State representative and residents press Montgomery County to keep focus on homelessness and mental health

State Representative Greg Scott and multiple residents used the Jan. 5 public-comment period to congratulate the newly reorganized Montgomery County Board of Commissioners and press the board to maintain momentum on homelessness, mental health and education funding.

Scott, addressing the board, said the county has played "a vital role" in serving working-class residents and urged continued partnership to deliver services. He said his district had "over 4,000 people" tied to a benefit (as spoken in the meeting) and called for further work on mental-health services and support for underfunded schools: "We've got more work to do, especially when it comes to mental health, when it comes to our, underfunded, systemically underfunded school system, and the state has a huge role to play in that."

Doug Ballard, a resident, credited the current board with improvements in services for people experiencing homelessness and mental illness since he moved to the county and thanked the commissioners for their work. Carmena Taylor urged the commissioners to "continue to demonstrate what can be done" through civil discourse and asked the board to support and elevate the county's Black female commissioner.

Comments during the public-comment period were appeals for continued action rather than formal requests for immediate votes. The board received the remarks but did not take substantive policy votes during public comment.