For Immediate Release: Wednesday, April 1, 2020
ROCKVILLE, Md., Mar. 31, 2020—Today the Montgomery County Council voted unanimously to approve a special appropriation of $10 million to support Montgomery County’s hospitals in order to meet the urgent health needs of residents related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Montgomery County’s hospitals are actively preparing for the surge of Covid-19 cases are working to increase the number of hospital beds and critical care capacity. This must happen quickly, and hospitals need financial assistance to make emergency purchases and cover costs. As of March 31, the Maryland Department of Health reports 1,660 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Maryland with 388 of these cases occurring in Montgomery County.
The supplemental appropriation was sponsored by the Council.
The funding from the special appropriation will be administered through the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security from the General Fund Reserves. Since this appropriation is needed to respond to a County emergency, the Council introduced and voted on this measure today, March 31. There was no requirement for a public hearing.
Section 308 of the County Charter provides that a special appropriation is an appropriation which states that it is necessary to meet an unforeseen disaster or other emergency, or to act without delay in the public interest. Each special appropriation must be approved by no less than six Councilmembers. The Council may approve a special appropriation at any time after public notice by news release. Each special appropriation must specify the source of funds used to finance it.
The Council staff report can be viewed here.
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Release ID: 20-126