Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett has said he will veto a proposed bill requiring big box retailers to negotiate with community organizations.
The bill, proposed by County Council President Valerie Ervin, would require big retailers such as Walmart and Costco to enter into an agreement with at least three recognized civic organizations or to demonstrate to the county executive that the retailer has made a “good faith effort” to negotiate an agreement before opening. The agreement could address any number of issues, ranging from hiring practices to operating hours to techniques that lessen traffic.
The measure was introduced in reaction to news that Walmart is considering a store in Aspen Hill. Since then, another Walmart may be coming to Rockville Pike near the Twinbrook Metro station. Similar bills have been proposed in the District and Prince George’s County.
However, the bill as written could be problematic enough to veto it, said Leggett. It does not adequately define which community groups a retailer would need to negotiate with or what constitutes a good-faith effort.
“I am also very concerned with the negative message that this could send to businesses looking to invest in the county,” Leggett said in an e-mail to a resident. “It can make it more difficult to do business in Montgomery than in some other jurisdictions.”
Supporters of the bill, however, argue that it could help protect workers at a Walmart, whose workers are not unionized, and give residents a say in the development of their neighborhood.
In addition to Ervin, D-Silver Spring, the bill is sponsored by Council members Craig Rice, D-Germantown, and Hans Riemer, D-at large, and Nancy Navarro, D-Eastern County.
