The beginning of July means an increase in the minimum wage, Metro fares, tobacco taxes and car registration fees as well as a ban on sales of gas-powered leaf blowers.
The minimum wage in Montgomery County will increase on July 1. The rate for large employers with 51 or more employees will increase to $17.15 per hour, while the rate for mid-sized employers with 11-50 employees will increase to $15.50 per hour.
Metro fares will increase 12.5% and most service will not be cut, according to its $4.8 billion budget that takes effect July 1.
Bus fares and base rail fares will increase from $2 to $2.25. The maximum rail fare will increase from $6 to $6.75. Late-night and weekend fares will rise from a flat $2 to a variable charge between $2.25 and $2.50 based on distance.
MetroAccess fares will be capped at $4.50, up from $4. Bicycle lockers will cost five cents an hour for a total of $1. Parking fees will not change.
Tobacco tax rates on cigarettes and other tobacco products will increase as will the sales and use tax rate on electronic smoking devices. The tax on a pack of cigarettes sold in Maryland will jump from $3.75 to $5. For packs with more than 20 cigarettes, the tax rate will rise from .175 cents per cigarette to .25.
For other tobacco products, not including pipe tobacco and cigars, the rate on July 1 will jump from 53% of the wholesale price of the tobacco products to 60%.
A new law raises car registration fees by anywhere from 60-75% depending on the class and weight of the vehicle.
Stores in Montgomery County are no longer able to sell gas-powered leaf blowers. The ban applies to all engine-powered handheld, backpack and walk-behind leaf-blowing devices and is one of the final steps in completely phasing out the use of gas-powered leaf blowers and vacuums.
Beginning in July, a ban on indoor vaping in the workplace and mass transportation systems goes into effect.
July 1 also is the day the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) 47th Student Member of the Board (SMOB) will be sworn in. Praneel Survarna, a senior at Clarksburg High School, will begin his term on the Board of Education.
