Housing agency asks Montgomery County for $2.3 million in immediate repairs, $1.5 million to finish demolition; council committee adds requests to reconciling “

Chelsea Andrews, president of HLC, told the Montgomery County Council Finance Committee on April 29 that the agency seeks immediate county help to address safety and security problems at Cider Mill and to finish demolition work at Elizabeth House.

The requests include $2,050,000 to repair balconies at Cider Mill, $250,000 for additional cameras and lighting in breezeways and other security improvements, funding for an additional full‑time bilingual resident counselor for Cider Mill (estimated $120,000 including benefits), and $1,500,000 to cover environmental cost overruns that arose once demolition of Elizabeth House began.

The committee added the Cider Mill balcony repairs and the $250,000 security request to its reconciliation ("rec") list and recommended adding $1.5 million for completion of the Elizabeth House demolition to the rec list as well. Committee members discussed phasing the balcony repairs in tranches and asked HLC to return with a prioritization plan before full Council action. Committee members framed the security request as complementary to existing police partnerships: Andrews said cameras HLC installed have been used by Montgomery County Police Department officers to apprehend suspects.

Why it matters: Cider Mill is one of the agency's largest properties and houses many families; committee members repeatedly stressed that unsafe balconies and ongoing criminal activity in breezeways create urgent hazards for residents. Elizabeth House demolition is already in progress; HLC said environmental issues discovered after work began increased costs by $1.5 million and that HOC put the work on its line of credit to continue the project.

Details from the discussion

- Cider Mill: Andrews said the property has roughly 864 units and currently only one resident counselor assigned to the site. She told the committee the balconies were shut off for safety and the agency estimates $2,050,000 to repair about 40–45 balconies; HLC said repairs could be prioritized and phased. Council members suggested splitting the work into several tranches (members discussed roughly four tranches of about $500,000 each) and requested a prioritization plan before full Council. Council and HLC also discussed the operating‑budget impact: staff said the FY26 impact would be the full $2.3 million net over six years, and the 2026 budget year would show the full near‑term impact.

- Security: HLC requested $250,000 for cameras and lighting to cover breezeways and other blind spots where criminal activity has occurred. Andrews said calls for service at Cider Mill fell from about 54 per month (before investments) to 18 per month after prior security spending. HLC credited Montgomery County Police Department officers, including Captain Stancliff and Commander Brian Dillman, with helping reduce crime through partnership.

- Resident services: HLC said it has not added resident services counselors since about February 2008 and currently employs 22 counselors to cover dozens of sites. The agency asked for additional counselors across senior sites and portfoliowide; cost estimates provided in committee discussion included roughly $120,000 per additional full‑time counselor (total compensation and benefits).

- Elizabeth House demolition: HLC described the demolition as a complicated, multi‑party public‑private project involving the Department of General Services and Recreation. The county requested earlier demolition than HOC had planned; once contractors began work, HOC discovered environmental conditions that added $1,500,000 in costs. HOC put the demolition on its line of credit and is now asking the county to share responsibility for the additional costs. The committee added $1.5 million to the rec list and directed OMB and HOC to pursue offline options, including potential loans or other funding mechanisms, and to report back before full Council.

- Housing Production Fund discussion: HOC and Council members also discussed keeping loan repayments inside the county’s Housing Production Fund (HPF/HIF) to preserve flexibility for state‑level matching opportunities. Staff said the change would not affect the general fund but could affect HIF balances and any future bond counsel considerations; the committee asked for follow‑up fiscal details and scenarios before any formal change.

Committee action and next steps: Committee members voted to recommend placing the Cider Mill balcony repairs, the $250,000 security package, and the $1.5 million Elizabeth House demolition request on the budget reconciliation (rec) list for full Council consideration. The committee asked HOC to provide a prioritization plan for phased balcony repairs, more detail on counselor hiring priorities, and alternatives for covering Elizabeth House debt service before full Council consideration.