For Immediate Release: Friday, March 13, 2026
From the Office of Council President Fani-González
Montgomery County Council President Natali Fani-González made the following statement today after County Executive Marc Elrich released his Fiscal Year 2027 Recommended Operating Budget:
“The budget decisions the Montgomery County Council makes this year will be some of the most challenging since the Great Recession. We must balance growing community needs with limited resources and new financial obligations hoisted upon us from the federal government.
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“The Council thanks the County Executive and his team for their work on the recommended operating budget. Now it’s time for the Council to dig into the data, peel back the layers of budget assumptions, and make sure every dollar in this more than $8 billion operating budget proposal is going toward its highest and best use.
“There are several key revenue assumptions in the County Executive’s Fiscal Year 2027 Operating Budget proposal that I will be closely evaluating with colleagues, including the proposed 6.3 cent property tax increase, a 3.3 percent local income tax rate, increased solid waste charges to fund long haul trucking of our trash to another undisclosed community, and the creation of special taxing districts.
“We know that the needs in our community are great, from achieving excellence in our schools, enhancing public safety, and providing social services to the most vulnerable, to providing world-class parks and transportation infrastructure. We also know that working families are hurting right now, with rising food, housing, utility, and energy costs outpacing gains in wages. It is under this context that I will be reviewing the County Executive’s request to increase income and property taxes. The bar for raising taxes is appropriately high.
“Moreover, I am disappointed that the County Executive has unilaterally continued his pursuit of dumping our trash into another community when there are still so many risks and unanswered questions, including the cost to taxpayers, the effect on revenue, as well as the impacts on the environment and the workforce. Last year the Council made it clear that it could not consider a once-in-a-generation decision to fundamentally change how we handle solid waste absent a complete, rigorous, and balanced analysis of all options and a deep and equitable community engagement process. Sadly, we are lacking on both counts.
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“Additionally, the Executive’s budget assumes the creation of special taxing districts. These districts create an additional tax for residents and businesses in these districts, so the Council must consider this new tax along with all the other tax increases already proposed by the Executive.
“Finding the right balance to fund education, public safety, safety net services, and maintain the County’s outstanding quality of life will not be easy. It will require participation from our residents, community partners, service providers, and outside agencies to help inform councilmembers, as we determine Montgomery County’s path forward.
“I encourage residents to provide their feedback to the Council, as we move through the budget process. Your views are essential to developing a final budget that balances community needs, county services, and the financial challenges facing our taxpayers.”
Read the original article at mccouncil