For Immediate Release: Wednesday, May 10, 2023
The Montgomery County Council will meet on Thursday, May 11 at 9:30 a.m. to review the FY24 Operating Budget and FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) projects.
At 3 p.m. the Council will meet with the Prince George’s County Council at the WSSC Water headquarters in Laurel to review and vote on bi-county budgets.
More detail on each agenda item is provided below.
Each item on the Council’s Consent Calendar can be found on the Council’s website. Approval of the Consent Calendar adopts the committee recommendations.
FY24 Operating Budget and FY23-28 CIP projects listed on the consent calendar include:
FY23-28 CIP: Burtonsville Crossing Shopping Center
Conference and Visitors Bureau NDA
UM3 - Institute for Health Computing NDA
NDAs: County Associations; BCCs, Council of Government; Public Technology
Labor Relations and Labor Management Relations Committee NDA
FY23-28 CIP: Americans with Disabilities; FY23-28 CIP: State Aid for MCPS Playgrounds
Office of Legislative Oversight
Office of Zoning and Administrative Hearings
FY23-28 CIP: Countywide Façade Easement Program
Non-Merit Employee Salary Schedules
At 9:35 a.m., the Council will review the following FY24 Operating Budgets, FY23-28 CIP amendments and committee recommendations for the following departments and projects.
Office of Food System Resilience
Review: The Council will review the more than $1 million FY24 Recommended Operating Budget for the Office of Food System Resilience. The office became operational in March 2023 and will be supported by three full-time staff. The director was hired in 2023 and recruitment is currently underway for two vacancies, which are term positions funded through June 2026.
The office's FY24 Recommended Budget includes a small increase from the FY23 Approved Budget due to the annualization of personnel costs and general wage and group insurance adjustments. Personnel costs comprise 34 percent of the budget and operating expenses account for the remaining 66 percent. The Office of Food Systems Resilience is charged with developing and maintaining a strategy for improving the efficiency, equity, sustainability and resilience of the food systems in Montgomery County.
The Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee voted unanimously to recommend approval of the recommended budget for the Office of Food Systems Resilience and categorized this item as a high priority.
Review: The Council will review the proposed FY24 Operating Budget for the Guaranteed Income Pilot Non-Departmental Account (NDA) within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), which is more than $3.1 million. This is an increase of $734,843 or a more than 28 percent increase from the FY23 Approved Budget. The Montgomery County Guaranteed Income Pilot (GIP) is one of several national pilots designed to provide a regular, unrestricted, guaranteed income supplement to participants. The pilot provides $800 per month for 24 months to 300 individuals or households. The pilot population consists of 100 participants who are transitioning from homelessness and 200 participants with at least one child or dependent who had previously sought assistance from the County during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The HHS Committee voted unanimously to recommended approval of the recommended budget for the Guaranteed Income NDA and categorized this item as a high priority.
DHHS Overview and Administration
Review: The Council will review the more than $484 million FY24 Recommended Operating Budget for DHHS. The FY24 Operating Budget for DHHS represents an increase of $48.9 million, or 11.24 percent above the FY23 Approved Budget. Of this increase, $39 million is in the General Fund and $9.8 million is in the grant fund. There is a total increase of 118 FTEs recommended for DHHS, which is an increase of six percent.
The staff report includes multiple recommendations for Council consideration from the HHS Committee.
DHHS Aging and Disability Services
Review: The Council will review the DHHS budget for Aging and Disability Services, which has an FY24 Recommended Operating Budget of more than $66.4 million. This is a more than $4 million increase over the FY23 Approved Budget and includes an additional 17 FTEs when compared to FY23.
The staff report includes multiple recommendations for Council consideration from the HHS Committee.
Review: The Council will review the proposed FY24 Operating Budget for Public Health Services within DHHS, which is more than $107.8 million. This is an increase of more than $13.3 million from the FY23 Approved Budget. The increases account for one-time funding for COVID-19 Response Readiness, an increase to the Montgomery Cares Clinic Reimbursement Rate, funding for the Mobile Health Clinic, additional costs related to public health programming and staffing.
The staff report includes multiple recommendations for Council consideration from the HHS Committee.
