For Immediate Release: Thursday, May 16, 2019
ROCKVILLE, Md., May 16, 2019—Montgomery County Councilmember Gabe Albornoz made the following remarks today after the Council reached agreement on the County’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Operating Budget, the FY20 Capital Budget and amendments to the FY19-24 Capital Improvements Program. The budgets will be formally adopted by the Council on May 23.
The complete text of Councilmember Albornoz’s remarks:
Budgets are moral documents, and the budget that we are adopting today – my first as a new Councilmember - will ensure that our County’s most important values will be reflected in how we serve our residents every day.
First, we are putting a heavy emphasis on equity in all facets of this $5.8 billion budget. With an equity lens firmly in place, we are making investments in education, safe and healthy communities, our environment, affordable housing, and a strong safety net for our most vulnerable residents, while taking into account our County’s incredible diversity, and striving to reduce racial and ethnic disparities.
This budget is also about balance. It holds the line on taxes. It is a lean budget that has forced us to struggle with competing priorities, as we simply cannot fund everything that deserves to be funded. I am proud to say that although it is a lean budget, it is also a sustainable budget that sets a firm foundation for our future. We enjoy a high quality of life here, and we will continue to make progress on our shared goals as long as we scrutinize our spending, commit to a strong reserve, and maintain our AAA bond rating.
As chair of the Council’s Health and Human Services Committee (HHS), I am proud of our continued dedication to the health and well-being of all our residents. The headline for the conversations we had within the HHS Committee is that our safety net remains strong. But it is being challenged, and it is being challenged every day, because of the increasing poverty we’re seeing in the County, the increasing demographic shifts we’re seeing, and a record number of caseloads across the board, and numerous challenges with housing today. This just underscores that our tax revenues are not keeping pace with the demand that we’re seeing in our County.
Thanks to the incredible dedication of County staff, the hard work of the Department of Health and Human Services, and our valuable partnerships in the non-profit sector, we’re able to keep pace, but certainly more needs to be done.
Restoring funding for the support payment to organizations that provide direct services to people with disabilities was a top priority for me. I am passionate about the people and organizations who do this tremendously difficult work. We are seeing a sharp increase in adults with disabilities, and make no mistake, we are approaching a cliff. We cannot afford to ignore the realities we will be facing in the near future. Therefore, I will be convening a workgroup to chart a path forward that will ensure equitable and fair funding for the organizations who do this important work. The Council will also need to look at addressing this vulnerable population holistically, working with our State Delegation in Annapolis and our state partners to fully integrate our services, so that we can address the needs of this community seamlessly and affordably.
Our non-profit providers are a crucial link in delivering health and human services to our most vulnerable people. These important partners often struggle to absorb the administrative expenses to be able to carry out these vital programs. That is why I fought to get funding for an across-the-board three percent increase for their organizations. We cannot leave them without the resources to provide the high-quality services that we expect of them.
Another area where we struggle is in providing resources needed to intervene earlier with youth who face challenges. This is truly an investment in our future. We have added more school resource officers and funding for critical mental health programs in our schools. I am particularly proud that we were able to add more after-school programs: four new Excel Beyond the Bell elementary programs and three Rec-Xtra Programs in our middle schools. Both programs have proven outcomes and we know they work. Early intervention is an investment that will garner benefits well beyond the dollars spent.
This budget is truly an “education first” budget. It not only fully funds our Board of Education’s request but will also provide Montgomery County Public Schools with an additional $16 million in state funding stemming from the Kirwan Commission recommendations, to help close the achievement gap. This is a great win for our exceptional school system and this funding will continue to provide investments in special education, pre-K education, the reduction of elementary school class sizes, English language learners, economic parity, teacher salary increases, mental health and supportive resources for our students.
Recently, I met with a group of students from Montgomery College, and heard their personal stories of how the college has helped them succeed academically and personally. Listening to these talented group of young professionals gave me hope for the future and reassured me that the college’s mission of empowering each student is money well invested. This is why I, along with my Council colleagues, fully funded Montgomery College. This year’s budget will help fund affordable tuition, equitable compensation, student scholarships, support academic programming, and workforce development, along with similar academic programming. I am a firm believer that a strong educational system establishes a robust foundation for our future.
Lately, we as a community, are experiencing the effects from climate change. We can make a difference by supporting green initiatives in the County. As a council, we are committed to curbing climate change and approved funding for a climate change assessment to identify how our County can reduce greenhouse gases and other pollutants in our environment. I am confident that this financial commitment is a solid first step towards aiding our ecosystem and bringing it back into balance.
Our commitment to affordable housing has never been stronger. The Council added an additional $5 million to the Housing Initiative Fund, above the County Executive’s recommendation. I have heard too many stories about families struggling to find or keep clean, safe affordable housing here in our County. It is imperative to not only the health and well-being of our residents but to our economic future as well. Our companies cannot continue to grow and flourish without access to employees. And without affordable housing, we cannot hope to attract the residents that will help our business fuel economic growth.
I am proud to have worked closely with my fellow Councilmembers and our Council President to craft a budget that will help create an exceptional future for all of us.
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Release ID: 19-175