Montgomery County Council Reaches Preliminary Agreement on $7.6 Billion Fiscal Year 2026 Operating Budget – MocoFeed

The Council voted to approve economic development initiatives focused on job creation and business attraction and development in Montgomery County. Some highlights include:

• Funding in the amoun t of $5.3 million for the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC), which is the County’s lead economic development organization. MCEDC implements the County’s economic development strategic plan, which includes marketing, business attraction and retention, entrepreneurship, and promoting the County’s economic base.

• More than $4.6 million for Montgomery County’s business incubators to help grow businesses through mentoring, technical assistance and educational programs.

• Conference and Visitors Bureau funding in the amount of $2.3 million. The Conference and Visitors Bureau, also known as Visit Montgomery, promotes the County as a destination for meetings, conferences, student group travel, group tours, leisure travel, and sports events.

• Small Business Support Services funding in the amount of $2.4 million, which provides a vehicle for funding ongoing contracts with third parties to provide specialized assistance and programs for small businesses and entrepreneurs.

• More than $579,000 for BioHub Maryland in Montgomery County to support the funding to operate a 7,500-square-foot biomanufacturing training center.

• UM3 – Institute for Health Computing funding in the amount of $5 million, which maintains the matching funds the County committed to provide from FY24 through FY29. UM3 is a strategic initiative that aims to improve health and well-being using artificial intelligence, machine learning and clinical analytics to facilitate knowledge discovery. This is a partnership with the County and the University of Maryland.

• Funding for the Sports Tourism Task Force in the amount of $100,000 to conduct a feasibility study, in partnership with the Maryland Stadium Authority, to comprehensively analyze opportunities for Montgomery County to capture sports tourism dollars.

• Funding for WorkSource Montgomery in the amount of $3.2 million. WorkSource Montgomery is the County’s designated workforce development corporation and fiscal agent responsible for local administration of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and coordination of the public workforce development system.

• More than $4.2 million for the Economic Development Fund, which provides assistance for private employers who are located, plan to locate, or substantially expand operations in the County.

• Funding for the Office of Agriculture in the amount of $1.5 million to promote agriculture as a component of the County’s economic sector, as well as to preserve farmland as a resource for future agricultural production by partnering with local businesses, the University of Maryland, and state and federal agencies.

• More than $77 million for the Alcohol Beverage Services’ (ABS) operating budget which maintains same service levels. ABS provid es licensing, wholesale and retail sales of beverage alcohol products, enforcement and education and training programs.

Health and Human Services

The Council voted to approve numerous health and human services programs that residents rely on for health care, social safety net services, and older adult and youth services. The Council voted to fund the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) at more than $554 million, which represents an increase of more than $43 million, or eight percent from the approved FY25 Operating Budget.

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Some of the divisions and initiatives that are part of the DHHS budget include:

• Aging and Disability Services with $78 million that provides seniors, persons with disabilities and their families with home and community-based support services and protections.

• Behavioral Health and Crisis Service s with $66 million allocated across nine program areas that promote mental wellness and ensure access to a comprehensive treatment recovery system of effective services and supports for children, youth and families, and adults and seniors with behavioral health needs.

• Children, Youth and Family Services with $140 million allocated across six program areas that provide protection, prevention, intervention, treatment and financial assistance services for children and their families.

• Public Health Services with nearly $117 million to protect and promote the health and safety of residents by implementing intervention strategies to contain or prevent disease and fostering public-private partnerships to increase access to health services.

• Services to End and Prevent Homelessness with $62 million to provide access to safe, affordable housing and opportunities to improve quality of life through a continuum of services that includes housing stabilization, homeless diversion, and permanent housing options.

• About $1.9 million in funding to support a variety of mental health services and supports in the County, including the new Stabilization Unit for the Diversion Center project to accommodate walk-in services and youth-focused services, funding to secure a provider and meet demand for the County’s Domestic Violence Shelter, funding to expand full-time Linkages to Learning at Greencastle and Burnt Mills Elementary Schools, as well as a differential increase for bilingual Linkages to Learning therapists.

• Among some of the initiatives that include DHHS involvement with MCPS and early care and education is $14 million for Early Childhood Services, $15 million for the Early Care and Education NDA, $775,000 for the Children’s Opportunity Alliance, $2 million for child care subsidies, $51 million for school health services, $14 million for Linkages to Learning, $7 million for child and adolescent and community based services for family strengthening, and $16 million for positive youth development services like violence and gang prevention and intervention, Youth Opportunity Centers, High School Wellness Centers, the Street Outreach Network, and the Safe Space Program.