Committee rejects funding Office of the People’s Counsel; divided views among council members

Montgomery County’s Budget and Fiscal Policy Committee on April 29 recommended not funding the Office of the People’s Counsel for FY26, after a sharply divided exchange among members about the office’s role and design.

Council staff said the county executive recommended $261,783 for the office but noted the committee and full council had previously reviewed and not funded the item. Staff recommended not funding the office again given current budget constraints. "That is it unless there are any questions," staff said.

Councilmember Fani Gonzales said she opposed adding the office to the budget. "I don't even wanna put it on the reckless. I say no. We don't need this," she told the committee, using the committee’s shorthand for budget reductions. Vice President Joanna said she supported funding an office and argued the county needs a resource for residents who do not understand planning and zoning. "I do believe we should fund this this year," she said.

One committee member said a prior proposal (Bill 18‑23) had included a narrower design that addressed equity concerns and offered a ready template for the county; that member said she would be willing to support funding at the lower level that would implement Bill 18‑23. Committee leadership said members were divided and that, absent broader council agreement, the committee would recommend removing the executive’s requested funding from the recommended budget for committee report purposes.

The committee’s recommendation removes the $261,783 from the committee’s recommended package and records a 2–1 split in the committee report; the matter may be revisited by the full council during final budget deliberations or by an individual councilmember if they propose alternate language.