November 30, 2023 – The City of Takoma Park is proud to announce that Councilmember Cindy Dyballa has been appointed to serve on the National League of Cities (NLC) Board of Directors for a two-year term.  “The NLC Board gives our small community a rare opportunity to be heard on national issues that affect us (such as housing and climate) in concert with our peer communities across the country,” said Ms. Dyballa.

Ms. Dyballa has been a Councilmember in Takoma Park since 2017, representing Ward 2.

The NLC is an organization comprised of city, town, and village leaders representing more than 2,700 cities nationwide, with nearly 100 years of dedication to the strength and advancement of local governments. Their mission is to relentlessly advocate for and protect the interests of cities, towns, and villages by influencing federal policy, strengthening local leadership, and driving innovative solutions.

Pumpkins should not be set out with yard waste for disposal – the City currently grinds the leaves and brush at Public Works, and pumpkins make a mess in our grinder.

For those residents who participate in our food waste program – please put pumpkins out with food waste so they can be composted.

Alternatively:

• Squirrels really enjoy them – so you can leave them out for them;
• Place them in a flower bed to decompose and become part of the soil over time;
• Put them in your trash.

City Manager Search Process and Timeline:

The recruiter (GovHR USA) and City Council have established a timeline and recruitment process for a new City Manager.

• Recruitment Timeline (PDF) updated October 13, 2023

The last day to apply for funding from the City of Takoma Park Direct Cash Assistance Program is Tuesday, October 31, by 11:59 pm!

Program Description

The City of Takoma Park will use State and Local Recovery Funds (SLRF) received under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to assist residents economically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic by distributing Direct Cash Assistance. A majority of low- to moderate-income households in the City experience a housing cost burden and may have experienced the inability to pay rent, monthly mortgage payments, or lost employment during this unprecedented period. Learn more about the Direct Cash Assistance program.

The City of Takoma Park Direct Cash Assistance Program will provide a one-time, lump-sum payment per eligible household in the amount of $1,000. This is NOT a new program but a last chance to get those families who have not applied.

Events

Library In-Person Event:

Date: Thursday, October 26
Time: 4-8pm
Location: Interim Library Location
7505 New Hampshire Avenue
Suites 201-208
Takoma Park, MD 20912

Volunteers will be in person to assist with completing an application.

Apply to the Takoma Park Direct Cash Assistance program online.

There are also physical applications available to be completed in person at:

Takoma Park Community Center
7500 Maple Ave
Takoma Park, MD 20912

Stay tuned for more Direct Cash Assistance events throughout October.

The Washington Adventist Hospital campus in Takoma Park is now vacant as the property transitions ownership and purpose. The empty hospital buildings will be secured and fenced off.

Starting this Friday, September 29, Ride On Routes 17 & 18 will no longer be able to access the Adventist Hospital property in Takoma Park. Both routes will detour using Flower Avenue to Maplewood to return to their normal route on Maple Avenue. Stops 26950, 26952, 26954, and 26956 will be discontinued. Riders should use alternate stops 22332, 22274, 23854, and 23856. This will become a permanent change with our next service change in January.

For the most up-to-date service information, riders should follow @RideOnMCT on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. In addition, information is available at RideOnBus.com, by subscribing to receive email alerts at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/govdelivery, or texting MONTGOMERY RIDEON to 468311 to receive text alerts.

For information on MCDOT programs and services visit montgomerycountymd.gov/mcdot, follow @MCDOTNow on  Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to MCDOT’s “Go Montgomery!” newsletter.

Planning Division staff invite members of the public to test out the functionality of the Project Evaluation Scorecard by joining an in-person exploration session:

• Additional dates to be determined

To download the Project Evaluation Scorecard Exploration Kit, visit the City’s Public Space Management Plan website: https://bit.ly/publicspacemanagementplan.

A key component of the Public Space Management Plan is a new tool to help with decision-making. City staff and the project consulting team identified that often decision-makers are pressed to advance a new project or initiative without data to compare the project under consideration with other priorities. The Project Evaluation Scorecard attempts to fill that gap.

The scorecard uses a set of eight benefit categories, each with several criteria listed below. New projects or initiatives would be scored by city staff. Three benefit categories receive an added weight to their score to reflect recent City policies that prioritize Racial Equity, Environmental Sustainability, and Safety. The completed scorecard would be shared publicly as an attachment to council cover memos. The scoring becomes a tool for city staff and the City Council to begin comparing different projects against each other.

The scorecard is not meant to be a judgment upon the merit of a project. Instead, it evaluates how a project stacks up against existing city priorities, and then that score can be compared to the scores of other projects. The scorecard would not be prescriptive or determine whether or not a project advances, but it would be one of the considerations, publicly shared, for how to advance new projects.

The tool may be used to compare two or more projects under consideration at a given time. It may also be used over the longer term to test potential projects against a benchmarked level of benefit. Over time, certain scores may emerge as minimum thresholds for project consideration. The tool, itself, is also meant to be public-facing so that community members and City Council members could take on the task of generating their own project scores, or use it as a tool for planning new initiatives.

The Recreation Department offices will be moving to the temporary Library location, 7505 New Hampshire Ave Takoma Park, MD 20912 this coming Monday, September 25th.

In preparation for the move, the Recreation Department offices will be closed:

• Thursday, September 21- Wednesday, September 27

PLEASE NOTE: No programs will be impacted by these changes. Classes and Events will continue as scheduled!

The Recreation Department’s normal office hours will resume on Thursday, September 28. Part-time staff will answer department phone lines and attend to patrons at the front desk of the Community Center.

Please use the below cell phone list to call staff directly for urgent matters. Staff will respond to emails periodically throughout the move.