police Department immediately.  We will respond and investigate.  If you want to remove a tree that is on your property, the first thing that you must do is contact Ms. Ellen Sands at the Village Hall.  She will explain the 2-step process to you which will involve an inspection by the Village Arborist, and then the issuance of a permit by the Village Manager.  Ms. Sands can assist you in navigating this process.

Finally, before you hire any tree service company, we recommend that you first verify that the contractor is a Licensed Tree Expert as certified by the DNR.  The web address below will take you directly to the page on the DNR’s website that lists all licensed tree companies in Maryland.  We also recommend getting competitive estimates before making your final decision.

http://dnr.maryland.gov/forests/Pages/programapps/newtreeexpert.aspx

Candidates Forum - Montgomery County Council
District 1

March 14, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.

Click the image below to view the flyer.

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 remember that MD Form 502 was updated last 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).   

Click on the image below to see the full form

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, to guarantee availability, please make your appointment by March 1.
 
Individuals can learn more specifics and schedule an appointment on-line at http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/volunteercenter/tax-aide/ or
call 240-777-2577.

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.

You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to receive general news updates from Chevy Chase Village. Did you know the Village sends out urgent news updates as well, click here to sign-up.