For Immediate Release: Wednesday, May 7, 2025
Also on May 8: Virtual discussion on bi-County budgets with the Prince George’s County Council
The Montgomery County Council will meet on Thursday, May 8 at 9:30 a.m. to continue review of Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Operating Budgets. At 3 p.m., the Council will hold a virtual discussion on bi-County budgets with the Prince George’s County Council. During the meeting the Council is expected to discuss the bi-County portion of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) budget for Central Administrative Services, the WSSC Water FY26 Operating Budget and FY26-31 Capital Improvements Program (CIP), and the Washington Suburban Transit Commission budget.
More detail on each agenda item is provided below.
Budget Consent Calendar
Each item on the Council’s Consent Calendar can be found on the Council agenda for Thursday, May 8, which is available on the Council website.
FY26 Operating Budget
The Council will review the following FY26 Operating Budget items:
- Inflationary Increase for all Non-Profit Providers: The Council will review the County Executive’s recommended three percent inflationary adjustment for nonprofit contracts within the FY26 Operating Budget. The recommendation would result in an increase of more than $5.2 million across multiple departments and Non-Departmental Accounts (NDAs). The increase is composed of more than $5.1 million in tax-supported funding and $114,655 in non-tax supported funding.
- Office of Food Systems Resilience: The County Executive recommends a decrease of $253,791, or 1.8 percent, from the approved FY25 Operating Budget. The change reflects the elimination of $2.85 million in one-time items and a more than $2.5 million increase for programmatic enhancements. The Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee recommends a reduction of $100,000 from the proposed budget for the Community Gardening Grants Program. The committee recommends all other budget items as proposed by the County Executive.
- Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) - Administration and Support Services: The County Executive recommends an increase of $7.2 million, or 8.6 percent, from the approved FY25 Operating Budget. The changes are due to programmatic and staffing enhancements, including increases for social services state reimbursements and a decrease to remove American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) food funding. The HHS Committee recommends an addition to restore funding from the proposed budget for the Maryland Vietnamese Mutual Association Inc. (MVMA) non-competitive contract for FY26. The committee recommends all other budget items as proposed by the County Executive.
- DHHS - Aging and Disability Services: The County Executive recommends an increase of more than $5.5 million, or seven percent, from the approved FY25 Operating Budget for Aging and Disability Services. The recommended increase includes more than $1 million in programmatic enhancements for the Developmental Disability Provider Supplement, Senior Nutrition Services, the Senior Nutrition Program, the Adult Medical Day Care Provider Supplement, and an annualized respite care provider rate increase. The HHS Committee recommendations can be found on page 6 with additional information in the staff report.
- DHHS - Behavioral Health Services: The County Executive recommends an increase of more than $4.9 million, or eight percent from the approved FY25 Operating Budget for Behavioral Health and Crisis Services within DHHS. The increase includes $781,694 in programmatic and staffing enhancements. The HHS Committee recommends supporting the County Executive’s recommended FY26 Operating Budget and amendment to the FY25-30 CIP.
- DHHS - Children, Youth, and Families: The County Executive recommends an increase of $12.9 million, or 10.2 percent, from the FY25 approved Operating Budget. The HHS Committee recommends supporting the County Executive’s recommended FY26 Operating Budget.
- DHHS - Early Care and Education NDA and Children’s Opportunity Alliance Fund NDA: The County Executive’s recommended FY26 Operating Budget for these items includes more than $ 1.3 million for Early Childhood Services positions and more than $5 million for the Early Care and Education NDA. The County Executive also recommends more than $4 million in total funding for the Early Care and Education Initiative to continue ongoing services and programs and a shift of $1 million in funds from Children’s Opportunity Alliance NDA to the Early Care and Education NDA to create pre-kindergarten seats. The joint HHS and Education and Culture (EC) Committee recommendations can be found on page 18 with additional information in staff report.
- DHHS - Public Health: The County Executive recommends a net increase of $661,326, or less than 0.6 percent, from the FY25 approved Operating Budget for Public Health Services. The recommendation includes an increase of more than $5.6 million in programmatic and staffing enhancements. The HHS Committee recommendations can be found on page 12 with additional information in the staff report.
- DHHS - Services to End and Prevent Homelessness: The County Executive recommends an increase of more than $12.4 million, or 25 percent, from the approved FY25 Operating Budget. The HHS Committee recommends approval as proposed by the County Executive.
- Department of Recreation: The County Executive recommends an increase of $3.6 million, or 5.63 percent, from the FY25 approved Operating Budget. The Executive’s recommended increase includes $786,644 in programmatic and staffing enhancements to expand the Excel Beyond the Bell program. The Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) Committee recommendations can be found on page 2 and the joint PHP and EC Committee recommendations can be found on page 3 with additional information in staff report.
- Skills for the Future NDA: The County Executive recommends an increase of $8,800, or three percent, from the FY25 approved Operating Budget. The PHP Committee supports the increase as proposed by the County Executive and supports consolidating the funds from the Skills for the Future NDA into the KID Museum NDA beginning in FY26.
- Kid Museum: The County Executive recommends an increase of $57,499, or three percent, from the approved FY25 Operating Budget. The recommendation represents the inflationary adjustment for nonprofit service provider contracts. The EC Committee reviewed the approved FY25 Operating Budget for the KID Museum and noted that it also received $159,806 from the Department of Recreation and $302,116 from the Skills for the Future NDA, for a total of $461,923 above the KID Museum NDA appropriation. The PHP and EC Committees are both recommending consolidating all three sources of funding within the KID Museum NDA for FY26. If approved, this change would reduce the Department of Recreation budget and eliminate the Skills for the Future NDA.
- Community Use of Public Facilities: The County Executive recommends an increase of $751,596, or 6.6 percent, from the approved FY25 Operating Budget. The recommendation includes the Community Access Program, which provides community users and public agencies with access to public facilities for services, programs and events. The program is supported by an enterprise fund and does not receive tax dollars to support its operations. The EC Committee concurs with the County Executive’s recommendations, including new fee structure and fee rate increases available on page 1 with additional information in the staff report.
The Council meeting schedule may change from time to time. View the current Council and Committee agendas, Council staff reports and additional information on items scheduled for Council review on the Council website.
Council and committee meetings are 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: 25-154
Media Contact: Sonya Healy 240-777-7926, Benjamin Sky Brandt 240-777-7884