Montgomery County Council Meets on Jan. 30 to Conduct Interviews for the Advisory Commission on Policing

For Immediate Release: Monday, January 29, 2024

Also on Jan. 30: Proclamations recognizing Delta Sigma Theta Day and Korean American Day

The Montgomery County Council will meet on Tuesday, Jan. 30 at 9 a.m. The meeting will begin with two proclamations. The first, led by Councilmembers Laurie-Anne Sayles and Gabe Albornoz, will recognize Delta Sigma Theta Day. The second, led by Council President Andrew Friedson with County Executive Marc Elrich, will recognize Korean American Day.

More detail on each agenda item is provided below.

Interviews: The Council will conduct interviews with three panels of applicants to fill 11 public member vacancies on the Advisory Commission on Policing (ACP). The first two panel interviews will begin at 9:35 a.m. The third panel interview will be held at 2 p.m. The commission is responsible for advising the Council on policing matters, recommending legislation or regulation for the Council’s consideration, conducting public outreach for community input and accepting community feedback. The commission consists of 11 public members nominated by the Council, with each Councilmember nominating one member. In addition, the County Executive nominates one youth member (25 years of age or younger) and one young adult member (26 to 35 years of age). The ACP also has two institutional members. All members must be appointed by the Council, and each member must represent either an individual or a community organization that works within the County.

Commission members serve three-year terms without compensation but are eligible for mileage reimbursement and dependent care costs at rates established by the County. The commission must meet as often as necessary to perform its duties, but not less than six times per year. By July 1, the commission must submit an annual report to the Executive and Council detailing its functions, activities, accomplishments and plans.

Vote expected: The Council is expected to vote on a $300,000 supplemental appropriation to the FY24 Operating Budget for the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS) for COVID-19 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) contract support. The County has been using contractual support to assist OEMHS in applying for reimbursement from FEMA for eligible COVID-19 related expenditures. The OEMHS FY24 budget did not include funding for these contractual expenses.

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This appropriation would fund contractual services to include reviewing and compiling documents, working with departments on writing justifications for expenses and reviewing expenses with FEMA. The requested funding will be fully eligible for reimbursement by FEMA.

The joint Government Operations (GO) and Public Safety (PS) Committee recommends approval.

Vote expected: The Council is expected to vote on a $616,400 supplemental appropriation to the FY24 Operating Budget for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) general personnel and operating costs. The appropriation will fund program expansion for the Cadet Training Program that is provided in partnership with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). The increase is needed to support program expenditures through the end of the 2023-2024 school year, as actual expenditures are expected to exceed the budget, as a result of the implementation of the fire training component of the Cadet Training Program.

The joint GO and PS Committee recommends approval.

Consent Calendar

Each item on the Council’s Consent Calendar can be found on the Council agenda for Tuesday, Jan. 30, which is available on the Council website .

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Public Hearings

Unless otherwise noted, the Council will hold the following hybrid public hearings at 1:30 p.m. Residents can visit the Council website to learn about the multiple ways to provide testimony .

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Spending Affordability Guidelines for the FY25 Operating Budget

Public hearing: The Council will hold a public hearing on Spending Affordability Guidelines for the FY25 Operating Budget. The Montgomery County Code requires the Council to specify the following when adopting the spending affordability guidelines for the operating budget: a ceiling on the funding from ad valorem real property tax revenues; a ceiling on the aggregate operating budget; and separate budget allocations for Montgomery County government, the Montgomery County Board of Education, Montgomery College, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, debt service and current revenue funding of capital projects. As part of this process the Council will consider the condition of the economy, the level of economic activity in the County, trends in personal income and the impact of economic and population growth and projected revenues.

The December fiscal plan update showed higher than projected revenues for FY23 and FY24, but continued projections of a mild recession beginning in 2024. The County’s total tax revenues in FY23 were more than $229 million greater than budgeted, resulting in general fund reserve levels at 16.8 percent. FY24 total revenues are estimated to be more than $225 million greater than the FY24 approved budget. Total revenues projections for FY25-29 are relatively unchanged from June and the revenue changes for FY23 and FY24 will result in a large influx of one-time revenue to the County.

The GO Committee will meet on Feb. 1, 2024, to review the proposed options, including public comments, and vote on its recommendations. The Council will review the GO Committee’s recommendations on Feb. 6. The deadline for final Council action is Feb. 13.

Public hearing and vote expected: The Council is expected to hold a public hearing and vote on a $516,144 supplemental appropriation for the Senior Care program administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), which provides in-home services and other support services to eligible adults 65 and older who may be at risk of nursing home placement. The grant is needed to fund a contractor to assist in expediting the application process and operating expenses to serve eligible Senior Care clients.

The Council meeting schedule may change from time to time. View the current Council and Committee agendas, Council staff reports and additional information on items scheduled for Council review on the Council website .

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: 24-036
Media Contact: 240-777-7926, 240-777-7884

For updates and link to press release, see here: http://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgportalapps/Press_Detail.aspx?Item_ID=44692