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Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office
Review: The PS Committee will review the FY24 Recommended Operating Budget for the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, which is $29.1 million. This is an increase of nearly $2.2 million or a more than eight percent increase from the FY23 Approved Budget. The Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement, judicial enforcement, and specialized public safety services to the residents of Montgomery County. The office also ensures that court mandates are carried out with respect for individual rights and freedoms.
State’s Attorney’s Office
Review: The PS Committee will review the FY24 Recommended Operating Budget for the State’s Attorney’s Office, which is $22.1 million. This is an increase of more than $1 million or a more than five percent increase from the FY23 Approved Budget. The State’s Attorney’s Office prosecutes criminal violations in Montgomery County, educates the public with regard to criminal justice issues, provides training to lawyers for future service, addresses inequality and promotes fairness in the criminal justice system, ensures access to the criminal justice system, promotes professional relations with judges and attorneys and furthers the efficient use of criminal justice resources.
Department of Correction and Rehabilitation and Correction and Rehabilitation Information Systems Management Upgrade
Review: The PS Committee will review the FY24 Recommended Operating Budget for DOCR which is more than $77.7 million. This is an increase of nearly $4.4 million or a nearly six percent increase from the FY23 Approved Budget. DOCR protects and serves the residents of Montgomery County and the public by providing progressive and comprehensive correctional, rehabilitative and community re-entry services.
The committee will also review a $365,000 FY24 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) amendment to upgrade the Correction and Rehabilitation Information Management System, which allows all jurisdictions that have arrest power in Montgomery County to process arrests and warrants in a timely fashion within Maryland statutory requirements. The existing system has reached a point where it requires an upgrade to meet County enterprise security standards and remain useful to the more than 20 local, state and federal agencies that utilize the application including the Montgomery County Police Department, the Sheriff’s Office and the Fire and Rescue Service.
Office of Consumer Protection
Review: The PS Committee will review the FY24 Recommended Operating Budget for the Office of Consumer Protection, which is $2.6 million. This is an increase of $144,771 or a 5.8 percent increase from the FY23 Approved Budget. The Office of Consumer Protection enforces consumer protection laws prohibiting unfair and deceptive business acts or practices to ensure a fair marketplace for consumers and businesses. Its activities include complaint resolution, business registration, law enforcement, education, legislation, advocacy and outreach to vulnerable consumers.
Working Families Income Supplement Non-Departmental Account
Review: The GO Committee will review the FY24 Recommended Operating Budget for the Working Families Income Supplement NDA, which is more than $27.4 million. The recommended FY24 budget is a decrease of more than $17.6 million in total expenditures due to $25 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds received to supplement this NDA in FY23. This NDA provides funds to supplement the state's Refundable Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and is intended to benefit low-income working families in the County. For FY24, an increase of more than 7.3 million, or more than 36 percent, from the General Fund is needed to Provide a 70 percent Match of the federal EITC, when combined with state match.
Board of Elections FY24 Operating Budget, FY23 Supplemental Appropriation: Board of Elections $4,244,911 and Public Election Fund
Review: The GO Committee will review the FY24 Recommended Operating Budget for the Board of Elections, which is $12.2 million. This is an increase of more than $1.6 million or a more than 15 percent increase from the FY23 Approved Budget. The Board of Elections registers voters, conducts elections, assists persons seeking elective office with candidate filings and campaign fund reports, assists residents seeking to place questions on the ballot and preserves election data.
The committee will also review a more than $4.2 million FY24 Supplemental Appropriation, which would fund unbudgeted expenditures due to the postponement of the 2022 Gubernatorial Primary Election, which resulted in two elections occurring in the same fiscal year. This appropriation will also fund unbudgeted expenditures that resulted from court action related to the 2022 Gubernatorial General Election.
The committee will also review the Election Fund NDA, which funds the public campaign financing for qualified candidates for County Executive or County Council. The current balance in the fund is $3.8 million. The Public Election Fund Committee recommends retaining this balance and contributing $250,000 to the fund annually over the next four years, which includes a $250,000 contribution in FY24. The law creating the fund is intended to encourage more candidates who do not have access to large contributions from interest groups or individuals to run for office in Montgomery County.
Leases NDA (including FY23 Supplemental Appropriation); Future Federal/State/Other Grants NDA; Grants to Municipalities in Lieu of Shares Tax NDA; State Property Tax Services NDA and Payments to Municipalities NDA
Review: The GO Committee will review the FY24 Recommended Operating Budget for the Leases NDA, Future Federal, State and Other Grants NDA, Grants to Municipalities in Lieu of Shares Tax NDA, State Property Tax Services NDA and the Payments to Municipalities NDA. The committee will also review a more than $2.4 million FY23 Supplemental Appropriation for the Leases NDA.
