The Montgomery County Council will meet Thursday, May 7 at 9:30 am to review portions of the proposed Fiscal Year 2027 Operating Budget, including multiple Department of Health and Human Services programs, community grants, and nonprofit funding adjustments.
The recommended budgets include increases for several public health, behavioral health, homelessness prevention, and early care and education programs, while some areas such as DHHS Administration and Support Services and the Social Services Office show decreases tied to restructuring and funding changes. Council committees have also recommended additional items for reconciliation review, including funding adjustments for workforce programs, food systems education, shelter support, and nonprofit inflationary increases. Full agenda below courtesy Montgomery County:
“The Montgomery County Council will meet on Thursday, May 7 at 9:30 a.m. to review the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Operating Budget. Each Council staff report contains additional budget information including items identified for the Council’s budget reconciliation process.
More detail on each agenda item is provided below.
Budget Consent Calendar
Each item on the Council’s Budget Consent Calendar can be found on the Council agenda for Thursday, May 7, which is available on the Council website.
Fiscal Year 2027 Operating Budget
Department of Health and Human Services – Public Health Services
Review: The Council will review the $125.9 million recommended FY27 Operating Budget for Public Health Services within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), which represents an increase of $6.7 million, or 5.6 percent, compared to the approved FY26 Operating Budget. The recommendation includes more than $3.3 million in programmatic and staffing enhancements. The largest change is due to an increase in the Montgomery Cares Primary Care reimbursement rate. The recommendation also includes reductions for technical adjustments and programmatic changes. Public Health Services programs protect and promote the health and safety of County residents.
The Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee recommendations for these items are available in the Council staff report.
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) – Administration and Support
Review: The Council will review the County Executive’s recommended $576 million FY27 Operating Budget for DHHS, which represents an increase of $18.9 million, or 3.39 percent, compared to the approved FY26 Operating Budget. The recommendation includes several budget increases replacing federal grant funds that have been eliminated or reduced. The recommended budget also includes $43 million in programmatic and staffing enhancements.
The Council also will review the County Executive’s recommended $70.9 million FY27 Operating Budget for the DHHS Administration and Support Services, which represents a decrease of $19.8 million, or 21.8 percent, compared to the approved FY26 Operating Budget. As part of the DHHS reorganization, several programs were realigned within the Administration and Support Services area, and the Office of Community Affairs was eliminated.
The HHS Committee recommendations for these items are available in the Council staff report.
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) – Aging and Disability Services
Review: The Council will review the $78.86 million recommended FY27 Operating Budget for Aging and Disability Services within DHHS, which represents an increase of $193,477, or 0.25 percent, compared to the approved FY26 Operating Budget. The mission of this service area is to affirm the dignity and value of seniors, people with disabilities, and their families by offering a wide range of information, home and community-based support services, protections and opportunities that promote choice, independence and inclusion.
The HHS Committee recommends supporting a $73,167 increase for Community First Choice Nurse Monitoring. In addition, the committee recommends adding ten budget items to the reconciliation list. Additional details are available in the Council staff report.
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) – Behavioral Health and Crisis Services
Review: The Council will review the $98.3 million recommended FY27 Operating Budget for DHHS’ Behavioral Health and Crisis Services (BHCS), which represents an increase of more than $31.8 million, or 48 percent, compared to the approved FY26 Operating Budget. The increase is primarily due to the realignment of Children, Youth, and Family programs into BHCS, and operating budget impacts related to new mandates for BHCS’ Crisis Stabilization Center. When accounting for the realignment, the recommendation represents a relative increase of $4.5 million or 4.7 percent from the FY26 Approved Budget. This department is responsible for delivering the County’s behavioral health, crisis response and related support services, including newly realigned education support, therapeutic mentoring, Linkages to Learning and High School Wellness Center programs.
The HHS Committee recommendations are available in the Council staff report.
Department of Health and Human Services – Services to End and Prevent Homelessness
Review: The Council will review the $68.2 million recommended FY27 Operating Budget for the Services to End and Prevent Homelessness within DHHS, which represents an increase of $6.2 million, or 10 percent, compared to the approved FY26 Operating Budget. The change is due to the addition of $2 million in one-time funding for the Short-term Housing and Resolution Program, $1.9 million for overflow emergency shelter support, nearly $1.2 million to fill a budget gap in the adult shelter funding and $438,909 to fill a gap in the outreach budget.
The HHS Committee recommendations are available in the Council staff report.
