Dear Friends,
Over the last four years, and even during COVID19, we have been focused on supporting existing businesses, encouraging others to expand here and incubating new ones.
I am happy to report that even in the face of the economic trials from the pandemic, we are seeing indications that our local economy is faring well and doing better than five years ago.
June projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show Montgomery County's unemployment rate is 1.5 percent. This rate is tied with the lowest recorded since 1990. Only in December of 1999, nearly 24 years ago, did our unemployment rate mirror this level of prosperity. Historically, full employment has been viewed as having between 3 and 4 percent unemployment.
A recent report from the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation and Montgomery Planning shows a year-to-year expansion of our labor force, with more than 8,800 individuals joining. Employment figures have followed suit, with an impressive addition of more than 14,000 jobs to our local economy from March 2022 to this past March. You can read through the first quarter report covering economic indicators that take employment, real estate development and housing trends in our area through March of this year.
We continue to make business-friendly reforms throughout the County government. We have embraced changes that simplify permit filings, upgrades and business establishment procedures. We also have improved our procurement processes through digitization and focused on making sure that more local and minority-owned businesses are receiving County Government contracts. In fact, for the first time, our Office of Procurement has more new vendors receiving county contracts than established vendors.
Montgomery County has an impressive economic landscape. We have the third-largest life sciences workforce in the Country. We are home to NIH, FDA, NIST and other Federal agencies and partners. We are part of the third-largest Bio Health cluster in the United States, as reported by Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.
Around four million of square feet of lab space has been built or is underdevelopment since I became County Executive for our life sciences companies – which also continue to come here. This has all happened since 2019. None of this was happening when I came into office.
We have also landed big expansions. Millipore Sigma will spend $286 million endeavor to nearly double the company’s workforce in Rockville. This is just one of many examples of the asset and strategy rich environment we have in Montgomery County.
We are not letting up. Projects such as the University of Maryland, Institute for Health Computing in North Bethesda continue to generate interest and excitement. It is the kind of upgrade our Bio Health corridor has been in need of and will elevate our local, national and international profile, setting our County up for continued success down the line.
WorkSource Montgomery Helps Connect to Better Jobs and a Better-Trained Workforce
Even with a record-low unemployment rate, we know that we need to provide improved training, skills and job placement for our workers. An indispensable tool in our workforce development arsenal is WorkSource Montgomery. We have revolutionized how we help people find work, offering classes in diverse languages and retooling skills for higher paying positions.
Before I became County Executive, we were barely scratching the surface of offering the right kind of workforce assistance. We have since turned WorkSource Montgomery into a dynamic resource and made a sea change in the local job market.
While a record-low unemployment rate is certainly good news, the data does not capture those who have ceased searching for work or those unable to work. Moreover, the unemployment rate doesn't speak to the quality of employment. Are those workers engaged and earning a living wage with essential benefits, like health insurance?
Our approach is deliberate. We are creating pathways for everyone to advance their careers through education, apprenticeships and workforce training. One of the most important recent developments in continuing education is recognizing the value of certifications for job advancements and raises. Not everyone needs a four-year degree to find a job or climb up the company ladder.
Furthermore, institutions like Montgomery College and the Universities at Shady Grove play pivotal roles in guiding students toward opportunities in the life sciences job market. They aid students in charting new courses within the workforce, offering continued education for career advancement.
It is proven time and again that a more diverse workplace results in a higher performing workplace. I encourage you to check out the changes we have made by visiting worksourcemontgomery.com, the Universities at Shady Grove and Montgomery College to browse through some of the resources being offered.
White House Announces New Wage Rule for Federal Construction Projects
This new rule restores the Department of Labor’s definition of “prevailing wage” used for nearly 50 years before it was upended by the Reagan administration.
It will make the prevailing wage equivalent to the wage paid to at least 30 percent of workers, rather than 50 percent of workers, in a given trade in a locality. Prior to the new rule, if the majority of workers in a given trade and locality did not earn a single wage rate, then the prevailing wage was determined by the average wage in a given trade in a locality.
