THE GAZETTE
Page A-10
Wednesday, November 20, 2013 g
Washington Gas is seeking Leggett says he would OK wage increase legislation Cites lack of predictability surcharge to upgrade pipes on state action n
New state law allows gas companies to charge customers up front n
BY
KATE S. ALEXANDER STAFF WRITER
BY
RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER
The sponsor of a bill that would raise Montgomery County’s minimum wage to $11.50 by 2017 is confident the bill will pass when it comes before the council for a vote next week. The bill, sponsored by Councilman Marc Elrich (D-At Large) of Takoma Park, would incrementally increase Montgomery’s minimum wage to $11.50 an hour by 2017. Maryland’s current minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. The bill is similar to legislation pending in Prince George’s County and Washington, D.C. The County Council’s Health and Human Services Committee is scheduled to discuss the bill at a meeting Thursday, and it’s scheduled to come before the full council
Leggett also said he didn’t think an increase would hurt the county economically, since it’s home to few minimum wage workers, but the increase for those workers would likely lead to them spending more money in the county. The Montgomery committee’s meeting comes as the bills in Prince George’s and the District are reaching their final stages. The Prince George’s County Council is scheduled to hold a hearing on the bill Tuesday, but it wasn’t clear Monday if a vote would be scheduled. Meanwhile, a bill in the District could be marked up before Thanksgiving, according to The Washington Post. Elrich, who worked with officials in the other jurisdictions to coordinate their respective legislation, said he’s confident the bill will get at least the five members needed to pass. “I think they can get there,” he said. Staff Writer Jeffrey K. Lyles contributed to this report
Leggett may ask council to join call to rename Redskins Executive will no longer use team name in county announcements
n
BY
BILL TURQUE
THE WASHINGTON POST
Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett is considering asking the County Council to stand with Washington, D.C., lawmakers and pass a resolution urging the Washington Redskins to change their name. At a minimum, Leggett (D) said, he will drop “Redskins” from all of his office’s announcements and news releases. He disclosed his intentions Sunday in response to an email from Bethesda resident Joshua Silver, who urged him to join the call for a different team name. “Personally, I agree with you,” Leggett told Silver, who is vice president for research and policy at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, a nonprofit that advocates for fair lending and banking practices.
132252G
Washington Gas Light Co. has asked for permission to upgrade its gas pipes and charge customers upfront for the work. Maryland law passed this year allows gas companies to charge for infrastructure upgrades or improvements before those are complete and bypass the typical method of recouping the money later through a rate increase. On Nov. 7, Washington Gas Light filed a 22-year, $869 million plan with the Maryland Public Service Commission to repair or replace 633 miles of pipe main and 75,200 services. To pay for the upgrades, the utility would tack a 29-cent monthly fee on the average residential heating customer’s bill. The fee would fund the first five years and $200 million of the upgrades and also would pay for $5.2 million of improvements made in August and September. It could increase each year up to the maximum $2 per month allowed by the new law, according to the utility’s request. In its request, the utility said the new fee would take effect Dec. 7. But the PSC has put a temporary kibosh on the fee, suspending it for 150 days so the commission can mull it over. “The suspension period is necessary to provide the Commission with an opportunity to determine the justness and reasonableness of the proposal,” according to a Nov. 13 order issued by the PSC. Washington Gas is the third Maryland utility to apply to the
PSC for a surcharge since the law passed in the spring. In its request, the utility said the project would create more than 250 jobs, eliminate gas leaks and reduce gas emissions. Del. Charles E. Barkley (D-Dist. 39) of Germantown, sponsor of the law, said it was intended to accelerate infrastructure repairs on miles of aging pipe. It also sought to save customers money and create jobs, he said. “Ratepayers are eventually going to pay for this stuff anyway,” Barkley said. “If utilities can get some money as they go along, it should save some interest down the road.” Washington Gas will be required to file a full rate case after the five years, but Barkley said it cannot double dip and ask for a rate increase to pay for what the surcharge covered. Del. Alfred C. Carr Jr. said Washington Gas lobbied for the law, which he opposed, and that it will actually increase company profits. “My understanding is that Washington Gas has the ability and resources to raise the money to make the needed upgrades to keep system safe and reliable using the traditional rate making process,” said Carr (D-Dist. 18) of Kensington. “They prefer to do this way because it is more profitable for them.” The law also opened the door for other utilities to seek similar surcharges, he said. “My expectation is that you’ll see electric utilities pushing for a similar law,” he said, noting that electric utilities already have begun to see the surcharges through other means. In July, the PSC granted Pepco $24 million of a $192 million surcharge, tacking about 6 cents per month upfront on customer bills. That decision is currently facing appeal in court.