The Leases NDA is more than $18.8 million, which is an increase of more than $2.3 million or a more than 15 percent increase from the FY23 Approved Budget. The Department of General Services' Office of Real Estate is responsible for the County’s leasing program. Overall, the County’s total leased footprint has decreased in recent years due mostly to the transition of several offices to County-owned or County agency-owned facilities. The recommended FY24 appropriation is increasing due to corrected chargebacks for the Wheaton garage and built-in fixed or Consumer Price Index-based increases to leases.
The committee will also review a more than $2.4 million FY23 Supplemental Appropriation for the Leases NDA. This increase is needed due to higher than anticipated costs for maintenance due to inflation and to reconcile appropriation with anticipated lease chargebacks for the Wheaton Headquarters Building.
The Future Federal, State and Other Grants NDA permits the County to receive and spend funds from grants without requesting a supplemental appropriation and is $20 million. This appropriation is non-tax supported and may only be spent if grants are received. The Grants to Municipalities in Lieu of Shares Tax NDA is $28,020 and level with FY23. The NDA funds payments required by state law.
The State Property Tax Services NDA reimburses the state for three programs that support the property tax billing administration conducted by the Department of Finance. These include the Montgomery County Homeowners Credit Supplement, the Homestead Credit Certification Program and the County’s share of the cost of conducting property tax assessments by the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT). The NDA also funds the County Renters Property Tax Relief Supplement (Bill 21-15) enacted in 2016 and administered by the Department of Finance.
The Payments to Municipalities NDA is more than $18.8 million, an increase of $1.6 million or 9.4 percent from the FY23 appropriation. This NDA provides a reimbursement to municipalities to offset instances of property tax duplication. This occurs when the County and municipality both levy a property tax on a municipal taxpayer to fund a service, but only the municipality provides that service.
Office of Intergovernmental Relations
Review: The GO Committee will review the FY24 Recommended Operating Budget for the Office of Intergovernmental Relations, which is more than $1 million. This is an increase of 1.2 percent from the FY23 Approved Budget. Increases in the office’s budget are due to compensation adjustments. The committee will consider potential FY24 savings from reducing funding for a vacant position. The Office of Intergovernmental Relations represents the County’s interests at the regional, state and federal levels and acts as the lead Executive Branch agency representing the County in the Maryland Association of Counties and the National Association of Counties.
Boards, Committees, and Commission; County Associations; Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments; and Public Technology, Inc. Non-Departmental Accounts
Review: The GO Committee will review the FY24 Recommended Operating Budgets for the following four NDAs: Boards, Committees and Commissions; County Associations; Metropolitan Council of Governments; and Public Technology, Inc. The Boards, Committees and Commissions created by law or resolution serve the County for a variety of purposes. The funds under this account provide for the reimbursements of certain expenses, including travel related expenses or childcare by eligible members. The FY24 Recommended Operating Budget is $49,665, which is an increase of $1,915 from the FY23 Approved Budget. The County Associations NDA funds Montgomery County membership dues to the National Association of Counties (NACo) and the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo). The FY24 Recommended Operating Budget is $74,728, which is no change from the previous year.
The Metropolitan Council of Governments NDA is a voluntary association of major local governments in the Washington metropolitan area that seeks to provide regional answers to, and the coordination of area-wide issues. The FY24 Recommended Operating Budget is $1,957,533, which is an increase of $273,014 from the FY23 Approved Budget due to an increase of membership dues. The Public Technology, Inc. NDA supports local government executives and elected officials through research, education, executive-level consulting services and national recognition programs. The FY24 Recommended Operating Budget is $5,000, which is no change from the previous year.
Health and Human Services: Public Health Service and the Office of Community Affairs
Review: The HHS Committee will review the proposed FY24 Operating Budget for Public Health Services within DHHS, which is more than $107.8 million. This is an increase of more than $13.3 million from the FY23 Approved Budget. The increases account for one-time funding for COVID-19 Response Readiness, an increase to the Montgomery Cares Clinic Reimbursement Rate, funding for the Mobile Health Clinic, additional costs related to public health programming and staffing.
The committee will also review the FY24 budget for the DHHS Office of Community Affairs, which leads the development of equitable and inclusive health and human services systems that are responsive to racial, ethnic and economically disinvested communities. The office is funded through the Administration and Support Services FY24 Operating Budget, which is more than $70.5 million. This is a more than $3.9 million increase, or an increase of 5.9 percent, from the FY23 Approved Budget. The Office of Community Affairs budget includes more than $16 million in funding for minority health initiatives, including the Latino Health Initiative, African American Health Program and Asian American Health Initiative. This is a more than $3 million increase, or an increase of more than 23 percent from the FY23 approved funding for minority health initiatives.
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