Council meets remotely on April 16 to hold virtual public hearings at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. on the Fiscal Year 2021 Operating Budget

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Also on April 16, FY21 Operating Budget highlights and approach

The Council will meet remotely on Thursday, April 16 at 9:30 a.m. All Council staff reports and additional information on each item scheduled for Council review can be viewed at: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/ondemand/index.html
The Council meeting schedule may change from time to time. The current Council agendas 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 remote 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 and Fios 30.

Council Agenda Items

Fiscal Year 2021 Operating Budget highlights and approach
The Council will discuss the highlights and approach to the Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) Operating Budget. Council staff will present the following information on the FY21 operating budget and the Council’s approach given the context of the current global health pandemic:

•  a summary of the County Executive’s Recommended FY21 Operating Budget as submitted on March 16;
• a summary of budgetary and fiscal changes that have occurred since March 16 due to the COVID-19 health crisis;
• updated FY20 and FY21 revenue projection scenarios due to the ongoing economic impact from the health crisis, developed in conjunction with Executive Branch staff;
• initial data on a FY21 “same services” budget option as requested by the Council in Resolution 19-388; and
• options for moving forward with the FY21 operating budget approval process.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

Residents can also provide comments on the operating budget via social media using #BudgetVoices2021.

Fiscal Year 21-26 Capital Improvements Program (CIP)
The Council will discuss the process for completing its review and reconciling the Fiscal Year 21-26 (FY21-26) Capital Improvements Program (CIP). The Council postponed its March 17 session as well as all Committee meetings as of March 16 because of the COVID-19 emergency. As a result, the Council’s review of the FY21-26 CIP was postponed midstream, leaving numerous CIP items without funding recommendations. On March 16, the County Executive transmitted additional FY21-26 CIP recommendations as well as some FY19-24 CIP supplementals/amendments, which also require Council review and action. The Council’s CIP review schedule has been revised and now assumes the following:

• No Committee worksessions.
• FY19-24 CIP Supplementals/Amendments: All FY19-24 CIP
  supplementals/amendments received to date have either been acted upon already or have been scheduled for public hearing and action by April 21. Any additional supplementals/amendments will be scheduled for public hearing/action in a timely manner.
• April 21 and/or April 23 Council meetings: All FY21-26 CIP items previously scheduled for Council review on March 17 will be rescheduled for Council review on April 21 or April 23. This list includes:

• Public Arts Trust
• Revenue Authority
• Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission
• Solid Waste Management - Gude Landfill Remediation Project
• Conservation/Natural Resources - Storm Drains
• Conservation/Natural Resources - Stormwater Management
• Transportation

April 28 and/or April 30 Council Sessions: All other FY21-26 CIP items will be scheduled for Council review on April 28 or 30.

The Council staff report can be viewed here.

FY21 Operating Budget Public Hearings
The Montgomery County Council will hold two public hearings on April 16 at 1:30 and 7 p.m. on Montgomery County’s Fiscal Year 2021 Operating Budget. Residents are being asked to provide live testimony remotely through telephone calls at the public hearings. Residents can sign up to testify live via telephone by calling 240-777-7803 by 3 p.m. today.

The Council also has created a new online catalog for public hearings where residents can provide either written or prerecorded audio or video testimony for Councilmembers to consider throughout their deliberations. While this testimony will not be aired during the Council’s public hearing, all of the comments provided will be reviewed by Councilmembers and will be available to the public on the Council’s web page. Community members can find the form to upload their comments at
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/PHSignUp.html.

Residents who signed up to testify on the operating budget on another date have been contacted to determine if they would like to testify live on April 16 or submit prerecorded or written testimony for the Council to consider during their budget deliberations.

The Fiscal Year 2021 Recommended Operating Budget totals $5.9 billion. County Executive Marc Elrich presented his recommended operating budget to the Council on March 16. Over the next two months, the Council will analyze these recommendations and is scheduled to adopt the FY21 County budget in late May. The budget will take effect on July 1.

Residents can also provide comments on the operating budget via social media using #BudgetVoices2021.

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Release ID: 20-152
Media Contact: Sonya Healy 240-777-7926, Juan Jovel 240-777-7931