Sarah Barenka, director of public health and mental health, told Montgomery County legislators that a public-health nursing position that had been anticipated for 2026 was cut from the executive-proposed budget and urged the legislature to restore the line — with a salary increase — because the department cannot recruit at the current offer.

Barenka said the county-funded share of the position was to be covered in part by state aid and grants; she told the committee the position has been vacant since 2023 because candidates declined the posted salary and the department has been unable to compete with private-sector and hospital pay. “An RN at Saint Mary's Hospital can start today making $39 an hour working 32 hours a week,” Barenka said, and she asked legislators for an approximately $10,000 increase to the position to make recruitment feasible.

Barenka detailed current service demand: regular vaccine clinics, lead testing and required Article 6 public-health services for children and seniors, and special-needs preschool programs that account for a large share of the public-health budget. She said public health currently operates with two nurses and has been using overtime and comp time to meet demand, including extended vaccination efforts after a pediatric practice in the western part of the county stopped providing immunizations. “We had to work five days doing nothing but vaccinating every single day,” she said.

On the mental-health side, Barenka said the county has brought the single point of access (SPOA) function in-house — a change that increased revenue to the county by about $57,000 and that officials said should shorten wait times and improve coordination with in-county services. Barenka also said the county will use part of its opioid-settlement revenue to buy a vehicle for outreach and transportation to appointments.

Legislators asked detailed questions about whether the budget reductions removed both appropriations and corresponding revenue. County staff confirmed the executive budget reduced the personnel appropriation and a related grant line, and Barenka urged the legislature to preserve state-aid-eligible positions because losing filled, reimbursable posts can reduce state reimbursement dollars the county would otherwise receive.

Ending: Legislators did not immediately restore the nursing and mental-health positions at the workshop. The public-health director urged the legislature to consider salary adjustments and to weigh the likely loss of reimbursable state funds if the county leaves state-aid-funded posts unfunded.