Proposed MOCO Budget: Equity, Schools, Transportation, Housing

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — County Executive Marc Elrich’s Capital Improvement Project (CIP) will have a record amount of funding for public schools if approved, coming in at $1.8 billion. The total proposed budget for 2023 to 2028 is $5.05 billion and is a 17.2 percent increase from the last capital budget, approved in 2020 by the County Council.

The Montgomery County Schools allocation is $55 million more than the Board of Education requested, according to the county. The recommended budget for Montgomery College is $327.1 million, which is a 15.1 percent increase from the previous budget.

“The foundation for our future successes in Montgomery County is grounded in providing all of our children, no matter where they live in the County, a world-class education from Pre-K to higher education,” said Elrich.

Apart from education, much of the budget focuses on climate change, transportation and housing. For the first time, the entire budget was made with a CIP budget equity tool, manual, and training material for the staff working on it to ensure that racial equity was considered at each step of the process, the county said. The populations that use certain facilities were considered as the budget was crafted, according to the county.

“With increased investments in our schools, affordable housing, early care centers for our youngest children, facilities to address barriers to residents’ well-being, and maintenance of core infrastructure, this CIP strengthens the resiliency of County government, our local economy, and the residents we serve,” said Elrich in a news release. “Central to these efforts is our partnership with the County Council to advance racial equity, social justice, and climate change in the County.”

The recommended budget has more than $394 million allocated for Bus Rapid Transit projects and $40 million to buy electric buses as part of the plan to cut emissions.

“One of the biggest accomplishments last year was launching our Climate Action Plan with the clear goal of reducing 100 percent of carbon emissions in Montgomery County by 2035,” said Elrich in a news release. “Our investments reflect our priorities and combatting climate change is essential to ensuring Montgomery County safety and resiliency as we face this existential threat.”

Another $433 million is allocated to the county’s Vision Zero project, including but not limited to:

• The Sandy Spring Bikeway project
• New Tuckerman Lane Sidewalks for improved safety around Herbert Hoover Middle School and Winston Churchill High School
• A US29 Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvements project for better access to FLASH transit stations

The county executive budgeted $146.3 million for affordable housing projects, which includes funding for affordable housing acquisition, contributions to the Affordable Housing Opportunity Fund, and a new project designed to provide permanent affordable housing to people with very low incomes.

“Too many Montgomery County residents cannot afford to live in this County – and that is a reality that we should not accept and need to immediately address,” said Elrich in the statement.

The budget has been sent to the County Council, which will review it and is scheduled to approve a capital budget along and an operating budget at the end of May.

“The County Executive’s recommended capital budget provides a good starting point for the Council’s work on this year’s short-term and long-term investments for Montgomery County,” said Council President Gabe Albornoz in a statement. “We will work judiciously to balance strategic capital investment across the county and the need for projects such as schools, fire and police stations, roads, libraries, recreation centers and facility improvements, while also scrutinizing the financial pressures facing our taxpayers.”

The council will hold public hearings to be held virtually on Tuesday, Feb. 8 at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 1:30 p.m. Residents who wish to speak can sign up to testify on Zoom or submit written, audio or video testimony.

The hearings will be viewable on County Cable Montgomery (Xfinity channels 6 and 996, RCN channels 6 and 1056, and FiOS channel 30), the Council website, Facebook Live (@MontgomeryCountyMdCouncil or @ConcejodelCondadodeMontgomery), or YouTube (@MoCoCouncilMD).

See the County Executive’s full release with the Capital Budget and Recommended FY23-28 Capital Improvement Program here.