Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Police Accountability Board topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee adds $50,000 to reconciliation list as Police Accountability Board braces for special counsel costs
Summary
Staff told the Public Safety Committee the Police Accountability Board and Administrative Charging Committee will see modest FY27 compensation increases but may need more special counsel funding; the committee voted to add $50,000 to the reconciliation list to cover potential counsel overruns.
The Montgomery County Public Safety Committee voted to add $50,000 to the reconciliation list after staff warned that special counsel costs tied to the Police Accountability Board (PAB) and Administrative Charging Committee (ACC) could exceed current appropriations.
"The Police Accountability Board has advised that it anticipates the ACC will require 15 to 25 hours of support from their special counsel per month in FY '27 at a rate of between $8,600 to $14,300 a month," said Ms. Farag, the staff presenter. She told members the base appropriation for special counsel is $150,000 after a prior $100,000 reduction, and that actual special counsel expenditures to date total $96,900 (about $71,000 for the ACC and $26,000 for the PAB).
Staff also outlined modest personnel and member-compensation increases in the PAB non-departmental account, describing a roughly $19,400 (2.59%) rise from the FY26 operating budget primarily for merit staff support and CPI-driven member adjustments. "The recommended budget for the Police Accountability Board is the same services budget. It has $19,400 increase or about 2.59% from the approved FY 26 operating budget for the board," Ms. Farag said.
Committee members said the potential special counsel expense warranted a reconciliation listing rather than leaving the gap unaddressed. The chair proposed adding $50,000 to the reconciliation list to ensure anticipated expenditures are covered; the committee agreed.
The committee requested follow-up detail on the ACC's likely counsel hours and the assumptions underlying the department's monthly rate estimates before full council review.
