Montgomery County Council Meets on May 6 to Review FY26 Operating Budgets – MocoFeed

Montgomery County Council Meets on May 6 to Review FY26 Operating Budgets

For Immediate Release: Monday, May 5, 2025

Also on May 6: Introduction of proposed legislation that would curb illegal house parties and legislation to clarify the setback requirements for a filling station

The Montgomery County Council will meet on Tuesday, May 6 at 9 a.m., and the meeting will begin with two proclamation presentations. The first, presented by the full Council, will recognize Jewish American Heritage Month. The second, presented by the Public Safety (PS) Committee and County Executive Marc Elrich, will recognize Public Safety Appreciation Day.

More detail on each agenda item is provided below.

Legislative Session

Bill 13-25, Licensing and Regulations Generally – Picnics, Dances, Soirees, and Other Entertainment – Amendments

Introduction: Lead sponsors Councilmembers Dawn Luedtke and Andrew Friedson will introduce Bill 13-25, Licensing and Regulations Generally – Picnics, Dances, Soirees, and Other Entertainment – Amendments, which would prohibit an unlicensed party for gain or profit to which the general public is admitted. The legislation would also increase the potential fines from a maximum of $500 to a maximum of $5,000 related to four existing violations for this type of activity: unpermitted commercial use in a residential zone; commercial parties; noise violations; unpermitted commercial use in a residential zone; and violations of recreation and entertainment use zoning. The bill would authorize these increased fines only when the violation is the result of unpermitted commercial house party activity.

A public hearing is tentatively scheduled for June 10.

District Council Session

Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 25-06, Vehicle Service – Filling Station

Introduction: Lead sponsors Councilmembers Kristin Mink, Friedson and Council Vice President Will Jawando will introduce Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 25-06, Vehicle Service – Filling Station. ZTA 25-06 would amend the setback requirements for a filling station and amend the applicability of a nonconforming use to a filling station.

The current Zoning Ordinance requires any filling station that dispenses at least 3.6 million gallons per year to be at least 500 feet from certain residential, civic and institutional, and recreation and entertainment uses, as well as certain environmentally sensitive areas. ZTA 25-06 would clarify that this measurement is the distance from the fuel dispenser and amend the zoning ordinance so that if one of the above uses or areas is created within the 500 feet after approval of the filling station, the filling station will not become a nonconforming use, thus allowing expansion.

A public hearing is tentatively scheduled for June 10.

Introduction and vote expected: The Council will introduce and is expected to vote on a resolution to extend the deadline for Council action on Local Map Amendment (LMA) H-156 to July 29, 2025. The LMA relates to the properties located at 7501-7515 Standish Place, 7519 Standish Place, 7529 Standish Place and 7609-7623 Standish Place. The applicant, TriPointe Homes DC Metro Inc., requests reclassification from the Industrial Moderate Zone (IM-2.5, H-50’) to the Commercial Residential Neighborhood – Floating Zone (CRNF-1.25, C-0.0, R-1.25 H-60 Zone) for these properties.

The Council received LMA H-156 on April 7. The deadline to request oral argument was April 17. No oral argument request was received. Under the zoning ordinance, the District Council has 60 days to issue a resolution and opinion on the application. The deadline for action on this local map amendment is June 6. The County Council is on recess from May 26 to June 6. In addition, the Council will be reviewing the FY26 Operating Budget through May. Council staff has recommended extending the deadline for action on this LMA to July 29, 2025, the last full Council session before September.

Consent Calendar

Each item on the Council’s Consent Calendar can be found on the Council agenda for Tuesday, May 6, which is available on the Council website .

Public Hearings

FY26 Operating Budget

The Council will review the following Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Operating Budget items:

