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Council approves Emergency Management budget shift as federal grants shrink
Summary
The council's Public Safety Committee supported the executive's FY26 request to move previously grant‑funded emergency‑management positions into the general fund amid uncertainty about future federal homeland‑security grants.
The Montgomery County Council's Public Safety Committee recommended and the council accepted the County Executive's FY26 budget proposal to shift 2.5 emergency‑management positions from federal grants into the general fund amid uncertainty about continued federal grant support.
Department leaders told the council the emergency management office has historically relied on federal homeland‑security grants for roughly half of its personnel and programs. Those grants are in flux and could be substantially reduced or eliminated, they said, and the county risked losing critical planning, training and outreach capacity if the office could not sustain positions when grants end.
"Nearly 50% of our personnel and programs rely on the federal grant stream," the department's director said. Staff asked the council to accept the general‑fund transfer of positions to preserve continuity of emergency planning, exercises, training and nonprofit security grants. The committee also supported continuing the nonprofit security grant program at $1.2 million (including a $300,000 allocation from the general fund proposal) to maintain current award levels.
The committee and council approved the county executive's recommendation; members stressed the move is intended to preserve baseline capabilities in case federal funding decreases.
Next steps: Department leadership will continue monitoring federal grant availability and report back to council if additional gaps appear; the council retained the authority to revisit funding in reconciliation and future budget cycles.
