Home > Government > Mission Statements

Department Mission Statements

Department of the Mayor and Council
The Department of the Mayor and Council preserves and enhances the City's identity and quality of life for those who live and work in Rockville by providing direction, leadership and specific initiatives to ensure the effective and efficient development and administration of City services, policies, and laws.

Division Purposes:

Office of the Mayor and Council
The Mayor and Council legislate for the protection and promotion of the health, safety, comfort, and welfare of the residents of Rockville and for the preservation of the City’s property, rights, and privileges.

Office of the City Clerk
The City Clerk’s Office supports the Mayor and Council in carrying out their mission by providing administrative and clerical assistance, attending all official meetings of the elected body, preparing and managing the records of actions of the meetings, serving as a liaison between the Mayor and Council and the citizens of Rockville, coordinating City boards and commissions, and administering a fair and impartial process for City elections.

City Attorney’s Office
The City Attorney’s office acts as legal advisor to the Mayor and Council, boards and commissions and City staff. The office prepares legal documents for the City and is responsible for preparing for enactment of all additions and amendments to the Rockville City Code. The City Attorney’s Office represents the City before administrative agencies and federal and state courts where the City is a party to or has an interest in legal proceedings.

Department of the City Manager
The Department of the City Manager implements the policies and strategic plans of the Mayor and Council, provides professional recommendations to the Mayor and Council and oversees the day-to-day management of the City's operations, including communication and public information, intergovernmental relations, citizen support and organizational development.

Division Purposes:

Executive Office
The purpose of the Executive Office’s Administration cost center is to provide executive management and leadership for the City government. That includes overall responsibility for the management of City operations and coordination with all departments, ensuring that the Mayor and Council’s goals are met, and managing relationships citizens, community groups, and other governments. The Management Systems and Intergovernmental Affairs cost center manages the project tracking system and reporting to the Mayor and Council on progress on their strategic priorities; manages the Citizen Service Request (CSR) system; manages the Citizen Survey; and protects and promotes City interests, seeks funding, and develops and maintains positive and productive working relationships with County, State, and Federal counterparts. The Organizational Development cost center staff manages the Wellness Program, the High Performance Organization (HPO) initiative and other activities designed to provide employees with the skills needed to improve City services.

Communication and Public Information
To increase citizen and employee understanding, awareness of, and participation in City government programs, projects, and services by communicating through marketing campaigns, publications, and the media. To portray a consistent, professional image that facilitates awareness and use of City programs, projects, events and services, and in turn generates higher participation levels and revenue.

Neighborhood Resource Program
The Division informs and engages citizens in order to ensure responsive City services and a high quality of life in neighborhoods by strengthening or developing neighborhood organizations; serving as a liaison between the City and neighborhoods; providing information and training to cultivate civic leadership; and supporting citizen initiated neighborhood improvement projects. The program also promotes the human rights of City residents and employees by offering consistently fair, objective and effective mediation training and services; educational awareness events; and information and referral services.

Department of Community Planning and Development Services 
The Department of Community Planning and Development Services protects and preserves the developed and natural environment to enhance the quality of life, upholds the standards of the Rockville community, and oversees and facilitates redevelopment in Town Center.

Division Purposes:

CPDS Administration
The Community Planning and Development Services (CPDS) Administration Division carries out all policy, program development, budgeting, personnel, and information services functions associated with managing the department.

Revitalization and Housing
The Division of Revitalization and Housing creates, implements, and coordinates housing programs to assist the City's low and moderate income population. The Division also coordinates revitalization activities in residential areas.

Planning
The Planning Division coordinates interdepartmental review of development applications for City and regional impact, and maintains and updates land use and statistical databases. Planning staff also provides support for various City boards, commissions, and neighborhoods.

