For Immediate Release: Thursday, May 16, 2024
From the Office of Councilmember Evan Glass
Montgomery County Councilmember Evan Glass made the following statement about the Fiscal Year 2025 Operating Budget and the Fiscal Year 2025-2030 Capital Improvements Program. The Council’s final vote on the capital and operating budgets for Montgomery County is scheduled for May 23.
Below is Councilmember Glass’ full statement:
Over the past few months, I have heard from residents concerned with housing affordability, food insecurity and growing health care costs. I have heard from nonprofit leaders overwhelmed with the ongoing needs of residents post-Covid. And I have heard from educators who are overworked and understaffed.
Montgomery County’s needs are real. And I hear you – I hear all of you.
Determining the County’s $7.1 billion operating budget is an act of fiscal discipline and a reflection of our moral values.
That is why I have worked judiciously and have asked tough questions throughout this budget process. We must ensure that every penny of our tax dollars are used wisely.
I also know that our schools need help. Hate and violence is on the rise. More students are struggling with mental illness and substance abuse. There is a shortage of teachers and substitutes. Schools used to be a place with a singular purpose: to teach our children. Now they serve many more purposes.
Supporting our students and teachers will always be a top priority for me. We have to ensure that they are equipped to succeed. That is the goal of public education.
Half of the County’s tax-supported budget, $3.3 billion, will go toward supporting our school system.
There is no question that the needs of our students continue to grow. There is no question that we have to fully fund our teachers’ contracts. But I do have ongoing questions about the level of transparency within the MCPS budget.
During our review of the MCPS budget, I asked a simple question that unveiled the need for further transparency.
I spoke about the need for greater oversight and accountability, focusing my comments on a $100 million line item for "contracting services." As a result of my question, we learned that contracting services include everything from special needs educators to snow removal – a very large and expansive budgetary item.
Snow shoveling services should not be in the same category as special education instructors.
I have consistently called for greater transparency in the way we determine our school budget. I worked with the Maryland Association of Counties to introduce statewide legislation to improve the budget processes for all school districts throughout Maryland.
This legislation is not intended to micromanage the budget; rather, it is simply intended to better understand the budget. While those reforms were not approved by the General Assembly this year, I believe we are moving in the right direction.
Health and Human Services
In addition to schools, we also had hundreds of other competing requests to support some of our most vulnerable residents.
Our population of unhoused residents continues to rise. In the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government’s most recent point in time count, Montgomery County had the highest increase in homelessness, with a 71 percent increase from 2020. That is why we are funding essential programs, including nearly $1 million, to help divert residents from needing to enter the shelters in the first place.
We will have psychiatric nurses on site to respond to the 30 mental health emergencies that occur at the shelters every week.
To further help residents who are struggling with severe mental or behavioral health crises, we are funding Mobile Crisis Outreach Teams. This will help keep people safe and divert residents in crisis from the criminal justice system.
Public Safety
On public safety matters, we are building upon efforts that have proven to be successful at reducing crime, easing the strain on police officers, and keeping our community safe.
In addition to continuing the new Drone as First Responder Program in Silver Spring and Wheaton, we are putting $270,000 toward expanding the program to Bethesda and Germantown. To date, the drone program has responded to over 600 calls and has put over 120 officers back into neighborhoods that need it the most.
We are also funding efforts to improve 911 response times, repair outdated fire station equipment, expedite the review of bodycam footage, and expand our Police Cadet program, which I have been championing as a proven program to help address police shortage.
We are redoubling our efforts to address the rise in hate crimes and threats towards marginalized communities. We added an extra $300,000 — for a total of $1.2 million — to fund nonprofit security grants for houses of worship, faith-based institutions, and other organizations that face a higher risk of hate crimes.
The public’s safety will continue to be prioritized, ensuring that everyone, no matter who they are, feels welcome, seen and safe in Montgomery County.
Economic Development
Last year as Council president, I formed the Economic Development Committee to elevate the County’s issues of job creation, business retention and economic advancement. Over the past 18 months, this committee has examined our County’s economic development challenges. When I learned that office vacancy rates reached a record high – topping 21.9 percent – I introduced the Make Office Vacancy Extinct Act to help with relocation costs for new and expanding businesses in our County.
Across the County, businesses are having difficulty making their rent payments. The continued delays for the Purple Line have particularly affected small businesses in Silver Spring. With this budget, I am pleased that the County is stepping up with $900,000 to supplement the state funding for small businesses along Bonifant Street. This is an ongoing need and should have been done sooner.
Over the past several weeks, every member of this Council emphasized the need for more investment in economic development activities. However, I had concerns about this year’s process and approving piecemeal programs.
As a result of this budget, the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation will face a 21.5 percent reduction in its operating budget. This will make it harder to fulfill the obligations and expectations that we have placed on them. But it also creates an incentive to engage in much needed discussions this summer about MCEDC’s mission and how it can best support our economic needs. Moving forward, I strongly urge enhanced collaboration and communication among the County Executive, the Council, MCEDC, and the business community to coordinate a comprehensive economic development strategy. We are all in this together.
Transportation
Investing in economic development also means building transportation networks to get people to those jobs. That is why I was proud to work with my colleagues and build support for funding the Great Seneca Transit Network. The Great Seneca Transit Network will create two additional bus lines connecting residents in the greater Gaithersburg and Rockville area with the ever-growing high tech science corridor. As we continue growing our life sciences hub, the third largest in the United States, we need to increase transportation services to foster the vibrant live-work community that people want.
I am also pleased that we have restored funding for the extension of Summit Avenue in Kensington. This is not simply a road building project. This investment will not only help relieve traffic along Connecticut Avenue, but it will unlock the ability to build workforce and attainable housing, new commercial activity and provide opportunities for safe, multimodal commuting. It is exactly the type of capital investment we need to make.
Environment
We also need to make more investments in preventing the effects of climate change. Unfortunately, this budget delays those important goals. If we are committed to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2027 and eliminating them completely by 2035, we need to invest in that critical work.
This budget does provide funding to continue transitioning our bus fleet to be zero-emission, including our goal to procure approximately 100 electric Ride On buses by 2027. Unfortunately, funding was not approved to assist under-resourced building owners comply with Building Energy Performance Standards, nor was there funding included to help low-income residents access tax credits to help green their homes.
Sadly, this funding falls short on where we need to be in order to address the climate emergency. Our planet cannot wait.
Final Thoughts
On the whole, this $7.1 billion operating budget does support the needs of our incredibly diverse community. And while there were disagreements, I am appreciative of the tone and temperament by which we engaged in this process. Process matters, as does honesty, transparency and collegiality.
I want to close by thanking my incredible team - who answer emails and phones every day, hearing directly from residents about their thoughts and concerns. It’s this work, helping people, that continues to inform me about the great needs we have in our great community. My deep appreciation to Valeria Carranza, Joy Champaloux, Hope Klein, Hannah Wilcove and Molly Liberman for their work and dedication.
Our office motto is: we rise by lifting others. I believe this budget lives up to that ideal.
Thank you.
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Release ID: 24-189