The Rockville Mayor and Council will meet on Monday, January 12, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. Key items include routine board and commission appointments, a community forum for public comment, and approval of several consent items, including a $309,000 vehicle purchase, the City’s FY 2025 financial reports, and an election-related agreement for a Drop Box at City Hall. The primary policy action is an ordinance updating the City’s Forest and Tree Preservation regulations to align with state law and improve administration. Looking ahead to the February 2 meeting, the Council will consider changes to the Green Building Code.

In 2026, I’m taking a fresh approach to covering Rockville’s mayor and council meetings. Rather than listing every agenda item all year long, I’ll focus on a few key issues that are affecting the community and provide short, clear summaries that highlight what really matters. If you want every detail, the City already does a great job sharing agendas by email, so I’ll leave that role to them.

This shift will let me spend more time taking a closer look at specific issues as they arise and explaining why they matter to residents and businesses. For example, I plan to pay closer attention to board and commission appointments, where the same members are often reappointed for decades—raising important questions about community participation and diverse perspectives. I’ll also listen carefully to council discussions to note who is actively shaping decisions and who is less engaged, information that can be useful to voters. Finally, I’ll broaden the lens beyond City Hall to explore other developments across Rockville and Montgomery County that affect daily life in our community.