• Office of the Inspector General: The County Executive recommends an increase of $482,243, or 13.35 percent, from the approved FY25 Operating Budget. The recommendation includes $115,417 in programmatic and staffing enhancements. The Government Operations and Fiscal Policy (GO) Committee recommends placing the County Executive’s recommended increase of $115,417 for the addition of one Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) position for an investigator to the Education Oversight Division on the reconciliation list; approving a three-year budget projection for the Office of the Inspector General for FY27-FY29 subject to the Council’s final budget decision; and approving all other FY26 budget items for the Office of the Inspector General as recommended by the County Executive.
• Public Libraries: The County Executive recommends an increase of more than $2.1 million, or four percent, from the approved FY25 Operating Budget. The recommendation includes $275,131 in programmatic and staffing enhancements and more than $1.8 million for compensation adjustments and required operating expenses. The Education and Culture (EC) Committee recommendations can be found on page 2 with additional information in the staff report.
• Montgomery College: The total recommend budget for Montgomery College is more than $345 million, which represents as increase of more than $10 million, or 3.2 percent, from the approved FY25 Operating Budget. The College requested a Maintenance of Effort contribution from the County. Maintenance of Effort for Montgomery College requires the County provide the same amount of local funding as in the previous year, or more than $148.4 million. The County Executive recommends fully funding the Montgomery College request and included an additional appropriation of more than $1 million for the pension cost shift from the state in an amendment received on April 24. The amendment would increase the County contribution to more than $149.4 million. The College’s FY26 budget assumes no increase in tuition and fees for credit-bearing students. The EC Committee met on April 23 and recommended approval of the College’s Maintenance of Effort FY26 operating budget request and deferred action on the pension cost shift from the state awaiting the County Executive’s operating budget amendments, which arrived on April 24 after the committee meeting. In addition, the committee recommended adding $350,000 in one-time start-up funding for the Collective Impact Institute (CII) at Montgomery College and placed the funding on the reconciliation list.
• Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS): The Council will review the proposed FY26 Operating Budget for MCPS. The Board of Education’s FY26 Operating Budget request is more than $3.65 billion, which represents an increase of more than $332 million, or ten percent, above the approved FY25 tax-supported request. The County Executive’s recommended MCPS FY26 Operating Budget is more than $3.62 billion, which represents an increase of $298 million or nearly nine percent above the approved FY25 funding level. The EC Committee met on April 9 , April 23 , April 25 and Apil 30 to review this item. The committee recommends adding $18.6 million to the Executive’s proposed operating budget, which would fully fund the Board of Education’s requested budget. The committee recommendation would bring the County’s contribution to more than $2.39 billion, which is more than $268 million above the Maintenance of Effort. The FY26 budget assumes Montgomery County will continue to fund $27.2 million of MCPS retiree health benefits costs from the County’s Consolidated Other Post Employment Benefits Trust Fund. Additional detail is available in the staff report.
• Climate Change Planning NDA: The County Executive recommends the same $718,344 funding level from FY25 for FY26 for this NDA. The Transportation and Environment (TE) Committee recommends placing two items on the reconciliation list: $230,000 to expand broadscale communications and stakeholder and resident engagement and $148,344 for climate communication and public engagement.
• Cost Sharing MCG: The County Executive recommends a decrease of $1.85 million, or 24 percent, from the approved FY25 Operating Budget. This project provides funds for the development of non-governmental projects in conjunction with public agencies or the private sector. The GO Committee concurs with the County Executive’s recommendation and proposed an increase of $2 million for the FY26 Capital Grants program.
• Office of Grants Management: The County Executive recommends an increase of $150,695, or 14.43 percent, from the approved FY25 Operating Budget for the Office of Grants Management, composed of programmatic and staffing enhancements. The GO Committee concurs with the County Executive’s recommendation.
• Community Grants NDA: The County Executive recommends an increase of more than $2.4 million, or 22.5 percent, from the approved FY25 Operating Budget. The recommendation includes continuing funding for multi-year community grant awards and legacy renewals through FY26 at current funding levels. The GO Committee concurs with the County Executive’s recommendation.
• State Property Tax NDA: This NDA funds the reimbursement to the state for three programs that support the property tax billing administration conducted by the Department of Finance. The County Executive originally recommended no change from the approved FY25 Operating Budget, however, the state’s Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2025 shifted more of the responsibility for funding local offices from the state to counties. This act increased the County’s portion of the cost share from 50 percent to 90 percent, resulting in an increase to the County of more than $2.4 million in FY26. Due to the timing of the change, the GO Committee recommends review by the full Council.
• Office of Legislative Oversight: The County Executive recommends an increase of $338,379, or 12.8 percent, from the approved FY25 Operating Budget. The increase includes funds for a Legislative Analyst III position to accommodate the increased workload of the expanded Council. The GO Committee recommends that the request for the Legislative Analyst III position be added to the Council’s reconciliation list and the committee recommends approval of the remaining budget as submitted.
• Office of the County Council: The County Executive recommends an increase of $687,785, or 3.6 percent, from the approved FY25 Operating Budget. The increase reflects compensation adjustments, non-discretionary operating cost increases, and annualization of staffing changes made in FY25. The GO Committee recommends approval as submitted by the County Executive and recommends adding $100,000 for the Sports Tourism Task Force feasibility study to the reconciliation list.
• FY26 Resolution on Transportation Fees, Charges, and Fares: The Executive’s recommended FY26 resolution on fees, charges and fares includes four changes to the adopted FY25 resolution, including making Ride On buses fare free for riders, implementing the provisions of Bill 29-24E – Transportation – Parking Permit for Specialized Service Providers – Established, removing the “daily maximum” and obsolete fee provisions in the Silver Spring Parking Lot District, and eliminating garage-specific fees from the Silver Spring Parking Lot District. The TE Committee recommendations can be found on page 2 with additional information in the staff report.
• Department of Transportation – Mass Transit Fund: The County Executive recommends an increase of $17.4 million, or nine percent, from the FY25 approved Operating Budget for transit services. The Executive’s recommended increase includes $1.5 million in programmatic and staffing enhancements. The TE Committee recommendations can be found on pages 1 and 2 with additional information in the staff report.
• Department of Transportation – General Fund: The County Executive recommends a net increase of more than $3.7 million, or 5.9 percent, from the approved FY25 Operating Budget for the Transportation General Fund. The increase includes $208,581 in programmatic and staffing enhancements, as well as a more than $4.1 million increase for compensation adjustments and required operating expenses. The TE Committee’s recommendations can be found on page 2 with additional information in the staff report.
• Department of Transportation – Parking Lot Districts: The County Executive recommends an increase of $1.5 million, or 5.4 percent, from the approved FY25 Operating Budget for the Parking Lot Districts. The recommendation includes $90,796 in programmatic and staffing enhancements and a $1.5 million increase for compensation adjustments and required operating expenses. The TE Committee recommends maintaining funder as recommended by the County Executive for the Parking Lot Revenue Control System in Bethesda and for the shift of a Counting Room full-time equivalent (FTE) from Ride-On to the Parking Lot Districts. In addition, the committee recommended approval of an FY25-30 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) that delays completion of the Farm Women’s Market Parking Garage project by one year to match the updated construction schedule.

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: 25-151
Media Contact: Sonya Healy 240-777-7926, Benjamin Sky Brandt 240-777-7884

For updates and link to press release, see here: http://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgportalapps/Press_Detail.aspx?Item_ID=46989