Long Range Planning
Develop and oversee the long-range planning program for the City through preparation of the State mandated Master Plan for the City, assisting preparation of strategic planning documents, maintaining an up-to-date statistical and demographic database, preparing neighborhood and other specialized plans, developing and implementing environmental protection and watershed stewardship programs, coordinating National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit elements, and coordinating the implementation of Master Plan and other specialized plan recommendations. Staff also provides support for various boards, commissions, and neighborhood groups and serves as staff representatives on various regional bodies.

Inspection Services Division
The Inspection Services Division provides qualified personnel to enforce various codes and ordinances through plan review, the issuance of permits and licenses, and the inspection of new construction and existing residential and commercial structures and premises. The division also strives to identify ways to increase effectiveness of service delivery to citizens.

Community Development Block Grant
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Division ensures fair access to federal grant and loan funding; distributes funding allocated to the City to eligible organizations, projects, and individuals; and operates the Single Family Home Rehabilitation Program.

CPDS Studies and Plans
The Community Planning and Development Services (CPDS) Studies and Plans Division manages projects that support the Mayor and Council’s planning, development, and neighborhood infrastructure initiatives. Most of the projects will involve significant analysis and should result in major revisions to planning studies and procedures. These projects are collaborative efforts by various divisions within CPDS and with other departments. This division includes funding for the planning and transportation aspects and other analyses for the projects. Funding for these projects will begin in FY 2005 and take several fiscal years to complete.

Town Center Services
The Division oversees the planning, engineering, and construction of three parking garages with 1,699 parking spaces in Town Center, and the management of a commercial management district in Town Center between Beall Avenue, Middle Lane, North Washington Street, and Rockville Pike.

Division of Community Services
We are a dedicated organization committed to enhancing the quality of life in Rockville by providing premium services in response to the needs of everyone who visits, works, and lives in our city.

Division Purposes:

Community Programs and Administration
The Community Programs and Administration Division provides overall management direction for departmental initiatives and programs, promotes cross-divisional service integration and coordination, and provides secretarial support services. The Division also coordinates the City’s annual grant program to nonprofit human service agencies, provides staff support to the Human Services Advisory Commission and coordinates special projects such as the Rockville Holiday Drive.

Youth & Family Services
The City of Rockville’s Youth and Family Services Division provides a full range of programs and social services to troubled and needy youth, families, and their communities. Staff identifies and develops programs and activities that address the needs of educationally, socially, and economically disadvantaged residents. We work closely with county, state, public and private agencies, and businesses to coordinate community programs and services.

Services include prevention, intervention, empowerment, counseling, outreach, and information and referral. Counseling services, outreach activities, referral resources, and programs are confidential and are offered free of charge to the uninsured. Any family or youth who lives in the City of Rockville or attends any of the 15 public schools in the Richard Montgomery, Rockville and Wootton High School clusters are eligible to apply for these services.

Our proactive and preventive approach allows us to provide emergency social services, family, individual, and group counseling; educational and informative workshops, and seminars to those who sometimes find themselves in vulnerable situations due to severe financial distress, familial discord, emotional problems, or psychological difficulties. These services help enable citizens to become selfsufficient, make positive life choices, and adjust to societal challenges.

Department of Finance
The Department of Finance maintains the City's high standard of financial excellence by providing the citizens, employees, and vendors with professional customer service through the collection and disbursement of funds, financial reporting, and management of assets.

Division Purposes:

Financial Administration
The Financial Administration Division is responsible for developing City financial management policies and strategies. The division promotes equitable taxation systems and usage fees; maximizes the return on City investments at minimal risk; maintains banking relations; plans and executes bond sales; and provides internal control oversight. The Director of Finance serves as the Executive Secretary to the Retirement Board.

Accounting and Control
The Accounting and Control Division provides accounting and internal control services for the City and all departments; processes accounts payable and payroll disbursements; reports the financial results of operations; administers the dependent and health care flexible benefit plans; and administers pension plans and deferred compensation plans.

Revenue
To ensure the timely, accurate and equitable collection of revenues due to the City by monitoring county billing, collection and receipt of City taxes; managing the billing and collection of City water, sewer and refuse fees; and managing the collection of City front-foot benefit and special assessment charges.

