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Montgomery County Council approves roughly $5 million in FY27 reconciliation spending; member says schools still underfunded
Summary
The Montgomery County Council unanimously advanced "priority block three," allocating just over $5 million from the reconciliation list to courts, health and human services, parks and other items; Council member Mink said the overall FY27 budget remains unacceptable because it underfunds MCPS and risks staff layoffs.
The Montgomery County Council voted unanimously to approve "priority block three," a package of reconciliation-list allocations the council said totals just over $5 million, as part of its FY27 operating budget work.
Council staff presented the block as the final tranche of reconciliation-list funding, listing allocations that included $391,000 to cover grant-funded circuit court positions, $1.56 million to raise the Montgomery Cares primary-care reimbursement rate to 52% of the cost of care, $250,000 for the MoCo Pride Center, $153,000 for a Park and Planning administrative compensation adjustment, $667,000 in the park fund to cover increased risk-management and operating costs, and $412,000 to reduce Park and Planning's salary lapse to 9%.
The transcript records additional line items with unclear numeric transcription: an item for an "adult shelter budget gap" read in the record as "1. uh $16 million" and an "outreach gap" listed as "4830 438,000." Council staff said the items together totaled "just over $5 million." The meeting record does not provide a corrected numeric transcription for those two line items; the county packet or staff materials should be consulted for precise figures.
The chair summarized prior conversations with executive-branch staff and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), saying those staff told the council that "further changes to departmental laps assumptions or operating expenses would lead to forced overtime or service impacts." That explanation was offered as a reason the executive had already made cuts during budget development.
"I will need a motion to move this block forward, priority block three," the chair said. Council Vice President Balcombe moved the motion and Council member Dawn Luedtke seconded. The chair called for those in favor, and then declared the voice vote unanimous.
After the vote, Council member Mink addressed the council and urged continued work on the broader FY27 proposal. "This does not produce a budget that I can vote for," Mink said, explaining she supported the individual tranches because they contained "reasonable and important items," but that the overall proposal still left many critical items unfunded, notably Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). Mink said the budget's constraints were disproportionately affecting schools, which she warned could lead to job losses and long-term harm to students.
The chair said the council would reconvene the next day at 9:30 a.m. for two votes: a by-county action involving WSSC water and parking planning and the capital improvements program (CIP) reconciliation, followed by the operating budget wrap-up. Staff will assemble a packet reflecting the votes taken.
The motion to advance Priority Block Three is recorded in the meeting transcript as moved by Council Vice President Balcombe and seconded by Council member Dawn Luedtke; the chair announced the vote as unanimous. The meeting adjourned until the next day's session.
