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Montgomery County officials flag growing budget pressures as 2026 planning begins
Summary
County finance staff told commissioners real estate assessment growth has turned slightly negative and several cost drivers — higher pension and health care costs and slower state reimbursements — are increasing pressure on reserves as the 2026 budget cycle starts.
Montgomery County finance staff told the Board of Commissioners on Sept. 25 that long‑running revenue growth has slowed and several cost pressures could widen a projected gap when the county begins formal 2026 budget deliberations.
The county’s finance presenter said officials collected roughly 73% of revenue budget year‑to‑date through July and had used about 55% of appropriations. Real estate taxes remain the largest revenue source; 97% of property tax budget had been collected, the presenter said, but the county’s real estate assessment base was down 0.10% through Aug. 31 compared with the start of the year.
The presenter framed the numbers as an early look ahead to next year’s budget. "We are in the process, you know, framing out what the 2026 budget is gonna look like. That's gonna be presented to the board in November," the presenter told commissioners.
Why it matters: Montgomery County relies heavily on real estate tax revenue, and the…
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