Planning board seeks ongoing master‑plan funding, committee narrows priority list

Montgomery County’s Planning Department told the Planning, Housing and Parks Committee on April 23 that it needs steady funding for master plans and additional staff to keep up with rising workload and resident requests.

Why it matters: planning staff argued that Master Plan work is a core, recurring function and that paying for it project‑by‑project increases cost and delays. “In 2019, my office included 3 administrative positions ... by 2023, that had dropped to only 2 administrative positions. Yet our work has only multiplied,” Hardy, chair of the Montgomery County Planning Board, told the committee.

What the department asked for: Planning requested an ongoing $300,000 master‑plan support line to fund consultant work, outreach and required technical analyses for master plans across the county. The department also requested three staff additions: a placemaking coordinator, a climate position and an organizational‑development administrative specialist, plus a housing needs assessment and preferences survey the department said would help update the county’s housing analysis.

Committee decision: committee members agreed to prioritize master‑plan support and to recommend a compromise that balances ongoing commitments and limited new hires. The committee voted to place on the reconciliation list (1) restoration of master‑plan support at a reduced level consistent with the committee’s budget constraints, (2) funding for the placemaking coordinator with a hiring lapse of six months to reduce immediate fiscal impact, and (3) $50,000 toward the housing‑needs assessment (the department originally requested $200,000 for the combined work). The committee recorded the reconciliation entries as its negotiated priorities for the full council to consider.

Planning context: Planning staff said master plan work often requires external technical studies — for example transportation, parking or economic analysis — and that prior practice of funding individual master plans variable by year made long‑term scheduling and staff planning difficult. Planning director Jason Sartori described the locational atlas and historic resources work as an ongoing, multi‑year enterprise that benefits from steady funding.

Ending: The committee signaled support for core planning functions while deferring some staffing decisions to the reconciliation process; planning staff will return to the council with the refined schedule and the committee’s reconciliation requests.