Department of Health and Human Services – Social Services Office
Review: The Council will review the $77.7 million recommended FY27 Operating Budget for the Social Services Office within DHHS, which represents a decrease of more than $2.4 million, or three percent, compared to the approved FY26 Operating Budget. The Executive’s recommendation includes $800,968 in programmatic and staffing additions, enhancements, or other cost increases. The Social Services Office promotes the well-being, safety and self-sufficiency of Montgomery County residents through equitable access to social support services. This office provides the provision of protection, prevention, intervention, treatment, support services and financial assistance for vulnerable children and families.
The HHS Committee recommendations are available in the Council staff report.
Department of Health and Human Services – Children, Youth, and Family Services
Review: The Council will review the County Executive’s recommended FY27 funding for DHHS’ Children, Youth, and Family Services. For FY27, Children, Youth, and Family programs were realigned into DHHS’ Behavioral Health and Crisis Services. The overall recommended FY27 Operating Budget for Children, Youth, and Family Services is more than $56 million in total, which represents an increase of $9.7 million, or 21.2 percent, when compared to the realigned total from the approved FY26 Operating Budget. DHHS’ internal reorganization had significant effects on the Children, Youth, and Family Services area.
The joint Education and Culture (EC) and Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee recommendations are available in the Council staff report.
Review: The Council will review the County Executive’s recommended funding for the Early Care and Education NDA within the Early Childhood Services program area of the DHHS Early Care and Education FY27 Operating Budget. The $16.3 million recommended FY27 Operating Budget for the Early Care and Education NDA represents an increase of $652,485, or 4.2 percent, compared to the approved FY26 Operating Budget.
The joint EC and HHS Committee concurs with the County Executive’s recommendation to shift an existing expense from operating expenses to personnel costs to reflect the addition of seven merit staff positions that will support the Early Care and Education Initiative. The joint committee also recommends deferring to the full Council to review compensation and inflationary adjustments. Additional details can be found in the Council staff report.
Children’s Opportunity Alliance Fund Non-Departmental Account
Review: The Council will review the $794,852 recommended FY27 Operating Budget for the Children’s Opportunity Alliance, which represents an increase of $19,387, or 2.5 percent, compared to the approved FY26 Operating Budget.
The only Executive recommended budget change is a 2.5 percent inflationary adjustment to nonprofit service provider contracts which will be reviewed by the full Council. The joint HHS and EC Committee recommends adding a $125,000 state level early care and education workforce staff position to the reconciliation list.
Review: The Council will review the more than $2.1 million recommended FY27 Operating Budget for the Office of Human Rights, which represents a decrease of $28,394, or 1.3 percent, compared to the approved FY26 Operating Budget. The Office of Human Rights was established to help enforce human rights laws which protect employment, public accommodations, housing and commercial real estate. The office also provides training, public education programs and promotes the increased understanding and tolerance among diverse groups.
The HHS Committee recommends approval of the Office of Human Rights budget as recommended by the County Executive.
Office of Food Systems Resilience
Review: The Council will review the County Executive’s recommended $13 million FY27 Operating Budget for the Office of Food Systems Resilience, which represents an increase of 14 percent compared to the approved FY26 Operating Budget. The recommendation includes programmatic reductions in the Food as Medicine Program and Retail Food Access Program, and an increase in compensation adjustments.
The HHS Committee recommends approval of the Office of Food System Resilience FY27 Operating Budget as recommended by the County Executive. The committee also recommended placing the Food Systems Education Grant Program on the reconciliation list.
Inflationary Adjustment for all Non-Profit Providers
Review: The Council will review the County Executive’s recommended 2.5 percent inflationary adjustment for non-profit contracts within the FY27 Operating Budget. This adjustment totals more than $4.4 million across multiple departments and NDA’s. For each half percent increase or decrease in the inflationary adjustment represents an equivalent change of $881,290, or $873,810 tax supported and $7,480 non-tax supported funds. Additional details on the proposed inflationary increase are available in the Council staff report.
Community Grants Non-Departmental Account
Review: The Council will review the $13.6 million recommended FY27 Operating Budget for the Community Grants NDA, which represents an increase of $301,283, or 2.2 percent, from the approved FY26 Operating Budget. The recommendation includes adding funding for the Nonprofit Federal resiliency grants and continuing funding for multi-year community grant awards and legacy renewals through FY27 at current funding levels.
The Government Operations and Fiscal Policy (GO) recommends approval of Community Grants NDA budget as recommended by the County Executive.
Review: The Council will review the $5.5 million recommended FY27 Operating Budget for Cost Sharing: MCG, which represents a decrease of $900,000 or 14 percent from the approved FY26 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 recommends approving $500,000 in funding for CASA, Inc as recommended, a $200,000 increase for the Charles E. Smith Life Communities Reimagining Ring House and $3 million for FY27 Capital Grants.”
