For Immediate Release: Friday, April 23, 2021
The Government Operations & Fiscal Policy (GO) Committee will meet on Monday, April 26 at 9:30 a.m. to review the Recommended FY22 Operating Budgets for debt service, leases, the Working Families Income Supplement and the Office of the Inspector General.
The Education & Culture (E&C) Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. to review the Recommended FY22 Operating Budgets and FY21-26 CIP Amendments for Community Use of Public Facilities, Montgomery County Public Libraries, the Public Arts Trust and Montgomery Coalition for Adult English Literacy (MCAEL).
The members of the Government Operations & Fiscal Policy (GO) Committee include Chair Nancy Navarro and Councilmembers Andrew Friedson and Sidney Katz.
The members of the Education & Culture (E&C) Committee include Chair Craig Rice and Councilmembers Will Jawando (Lead for Libraries) and Nancy Navarro.
Review: The GO Committee will review the County Executive’s $420.7 million Recommended FY22 Operating Budget for debt service. The FY22 tax supported debt service expenditures are 8.2 percent of the total FY22 recommended tax supported budget. The recommended appropriation for the next fiscal year reflects the past spending decisions of the County. The County’s debt service costs are based on its credit rating. The County has the highest credit rating possible for a local government, which is AAA, from Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., Standard and Poor’s and from Fitch Ratings, Inc.
Montgomery County’s Director of Finance Mike Coveyou is expected to attend the meeting.
Review: The Committee will also review the County Executive’s $27.1 million recommended budget for the Leases Non-Departmental Account (NDA). The recommendation is a 19.4 percent increase from the FY21 Approved Budget. The FY22 budget includes about 751,000 square feet of leased space with ten leases accounting for approximately $15.1 million in expenditures.
Those expected to attend and provide information includes Greg Ossont, deputy director, Department of General Services.
Working Families Income Supplement NDA
Review: The Committee will review the County Executive’s $40.1 million recommended budget for the Working Families Income Supplement (WFIS) NDA. The recommendation nearly doubles the FY21 Approved Budget.
This NDA provides funds to supplement the State’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and is intended to benefit low-income working families in the County. The County supplements the State’s refund by 100 percent, in effect doubling the amount received from the State for County residents. On April 20, lead sponsors Councilmembers Albornoz, Navarro and Katz introduced Expedited Bill 14-21 to expand eligibility for the Working Families Income Supplement.
Montgomery County’s Director of Finance Mike Coveyou is expected to attend the meeting.
Office of the Inspector General
Review: The Committee will review the recommended $2 million operating budget for the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The recommendation is a 13.9 percent increase from the FY21 Approved Budget. The increase provides additional staffing for the OIG's Audit Division.
OIG promotes the effectiveness and efficiency of programs and operations in County government and for independent County agencies, prevents and detects fraud, waste, and abuse in government activities, and proposes ways to increase the legal, fiscal, and ethical accountability of County government and County-funded agencies.
Those expected to attend and provide information include Inspector General Megan Davey Limarzi and Phil Weeda, management and budget specialist, Office of Management and Budget.
Community Use of Public Facilities
The E&C Committee will review the County Executive’s recommends total expenditures of $8.5 million for Community Use of Public Facilities (CUPF), which is a decrease of 28.3 percent from the FY21 approved budget.
CUPF maximizes the community's use of schools and other public facilities and to identify and facilitate activities and programs that respond to the community's needs without disrupting the instructional program of the Montgomery County Public Schools or County operations.
Review: The E&C Committee will also review the following FY22 Operating Budget and FY21-26 CIP Amendments:
The staff reports for these items will be posted by Monday.
Operating Budget Consent Items:
Review: The GO Committee will also review the following FY22 Operating Budget Non-Departmental Account (NDA) consent items:
Review: The E&C Committee will also review the following FY22 Operating Budget consent items:
The staff reports for these items will be posted by Monday.
The Committee meeting schedule may change from time to time. The current Council and Committee agendas, Council staff reports and additional information on items scheduled for Council review can be viewed at: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/ondemand/index.html.
On the guidance of Health Officer and Chief of Public Health Services Dr. Travis Gayles, there is currently no public access to the Council Office Building. The virtual Council meeting will be streamed live on the Council’s web page via YouTube and on Facebook Live and can be watched on County Cable Montgomery on Xfinity/RCN 6 HD 996/1056, Fios 30, and on the CCM live stream.
Release ID: 21-177