The County Executive transmitted his Fiscal Year 2019 recommended operating budget to the Council on March 15, 2018. The proposed budget is $5.56 billion for the year that begins on July 1, 2018. The budget  increases County spending on the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) by $75 million and holds property taxes at the Charter Limit by reducing the tax rate by 1.98 cents per $100 assessed valuation. This budget provides a good starting point for our work with this Council's final County budget for the upcoming year. We appreciate the hard work by the Executive and his staff to begin the process. 

The Council’s public hearings on the proposed operating budget are scheduled for April 10-12. You can sign up online to testify at one of the five public hearings. Or you can  send your comments  by email to county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov; or by regular mail to: County Council, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, MD 20850. 

If you would like to follow our review of the budget, visit the Council's website for committee meetings and Council sessions. Check back regularly. Information changes as we make our way through our work.

Is your voter registration up to date? Do you want to change your political party affiliation or make other changes to your voter registration? Visit www.777vote.org to confirm that your registration is current and for other important voter registration information. You may also call 240-777-VOTE or visit the office at 18753 N. Frederick Avenue, Suite 210, in Gaithersburg.  The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 

This year, the Primary Election  is Tuesday, June 26, 2018 with early voting from June 14 through June 21. You must be registered with either the Democratic or Republican Party to vote in the primary election. If there are non-partisan offices that are contested in a primary election (i.e., school board), any voter can vote for these offices. Make sure you register to vote or change your party affiliation by June 5, 2018, to vote for the Gubernatorial Primary Election. If using Maryland's Online Voter Registration System (OLVR), you have until 9:00 p.m. on June 5. Also, you can now register to vote at one of the several early voting sites from June 14 through June 21 from 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.

Voter registration applications are available online and at various locations including  U.S. Post Offices, county libraries, regional service centers, all offices of the Montgomery County Health and Human Services, and the State of Maryland Department of Motor Vehicles. Click here for answers to frequently asked voter registration questions.

April 22 is Earth Day.There are many  activities scheduled  in April throughout the county to celebrate Earth Month. You can help with stream clean-ups, participate in the storm drain painting in Wheaton, or attend the paper shredding event at Kennedy High School. Visit  My Green Montgomery for a complete list of events near you.