Montgomery County budget hearing draws no public speakers; hearing closed

A staff member for Montgomery County opened a public hearing on the county's proposed budget and closed it after no residents signed up to speak, county officials said.

County staff told attendees there was a sign-up sheet in the back of the room and that only people who signed that sheet could speak during the hearing. After checking the sheet, staff announced that no one had signed up and called a brief recess. Staff reconvened the hearing later and again confirmed there were no speakers. "There's a sign up sheet in the back of the room. You have to be signed up on that sheet to speak tonight," a staff member said. The hearing was closed and the Montgomery County Board meeting resumed at 6 p.m., according to staff announcements.

The proceedings in the transcript consisted of administrative announcements about the sign-up process, a roughly 10-minute recess, a second check for sign-ups at about 5:45 p.m., and a final announcement that the public hearing would close for lack of speakers. No questions, public comments, motions or votes on the budget were recorded in the provided transcript segments.

Details from the hearing: county staff asked attendees to sign the sheet in the back of the room to speak; staff paused the hearing for about 10 minutes; staff checked again at approximately 5:45 p.m.; and the public hearing was closed before the board's 6 p.m. meeting. The transcript does not record any public testimony, formal motions, or vote tallies related to the budget.

If the county later receives written testimony or schedules additional public comment opportunities, those details were not included in the provided transcript.