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A new housing stipend program in the City of Gaithersburg will pay up to $300 monthly to income-qualified city employees living within city limits.

The program, which begins Oct. 1 and will be piloted for two years, aims to encourage employees to live in the city, help with recruiting staff and keep public works and police officials nearby in case of an emergency, officials said.

The mayor and council allocated $150,000 in the fiscal 2009 budget for the program, proposed by Acting City Manager James Arnoult. On Monday, city leaders voted 3-1 to implement it.

Thirty-one of the city's 255 full-time employees live in the City of Gaithersburg, said Assistant City Manager Fred Felton. According to data from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, rents average $250 to $300 more in Montgomery County than in Frederick County and other areas where city staff live.

Eligibility for the stipend is based on household income and follows county housing income requirements for moderately priced dwelling units and workforce housing.

By those standards, an unmarried city employee with no children earning less than $55,440 could receive a $300 monthly housing stipend; an unmarried city employee with no children earning $55,440 to $83,160 could receive a $200 per month stipend, Felton said. Applicants must prove eligibility.

Councilman Jud Ashman, who said he generally supports subsidized housing for city employees, voted against the stipend Monday, citing financial concerns.

"We don't know exactly how much money we're looking at spending here," he said Tuesday. "We don't know the number of people that are going to apply for it and we don't know what stipend they would qualify for."

The city had anticipated about $2.4 million in revenues from speed cameras, said Assistant City Manager Tony Tomasello. But new estimates show the city will likely take in about $400,000, due to changes in speed limits and changing motorist behaviors.

In a tight budget year, Ashman said he would rather hire two or three or more police or address other contingencies, he said.

Hispanic Heritage Month

For the thousands of Hispanics living in Montgomery County, Hispanic Heritage Month is more than the official celebration of a group of people who share a cultural and historic link with Spain and the Spanish language.

Joe Heiney-Gonzalez, a special advisor to the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services and former Hispanic Liaison to the county, was the youngest of 11 children born to Mexican parents in Houston. Spanish was his primary language growing up; he now works to ensure the county employs enough Spanish-language employees to serve the growing Hispanic community.

"My dad used to say, ‘Jose, remember: You have one foot in Mexico and one foot in the U.S.," he said. "Hispanic Heritage Month is a month that has been officially set aside in the nation to recognize the contributions of the Latin American, Spanish-speaking community."

Children are a common motivation for Hispanic parents to participate in the heritage month celebration. County Board of Education President Nancy Navarro, who is from Caracas, Venezuela, considers her children's connection to Latin American culture as key for them to understand their background.

"They've been very much exposed to the culture in Venezuela. We try to go there every other year," she said. "For me, it is important for them to understand their roots."

The series of heritage events includes:

ïLatin American Film Festival, today through Oct. 7 at the AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Visit www.dclatinamericanfilmfestival.org.

ïHispanic Heritage Health Festival, noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at Wheaton Regional Park, 11717 Orebaugh Ave., Wheaton.

ïGuatamala Day Festival, Saturday at Montgomery County Fairgrounds, Perry Parkway.

ïCelebrate Gaithersburg Festival, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

ïHousing Fair and Financial Literacy Day, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 27 at Bohrer Park Community Center, 506 S. Frederick Ave.

Wye site sale

The long-discussed sale of the city-owned Wye site is finally complete, opening another door to revitalization in Olde Towne. A four-story residential and retail complex is slated for the site, next to the city's parking garage on Olde Towne Avenue, said Assistant City Manager Tony Tomasello.

Clark Realty agreed to a $4.8 million sale.

"We're at least a year from construction," said Tomasello. "Until I see shovels digging in the ground, I won't be satisfied."

Douglas Development agreed in June to buy the city-owned Fishman building at 315 E. Diamond Ave., for more than $1 million, Tomasello said. Douglas plans to demolish and redevelop the two-story office building located across from the planned Archstone-Smith development.

"We're going to work with these developers to get started in any way we can," Tomasello said. "I think a lot of real estate development projects got a lot more difficult," due to Monday's stock market plummet, he said.

Lobbyist maintains foothold

City leaders voted on Sept. 2 to retain former Sen. Larry Levitan of Rifkin, Livingston, Levitan and Silver to lobby on behalf of Gaithersburg.

Levitan's firm is expected to push a proposed metropolitan district tax, a bond bill that would support a new upcounty senior center in Gaithersburg and the Watkins Mill Road interchange. The city increased last year's retainer of $35,000 by $2,500.