Council committee recommends consolidating youth STEM funding into Kid Museum NDA; keeps Recreation operating budget intact

The Montgomery County Council Budget and Fiscal Policy Committee voted April 29 to consolidate the Skills for the Future nondepartmental account (NDA) into the Kid Museum NDA and to keep the Department of Recreation’s operating budget at the executive’s recommended level, while forwarding several Capital Improvement Program adjustments for later action.

The consolidation aims to centralize county support for science, technology, engineering, arts and math programming delivered in recreational settings and to simplify administration, committee members said. Committee staff estimated the consolidated NDA total at roughly $302,117 after a 3% inflation adjustment.

Director Riley of the Department of Recreation summarized the department’s FY26 request as “primarily a same services budget” but noted the executive included $786,644 to expand the Excel Beyond the Bell elementary out‑of‑school program to two additional sites. “We have a small but hearty group, who work very hard and very passionate about the work they do,” Riley said.

Committee discussion covered several other items: a supplemental appropriation and additional GEO bond funding to complete the Silver Spring Recreation and Aquatic Center project, and a transmittal reducing the FY schedule for the county’s pool slide replacement program by $1,791,000 to align slide work with pending ADA compliance projects. Staff explained that combining slide replacement with ADA work reduces redundant deck demolition and restores operational efficiency.

The committee also discussed RecAssist, a Recreation program that subsidizes recreation activities and membership fees for low‑income households. Council staff reported RecAssist demand rose 42% between calendar years 2022 and 2024; staff noted the program’s budget is paid from Recreation current revenue and that HHS and Recreation track usage closely. Charlotte Keys, Recreation’s finance manager, explained the department sets aside $800,000 in the operating budget to offset RecAssist revenue loss and reconciles the account after fiscal‑year end.

Committee members emphasized the department’s preventive and youth‑support role. Councilmember Fontaine Gonzales said she would “fully support the executive’s recommendation and not take any reductions,” citing increased community needs. The committee took no reductions to Recreation’s operating base and recommended the Skills for the Future NDA be folded into the Kid Museum NDA; OMB will reflect the consolidation in final budget language for full‑council action.

On the CIP front the committee recommended approval of a $2.0 million supplemental previously transmitted for Silver Spring Recreation and Aquatic Center change orders and to consider an additional $1.2 million GEO bond transmittal in the May CIP reconciliation. It also recommended a $1,791,000 reduction to the slide‑replacement CIP line that will defer some slide replacements to be completed in conjunction with ADA pool deck projects.

The committee asked Recreation to provide examples of how a modest “PILAR” restoration (previously discussed) would be used in practice, and requested continued updates on RecAssist utilization and the department’s staffing and capital needs ahead of full‑council budget decisions.