for a vote on Nov. 26, Elrich said. County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) wrote in a letter to Councilman Roger Berliner (DDist. 1) of Bethesda that he would sign the bill if the council passes it. Leggett wrote that he supported a bill in the General Assembly last year that would have raised the state’s minimum wage to $10 an hour, but the legislation didn’t get passed. “There is no guarantee that such an effort will succeed in the General Assembly this year or in the foreseeable future,” Leggett wrote. “Accordingly, I support Bill 27-13 to increase the minimum wage now.” Leggett told the Gazette on Nov. 12 that he would still prefer a statewide bill. In response to questions in Berliner’s letter, Leggett wrote that he believes Montgomery’s higher standard of living would justify the county having a higher wage than the rest of the state, although he’s willing to discuss what that wage should be and how long it takes to be phased in.
1912031
“As for action by the County, I am asking our Office of Human Rights to review the matter and make a formal recommendation to me before I forward an official recommendation to the County Council,” he said. It’s not exactly clear what OHR’s role will be. Director James Stowe didn’t return phone or email messages Monday. Team owner Dan Snyder, a Montgomery resident who lives in Potomac, has vowed that the team name will never change. But he has been under intense pressure to reverse his position, with even President Barack Obama saying that he’d be considering a name change if he owned the team. Leggett spokesman Patrick Lacefield said there’s no expectation that Montgomery’s gestures will be anything other than symbolic. “Obviously, anything we do has no control over the owner of the Redskins and what he calls his team,” Lacefield said. The D.C. Council voted overwhelmingly Nov. 5 to call on the team to change its name,
condemning it as “racist and derogatory.” Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) has dropped “Redskins” from his public statements, but has stopped short of denouncing the name as racist or offensive. Silver, who said he was speaking only for himself, not his nonprofit, in approaching Leggett, was pleased with the response. “I’ve hated to have to root for a team whose name I’m ashamed of,” he said. It’s difficult to imagine the council actually rejecting a Leggett-sponsored resolution on the issue. But when Silver sounded out his council member, Roger Berliner (D-PotomacBethesda), about sponsoring a resolution, there wasn’t much interest. Berliner said it wasn’t the best use of the council’s time. “While I personally believe there are compelling arguments as to why the use of ‘Redskins’ is no longer acceptable, I do not believe this issue is one that should come in front of the council,” Berliner said in a Nov. 6 email
to Silver. “I have been an advocate for the Council to weigh in on issues that are germane to ... and affect the work of the Council. Since the geographic identifier with the Redskins has always been ‘Washington,’ I can see why the D.C. Council would bring up this issue.” Silver also tried council member George Leventhal (DAt Large), telling him: “I fully understand that a resolution does not have the force of law. No one needs to remind me of that. But I urge the Council to stand with an injured people. Join with the President of the United States in making a statement. It is the right thing to do and sends a powerful statement to the owner of the Washington pro football team. The civil rights movement teaches us that moral suasion matters also.” Leventhal said Silver had his history wrong, but that he would take the matter up informally with his colleagues nevertheless. bill.turque@washpost.com