Purchasing and Stockroom
To provide the City with the means to obtain quality goods and services at the lowest possible cost while conforming to city, state and federal requirements for procurement. To procure, store and maintain proper inventory levels of a wide variety of supplies, materials and equipment used in operating, maintenance and repair activities by various City departments.

Budget
(1) To develop, implement, and enforce appropriate budgetary policies and procedures, and (2) to provide accurate, timely, and objective information and recommendations to the Mayor and Council, City Manager, and city departments.

Department of Information and Technology
The Department of Information and Technology is dedicated to delivering timely information and technology services through cable television, computer systems, telecommunications systems, telephone systems, and the Internet. The department strives to implement technology to improve the efficiency and quality of services the City provides its citizens.

Division Purposes:

Information and Technology Operations
Manage and support the City's telecommunications and computer systems, including servers, personal computers, and institutional network. Support software applications used in all City operations. Manage and maintain City’s Web site, intranet, and e-government services.

Information and Technology Special Projects
The Information and Special Projects Division implements Mayor and Council technology initiatives and IT strategic plan goals which require siginficant upgrades and improvements to the City's technology infrastructure.

Cable Television and Telecommunications
To increase citizen understanding, awareness and participation in City government, and employees’ awareness and understanding of the City by providing effective communication through Rockville’s cable channel, The Rockville Channel (TRC 11). To manage and coordinate development and implementation of the City’s cable television and telecommunications policies and agreements.

Voice Communications
Provide voice communications for City employees and visitors to city facilities by administering, monitoring, and effectuating all repairs, replacements, upgrades, purchases, and billing for the City's telephone and voicemail systems, cell phones, pagers, and pay phones.

GIS Operations
The GIS Operations Division manages the overall infrastructure of the City's Geographic Information System (GIS). Its primary purpose is to provide GIS technology access and technical support to all employees who use this tool to perform their work more efficiently. In addition, the GIS Operation Division provides public access to selected GIS data through the City's Web Site.

Human Resources Department
The Human Resources Department recruits, retains and services qualified and capable people in the most fair, effective and efficient manner possible and provides a full range of personnel and safety services in support of all other City departments and their functions.

Division Purposes:

Personnel 
The purpose of the Personnel Division is to provide for the recruitment, selection, and evaluation of City employees; take an active role in personnel management, labor relations, wage administration, and human resource development; interpret union contracts and the Personnel Policies and Procedures; and maintain the appropriate record keeping to remain in compliance with state and federal employment guidelines; and to fulfill the benefit requirements for the City of Rockville employees and their families in order to attract and retain a quality workforce which provide exceptional services to the constituents of the City in a cost-effective manner.

Safety & Risk Management
The Safety and Risk Management Division strives to encourage all employees to work to prevent accidents, eliminate or minimize employee injuries and reduce the associated cost to the city.

Police Department
In collaboration with others, the Police Department protects and promotes community safety, ensures the safe and orderly movement of traffic, and seeks solutions to any problem that creates fear or threatens the quality of life in Rockville.

Division Purposes:

Office of the Chief of Police
The Office of the Chief of Police oversees and directs the Police Department in the overall pursuit of promoting public health and safety, protection of property, and the protection of personal liberties. The Office ensures effective management of all levels of police services provided to the community by ensuring fiscal soundness, operational effectiveness, and strong community outreach and information sharing.

Field Services Bureau
The Field Services Bureau preserves public order, protects lives and property, and reduces criminal activity through its proactive patrols and strict enforcement of State and City laws. The Bureau consists of police officers assigned to patrol duties, providing primary response and preliminary investigation for police events within the City.

Administrative Services Bureau
The Administrative Services Bureau provides the department with proper communications technology to ensure officer safety and the technical services required to allow employees to perform their duties in an efficient and effective manner. The division includes public safety communications, records management, processing of parking tickets, fiscal management, victim advocate services, property/evidence control, and accreditation management.

