Dumais, Feldman, King, Fraser-Hidalgo, and Qi Push Law that will take about $308,700 annually from Mont. Co. revenue. And the rich get richer!

(Note the Glenstone Museum was able to route a Ride On bus through their property without any public discussion.  That change in the Tobytown Ride On bus line requires riders to ride through the Glenstone property everytime they use the Ride On to get to and from Tobytown and Rockville.  The Ride On bus enters the locked Glenstone gates to pick up at the private Glenstone Ride On bus stop.  Who else in Montgomery County has a Ride On bus stop on private property behind locked gates and inaccessible to the public?)

...The bill would allow Glenstone to seek property tax exemption for all parts of the land that are used for museum purposes so long as Glenstone remains open to the public and doesn’t charge admission.

Montgomery’s county council and county executive submitted testimony opposing the bill, citing lost revenue.

Right now, state law allows Glenstone to exempt up to 100 acres. If the bill passes, the whole property could eventually be eligible and there are plans to use the entire acreage for artistic purposes. The county’s revenue loss would be about $308,700 annually if the whole property is exempted.

“The cost of this exemption would force the County to either absorb the revenue loss or shift the tax burden to its other taxpayers,” the county Office of Intergovernmental Relations wrote in a letter to the Ways and Means Committee.

The state’s property tax loss would be an estimated $34,800...

https://www.marylandmatters.org/blog/some-montgomery-lawmakers-balk-as-house-passes-museum-tax-break/

Tobytown residents asked to weigh in on 2nd bus route option

WASHINGTON — During a hearing next week, another option will be presented for a proposed bus route serving a historic community in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Tobytown, a neighborhood in Potomac, was founded by freed slaves in 1847. Residents have expressed a sense of being left behind when it comes to county services.
Phil McLaughlin, chief of operations planning for Montgomery County’s Ride On bus service, said his department got feedback from residents after the first route was proposed for Tobytown earlier this month. As a result, the county is offering the new option along with the first version at the upcoming hearing, which is scheduled for July 28.
In interviews with WTOP earlier this month, several residents have said the one thing they wanted was bus service that would pull into the neighborhood, so that residents don’t have to stand and wait along busy River Road....

http://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2016/07/tobytown-residents-asked-to-weigh-in-on-2nd-bus-option/

Navarro: Ride On service "would improve the quality of life for residents of Tobytown."

The image on the left shows the location of Tobytown, an isolated community in Potomac, Maryland and the location of the closest Ride On bus stop (red marker) to their community. 

The residents of Tobytown would like Ride On service to be extended to their community so they can take advantage of public transportation through out Montgomery County. 



Currently, the residents WALK the 3 miles from their homes to the closest Ride On bus stop on Travilah Road. 

The next image shows some of the Ride On bus routes that the Tobytown residents use once they walk the 3 miles to the closest Ride On bus stop.

Councilmember Nancy Navarro does not represent this part of the county, but nonetheless, she has written a letter to the Council's Transporation Committee requesting that Tobytown receive Ride On bus service.  

   2016 April 5 Navarro Tobytown by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland

How the Descendants of Freed Slaves Lost their Land in Montgomery County #Tobytown

In 1969, the residents of Tobytown in Potomac owned the land that they lived on.  The land had been passed down since 1875 from their ancestors, the founders of Tobytown.

History from Maryland Historical Trust

But, then Montgomery County Government came in, demolished their homes, and replaced their homes with townhouses that the residents were forced to rent for 40 years before they could buy just the homes back from the Housing Opportunities Commission.  They could not get back the land. 

The land owners had lost their land. 

All of the land that had been in these families for almost 100 years was either taken by condemnation or transferred to Montgomery County Government.

Some of the land was taken by a condemnation proceeding, and some was transferred in processes that current relatives describe as based on threats.  Current relatives remember that the Tobytown landowners of the 1960's did not necessarily know how to read or write, and did not want to give up their land.

Montgomery County land records tell the tale.  Below are copies of all of the Deeds to Tobytown land that were transferred or taken by condemnation from 1970 to 1999.  The last names in these deeds are many of the same last names as the current residents of Tobytown. 

It is 2016, and the current residents of Tobytown, who lost their land to Montgomery County, have asked that their community be included in the County's public transportation system.  They just want a RideOn bus to serve their neighborhood. 

To this day, Montgomery County Government still owns over 5 acres of original Tobytown land.  The land around the Tobytown townhomes is owned by the Housing Opportunities Commission.

The RideOn bus service for Tobytown would cost between $200,000 and $300,000 a year.  The County has consistently denied the Tobytown residents normal RideOn Bus service.

Washington Post

From a 2010, Washington Post article:

...In 1972, the housing authority used federal housing funds to build 26 duplexes and single-family homes and a small community center. The goal was for the low-income residents to eventually purchase the inexpensive dwellings.

Florice Martin, 49, a longtime resident who is now raising her grandchildren in Tobytown, grew up in the shacks and vividly remembers when the development was unveiled to great fanfare.
"All the rich people were here, the people that mean something," she said. There were journalists on hand, and a big reception. It was the first time she had seen caviar.
The glowing promise of the day was never fully realized. Over the years, 17 families purchased their own homes for about $16,000. But nine units remain in the control of the housing authority, which also maintains the community center and grounds.
"It seems like they forgot us," Martin said. "It seems like we're not here."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/12/AR2010111201997_3.html?sid=ST2010111202147

   1970 - 1999 Tobytown Deeds by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland

Berliner to Tobytown: Normal Bus Service Does not Make Economic Sense

Note:  RideOn bus service does make sense in other parts of Montgomery County with similar average ridership numbers to Tobytown's. 
A Tobytown RideOn bus route is already predicted to generate 100 patrons.   That is more or similar to other currently running RideOn bus routes.  See page 28 of this Council information packet.

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Berliner Announces Potential Transit Service for Tobytown Residents at HOC Meeting

 

Montgomery County’s Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC) held a meeting with Tobytown residents on Monday night at the community’s recreation center. While HOC initially limited the event to the Tobytown community, residents from surrounding areas and the media were able to join local officials at the meeting.

Montgomery County Council Vice President Roger Berliner stopped by the meeting and discussed Tobytown’s request for public transit.

Berliner announced his plans to support a shuttle route proposal, that would include Tobytown, at a Council meeting to be held on Thursday. He said that the proposed all-day transit service would connect residents to Metro, schools, and jobs...

Video of Councilmember Roger Berliner's statement at this link.
 http://www.mymcmedia.org/berliner-announces-potential-transit-service-for-tobytown-residents-at-hoc-meeting-photos/