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Joint committees recommend $332,000 supplemental for Care for Kids program
Summary
Montgomery County joint committees recommended a $332,000 supplemental appropriation to the FY2025 budget to cover Care for Kids services and an expected FY24 claims shortfall. Committee members emphasized the program’s long history, recent enrollment growth and the need to budget for sustained demand.
Montgomery County council committees on government operations and health and human services voted unanimously to recommend a $332,000 supplemental appropriation (25‑34) to the FY2025 operating budget to support the Care for Kids program.
Ms. Clemens Johnson, who presented the packet to the committees, said Care for Kids began in 1992 and served almost 11,000 children in fiscal 2024. "Care for Kids is a long standing program," she said, and noted enrollment has roughly doubled over five years; in the last three years enrollment rose by about 38 percent, or roughly 3,000 children. Johnson also told members there had been an FY24 budget shortfall and invoices that had not yet been received, which affected how the current budget appeared in the reports.
The recommendation to forward the supplemental to the full council was moved by Chair Albernaz, who described the program as "one of the most important initiatives" the county has run and stressed the public‑health imperative of serving vulnerable children. "We truly appreciate it," the chair said in urging support.
Several councilmembers supported the supplemental while asking how the county would avoid repeated special appropriations. Councilmember Friesen said the county should not rely on mid‑year supplementals as a routine funding mechanism and pressed staff on plans to incorporate growing enrollment into the FY26 budget. Dr. Asher confirmed that the committee’s materials count the roughly 12,000 figure as total enrollment for the fiscal year, not new additions beyond current enrollees.
Ms. Clemens Johnson and other HHS staff said the department will factor increased enrollment into future budget proposals and continue to monitor monthly utilization and claims submission practices to better reflect expenditures in projections.
The committees voted to recommend the supplemental to the full council by voice vote; the transcript records the recommendation as unanimous among the two committees present. The full council will take the final vote on the appropriation at a subsequent meeting.