This average can pull down the prevailing. Setting the prevailing wage to the wage paid to at least 30 percent of workers makes it more likely that workers are paid a true prevailing wage.
This new rule finally corrects one of President Reagan’s many attacks on workers. It will go into effect in about two months and will improve the livelihoods of about 1.2 million workers across the nation.
Our economies thrived on the pre-Reagan prevailing wage rules—higher incomes translate into greater buying power creating increased economic activity. Decent wages built a middle class of workers who could buy homes and send their kids to college. And it improves our tax base.
This new rule will also add an anti-retaliation provision in contract clauses to protect workers who raise concerns from being fired or punished. It also strengthens the Department of Labor’s ability to withhold money from a contractor to pay employees their lost wages.
It should not have taken this long to correct. I appreciate that President Biden has done more for working families in his first three years than any President since FDR. I hope this new rule will have positive residual effects on construction workers in the private sector as well as all hourly employees throughout the nation.
Efforts to Reduce Maternal Health Inequities
“Right From the Start” is happening from noon-3 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 13, at the White Oak Recreation Center. The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services is bringing together several experts to talk about the importance of preconception health, prenatal care and early childhood health within the Black community and African Diaspora.
Angeline Bell is a nurse manager for the Babies Born Healthy Program. During my media briefing this week, she said Black women in Maryland are three times more likely to die in childbirth than women of any other race. Fortunately, in Montgomery County, our infant mortality and morbidity rates are lower than the national and state averages, but the disparity still exists.
Babies of Black or African diaspora decent women are two-to-three times more likely to die before the age of 1 compared to babies born to mothers of other races. In 2021, Black women accounted for 43 percent of all fetal and infant deaths in Montgomery County, even though they represented just 20 percent of all births in the County.
I appreciate the leadership on this issue from our state leadership – Governor Wes Moore’s Administration, the Maryland General Assembly leadership and our Montgomery County state delegation for their work last session on passing the Healthy Babies Equity Act.
Efforts like Sunday’s event are meant to spread awareness and prompt more people to take expectant mother, prenatal and childhood health seriously. This event is free, but registration is required.
As we know, climate change is contributing to an increase in extreme weather events around the world, from heat emergencies to flooding, wildfires, and drought. Here in Montgomery County, we are not immune to those hazards. Our Climate Action Plan looks at how to reduce our carbon emissions but it also addresses how to mitigate the hazards of a changing climate.
The powerful thunderstorms we have experienced recently are examples of the dangers we face and must be prepared for. As severe, intense thunderstorms bring heavier precipitation, we face more possibility of waterways to cresting over, overwhelmed storm water infrastructure, flooded roadways and bridges, and lives at risk.
To protect residents from the dangers posed by flash flooding, the County received funding from the Federal Government’s Department of Homeland Security to install 35 flood sensors at frequently flooded sites within the County. Staff in emergency management and environmental protection departments with Fire and Rescue, Police and Transportation staff to identify the highest risk sites. Strategically positioned in flood-prone areas, these flood sensors enhance our efforts regarding emergency warning systems, response times and the ability to mitigate hazards posed to residents and property.
The sensors are part of a strategic plan to address flooding in the County, and our Department of Environmental Protection is leading an effort to assess vulnerable areas, provide detailed flood studies and implement mitigation projects. This is part of our work to address the impacts to residents and businesses within the County.
As the most frequent and costliest natural disaster in our area, every second counts when dealing with dangerous flooding conditions and I cannot reiterate that enough. Make sure you are informed by visiting montgomerycountymd.gov/flooding and are prepared by signing-up for emergency alerts via Alert Montgomery.
A storm can hit in a matter of minutes, sometimes with little to no warning. And always remember that if you do encounter a flooded roadway, water may be deeper and swifter than it appears. It can rise significantly in seconds and put your life and those of your loved ones at risk. Do not gamble with your life: turn around, don’t drown.