DHHS Services to End and Prevent Homelessness
Review: The Council will review the proposed FY24 Operating Budget for Services to End and Prevent Homelessness within DHHS, which is more than $66 million. This is an increase of more than $21 million or 46 percent from the FY23 Approved Budget. The increase includes more than $14 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant funding for FY24. The budgeted items include services for coordinated entry, healthcare, services for families, services for single adults, the Housing Initiative Program, the Interagency Commission on Homelessness, permanent supportive housing, prevention and rapid rehousing.
The staff report includes multiple recommendations for Council consideration from the HHS Committee.
DHHS Administration: Office of Community Affairs
Review: The Council will review the Office of Community Affairs, which leads the development of equitable and inclusive health and human services systems that are responsive to racial, ethnic and economically disinvested communities. The office is funded through the Administration and Support Services FY24 Operating Budget, which is more than $70.5 million. This is a more than $3.9 million increase, or an increase of 5.9 percent, from the FY23 Approved Budget. The Office of Community Affairs budget includes more than $16 million in funding for minority health initiatives, including the Latino Health Initiative, the African American Health Program and the Asian American Health Initiative. This is a more than $3 million increase, or an increase of more than 23 percent from the FY23 approved funding for the minority health initiatives.
The staff report includes multiple recommendations for Council consideration from the HHS Committee.
DHHS Rental Assistance Program SEPH Shelter Services
Review: The Council will review the recommended FY24 Operating Budget for items that fund programs supporting shelter services within the more than $66 million FY24 Recommended Budget for Services to End and Prevent Homelessness. There is a total recommended increase of more than $4.4 million for the homeless shelter system. The recommendation consists of one-time funding of more than $3 million to provide overflow sheltering in hotels, one-time funding of more than $1 million for COVID-19 sheltering in hotels for isolation of COVID-19 positive or exposed persons experiencing homelessness and $388,702 for security funding for Interfaith Works Emergency Shelters.
DHHS Children, Youth and Family Services
Review: The Council will review the proposed FY24 Operating Budget for Children, Youth and Family Services within DHHS, which is more than $119 million. This is an increase of more than $4.2 million from the FY23 Approved Budget. The FY24 budget is organized into eight program areas that provide protection, prevention, intervention, treatment and financial assistance services for children and their families. These program areas include administrative needs and funding for child and adolescent school and community-based services, childcare subsidies, early childhood services, Linkages to Learning, the Office of Eligibility and Support Services and positive youth development services. The staff report includes multiple recommendations for Council consideration from the joint HHS and Education and Culture (EC) Committee.
DHHS Behavioral Health and Crisis Services
Review: The Council will review the proposed FY24 Operating Budget for Behavioral and Health Crisis Services within DHHS, which is more than $53 million. This is an increase of more than $2.3 million or a more than 4.6 percent increase from the FY23 Approved Budget. Behavioral Health and Crisis Services promotes the behavioral health and well-being of Montgomery County residents. The program works to promote mental wellness, prevent substance abuse and suicide, and ensure access to a comprehensive treatment and recovery system of effective services and support for children, youth and families, adults and seniors in crisis or with behavioral health needs.
The staff report includes multiple recommendations for Council consideration from the HHS Committee.
Review: The Council will review the FY24 Operating Budgets for programs within DHHS related to early care and education. These include the Newcomers (Bienvenidos Initiative) program, the Early Care and Education Initiative NDA, early childhood services, head start and pre-kindergarten services, the Children’s Opportunity Alliance NDA, Child Care Subsidies, School Health Services, Linkages to Learning, High School Wellness Centers, High School Cluster Projects and Public Private Partnerships.
The staff report includes multiple recommendations for Council consideration from the joint HHS and EC Committee.
DHHS CIP Amendment: High School Wellness Center and Expanded Wellness Services
Review: The Council will review an $850,000 supplemental appropriation for School-Based Health and Linkages to Learning Centers, which would provide funds to build a Linkages to Learning suite in conjunction with major school construction at Greencastle Elementary School. These programs provide accessible health, mental health, social and educational support services to at risk children and their families. School-based health centers operate as part of the Linkages to Learning program and provide primary healthcare to students and their siblings and for children enrolled in Care for Kids who live within the zip code served by the school. Host schools are selected based on criteria recommended by the School Based Health and Wellness Center Advisory Group and the Linkages to Learning Advisory Group.
The staff report includes multiple recommendations for Council consideration from the joint HHS and EC Committee.
The Council meeting schedule may change from time to time. The current Council and Committee agendas, Council staff reports and additional information on items scheduled for Council review can be viewed at: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/ondemand/index.html.
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: 23-173