Special Operations Bureau
The Special Operations Bureau preserves public order, protects lives and property, and reduces criminal activity through its proactive patrols of hotspot areas and strict enforcement of State and City laws. The Bureau includes police officers assigned to criminal investigations, traffic unit, tactical patrol unit, and neighborhood services. The Neighborhood Services Officers ensure that all animal control regulations are enforced. They also supplement the Traffic Unit by assisting with parking enforcement and Police Department coverage during special events. The parking enforcement personnel assigned to the Traffic Unit are responsible for enforcement of parking regulations throughout the City with a special emphasis on the Town Center area. They are responsible for maintaining and enforcing the 567 parking meters installed throughout the city. The parking meter system is designed to assist in ensuring a consistent level of turnover of vehicles visiting local business establishments while parking in a convenient location.

The Community Enhancement/Code Enforcement Unit ensures the health and safety of occupants in residential and commercial/business properties by enforcing the City’s Property Maintenance (PM) Code. This unit is responsible for enforcing the Zoning Ordinance as it pertains to residential properties, the Landlord/Tenant (L/T) Ordinance, and the City’s single and multi-family rental licensing laws. The unit also issues licenses for the following business activities: Hawker/Solicitor permits, Oversized Vehicle permits, Hotel licensing and Water Quality enforcement.

Department of Public Works
The Department of Public Works is dedicated to delivering engineering and operational services that provide the Rockville community with pride in their city and its work force.

Division Purposes:

Management and Support
To provide all oversight functions associated with managing the department and to provide coordination between its divisions and other departments.

Contract Management
To ensure a safe and clean environment for citizens and high quality infrastructure that meets city, county, state and federal regulations and standards by inspecting all capital improvement construction work and construction of infrastructure by developers and citizens who receive City issued permits; and by managing contractual services for the construction, maintenance and repair of City infrastructure including streets, sidewalks and stormwater management facilities.

Traffic and Transportation
To provide a safe and efficient street and sidewalk system by ensuring that public streets and sidewalks are designed to City standards; planning roadway and traffic improvements; operating and maintaining traffic signals, beacons, and street lights; reviewing development applications; coordinating with other governments on traffic funding and planning; and providing staff to the Traffic and Transportation Commission.

Engineering and Environment
To ensure that citizens of Rockville enjoy the best environmental standard of living possible by planning and designing City-constructed infrastructure for water, waste water, stormwater and stream improvement; evaluating and conducting stormwater, potable water, and waste water studies; and reviewing site development plans and issuing permits to ensure compliance with City, State, and federal regulations. To ensure that roads and sidewalks are designed to City standard, to provide survey support, to prepare easement exhibits for city projects, and to manage the Department of Public Works Geographic Information System (GIS).

General Maintenance
To maintain City streets, sidewalks, and stormwater management inlets and pipes in a safe and clean condition; and provide for safe movement of vehicular traffic by performing minor construction and repairs; removing snow and ice from streets; installing street signs and lane or line markings; and supervising the work of contractual service providers who perform repair, cleaning, and maintenance work.

Motor Vehicle Maintenance
To ensure that the vehicles and equipment within the City’s fleet are always operational and well-maintained by providing an efficient, thorough, and effective maintenance and repair program; managing vehicle acquisition and disposition; and managing fuel operations.

Water System Maintenance
To maintain and repair the water distribution system on a 24-hour basis to ensure the flow of potable water and adequate fire protection by providing proactive preventative maintenance of water mains and service lines; repairing mains, valves, and hydrants; and installing water service connections.

Water Treatment Plant
To provide potable water that meets or exceeds all federal and State water quality standards by testing and monitoring water quality continuously; maintaining and repairing processing equipment; and operating and monitoring the pumping, treatment, and solids-dewatering process.

Sewage Disposal
To provide for and monitor the flow of wastewater and sewage originating within the City to the District of Columbia Blue Plains Treatment Plant by way of the City, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC), and District of Columbia sewer lines. The City pays WSSC based on the quantity of sewage discharged from each of three drainage sheds: Rock Creek, Cabin John, and Watts Branch. Contract provisions for handling and treating the sewage are set forth in several agreements between WSSC and the City.