Today’s seven-day cumulative case rate is now 16.56 per 100,000 population, which is similar to last week's measure of infections and a mild increase compared to the last four months.
Babies of Black or African diaspora decent women are two-to-three times more likely to die before the age of 1 compared to babies born to mothers of other races. In 2021, Black women accounted for 43 percent of all fetal and infant deaths in Montgomery County, even though they represented just 20 percent of all births in the County.
I appreciate the leadership on this issue from our state leadership – Governor Wes Moore’s Administration, the Maryland General Assembly leadership and our Montgomery County state delegation for their work last session on passing the Healthy Babies Equity Act.
Efforts like Sunday’s event are meant to spread awareness and prompt more people to take expectant mother, prenatal and childhood health seriously. This event is free, but registration is required.
Flood Monitor Sensors Protect the Community
The powerful thunderstorms we have experienced recently are examples of the dangers we face and must be prepared for. As severe, intense thunderstorms bring heavier precipitation, we face more possibility of waterways to cresting over, overwhelmed storm water infrastructure, flooded roadways and bridges, and lives at risk.
To protect residents from the dangers posed by flash flooding, the County received funding from the Federal Government’s Department of Homeland Security to install 35 flood sensors at frequently flooded sites within the County. Staff in emergency management and environmental protection departments with Fire and Rescue, Police and Transportation staff to identify the highest risk sites. Strategically positioned in flood-prone areas, these flood sensors enhance our efforts regarding emergency warning systems, response times and the ability to mitigate hazards posed to residents and property.
The sensors are part of a strategic plan to address flooding in the County, and our Department of Environmental Protection is leading an effort to assess vulnerable areas, provide detailed flood studies and implement mitigation projects. This is part of our work to address the impacts to residents and businesses within the County.
As the most frequent and costliest natural disaster in our area, every second counts when dealing with dangerous flooding conditions and I cannot reiterate that enough. Make sure you are informed by visiting montgomerycountymd.gov/flooding and are prepared by signing-up for emergency alerts via Alert Montgomery.
A storm can hit in a matter of minutes, sometimes with little to no warning. And always remember that if you do encounter a flooded roadway, water may be deeper and swifter than it appears. It can rise significantly in seconds and put your life and those of your loved ones at risk. Do not gamble with your life: turn around, don’t drown.
COVID-19 Update
There’s no need to set off the alarms, but we have seen a slight uptick in our COVID-19 rate. It is a reminder that COVID is still out there, and people are still getting sick. Just this week, I had a lunch that had to be cancelled because one of those planning to attend came down with COVID.Today’s seven-day cumulative case rate is now 16.56 per 100,000 population, which is similar to last week's measure of infections and a mild increase compared to the last four months.
The number of acute care patients with a COVID-19 diagnosis has increased as well. As you can see from this chart, Maryland had 78 patients in acute care and in the ICU from COVID at the end of July, now we are at 123. That is an approximate 40 percent increase in less than two weeks.
As you can see from this chart, we have also seen an increase of COVID in our wastewater surveillance. From this data, we have seen COVID rates double over the past two weeks. With fewer people testing for COVID at this point, this wastewater surveillance is very important for us to know when the virus is more prevalent in our County.
The bottom line is that we need to remain vigilant and stay protected. Many people are returning from summer vacation and may be carrying back strains of COVID they have not been exposed to before. If you feel sick stay away from others and test yourself.
You can still find free at-home test kits at most libraries across Montgomery County. If your library is out of test kits, please know that more are coming soon. To stay up to date on COVID-19 and the risk it poses to the community, follow this link to our data dashboard.
New vaccines are in development now and will be available this fall. Older residents and the immunocompromised are encouraged to protect themselves with a booster now.
As always, my appreciation for all of you,
Marc Elrich
County Executive