Sanitary Sewer Systems Maintenance
To maintain and repair sewer systems by providing dependable backup-free and odor-free collection of sewage from homes and businesses; and preventative maintenance and repair of sewer mains, access ways, and laterals.

Refuse Operations
To provide high quality collection of recyclables, regular refuse, and large household items to single-family residences by providing regular twice per week refuse collection at one location outside of single family households; once per week curbside collection of recyclables, brush, grass clippings, commingled and mixed paper, and newspaper; an on call collection once per month of household hazardous waste; and perform regularly scheduled seasonal vacuum leaf collection.

Department of Recreation and Parks
The Department of Recreation and Parks promotes participation by all Rockville citizens in diverse, interesting, and high-quality recreational and leisure opportunities in safe, modern, and well maintained parks and facilities.

Division Purposes:

Recreation and Parks Administration
The Recreation and Parks Administration Division oversees and directs the Recreation and Parks Department, ensuring that services and initiatives are responsive to the goals and objectives defined by the Mayor and Council. Management focus is placed on the following key priorities: citizen participation; interaction with neighborhoods; supporting boards and commissions, committees and task forces; monitoring operating and capital budgets; cost recovery; grant applications; human resource management; volunteer programs; professional development and training; management of capital projects to preserve and improve City parks, buildings and bicycle/pedestrian facilities; monitoring contracts and purchases; interdepartmental and intergovernmental relations; development review; responsiveness to trends in recreation and leisure services; long-range planning. The Special Events Cost Center works with community organizations and businesses to produce safe, high-quality events for Rockville residents to enjoy and which promote civic pride.

Recreation Services
Deliver responsive, high quality recreation services for citizens by coordinating the planning of programs for pre-school to seniors including classes, workshops, trips, sports, arts, outdoor adventure, at-risk, camps, playgrounds, after school and childcare. Provide administrative support, training and/or orientation for regular and temporary staff, leagues, boards and commissions. Market and promote programs and activities through the publication of seasonal recreation guides, cable television shows, flyers, and other media. Coordinate the automated registration system, Rock Enroll, through online and telephone registrations and a department website.

Senior Citizen Services
To meet the social, recreational, educational, fitness and wellness needs of a diverse population of active/employed, active/retired and frail senior citizens. This is achieved through operating a safe and welcoming multi-purpose facility; providing transportation; and offering a wide variety of programs and services both at the senior center and in the community. This Division also serves as a focal point where the community may access information, services and support related to aging issues.

Facilities Division
The Facilities Division maintains all City buildings safely and efficiently. It ensures their readiness for use, as well as provides high-quality, diverse and appropriate programming for six of Rockville's major facilities. The Facilities Cost Center relies on trained professional staff and licensed contractors to service and upkeep all physical facilities to their optimum efficiency and capacity. The Facilities Division is responsible for programming a wide variety of high-quality activities for both drop-in use and structured programs, enhancing the participants' quality of life. Such activities include: classes, educational and interpretive programs, workshops, fitness opportunities and special events.

Parks and Open Space
The purpose of this division is threefold: (1) to maintain 57 City parks, 121 acres of City rights-of-way, and 27 acres of facility grounds in conditions that are safe, attractive and ready to function as designed, (2) to provide the highest level of playing conditions on the City’s 47 athletic fields and (3) to promote, protect and enhance the urban forest throughout Rockville. Trained professionals perform maintenance activities in a safe, timely and efficient manner, using the highest workmanship standards and quality materials. Division responsibilities include turf maintenance, landscaping, minor construction, tree maintenance, athletic field maintenance, snow removal, playgrounds, installation of flowerbeds, tree planting and Forest and Tree Preservation Ordinance administration.

RedGate Golf Course
To provide the best possible playing conditions and customer service to the public by efficiently operating and maintaining the RedGate Golf Course.