|
Dear
Residents,
Today
we
concluded
our
work
on
next
year’s
budget.
A
$5.4
billion
dollar
budget,
a
budget
larger
than
some
states.
I
know
you
will
be
pleased
to
hear
that
we
did
not
raise
taxes!
It
is
a
fiscally
responsible
budget.
At
the
same
time,
it
is
a
budget
that
reflects
our
values
and
our
commitment
to
the
fundamentals
of
county
government
–
schools,
transportation,
the
state
of
our
roads,
and
the
maintenance
of
our
libraries
and
recreation
centers.
We
strengthened
the
safety
net
that
helps
those
most
vulnerable,
made
significant
strides
in
providing
more
pre-k
and
child
care,
and
supported
programs
to
help
our
businesses
thrive
and
our
economy
grow.
In
the
pages
that
follow,
you
will
be
able
to
learn
more
as
to
how
we
will
invest
your
hard
earned
tax
dollars.
In
the
video
linked
above,
you
can
hear
my
full
comments
on
next
year's
budget.
Should
you
need
additional
information
on
these
topics,
or
any
other
issue,
please
do
not
hesitate
to
call
(240-777-7828)
or
email
my
office
at
any
time.
Roger
Berliner
Council
President
District
1
|
School
Budget
&
Educational
Programs
As
always,
one
of
our
County’s
highest
priorities
and
most
basic
responsibilities
is
education.
The
collaboration
between
the
Council,
the
Board
of
Education,
Superintendent
Smith
and
the
school
system
reflects
our
shared
commitment
to
providing
a
world
class
education
for
all
Montgomery
County
students,
while
using
transparent
metrics
that
will
allow
us
to
gauge
our
progress.
Being
able
to
work
in
true
partnership
with
our
MCPS
colleagues
has
helped
us
address
the
critical
needs
of
our
growing
school
system
and
ensure
that
it
remains
one
of
the
best
school
systems
in
the
country.
- Funded
100%
of
the
school
system’s
$2.52
billion
FY18
operating
budget
request
in
our
capital
improvement
budget,
an
increase
of
$64.6
million
from
FY17
budget
- Funded
an
additional
103.8
full
time
employees
over
the
FY17
approved
level,
for
a
total
of
22,284
positions
- Added
more
than
$4.5
million
in
this
budget
for
Pre-Kindergarten
and
Head
Start
programs
to
serve
students
from
low-income
families
- Allocated
$314.7
million
for
Montgomery
County,
$3.2
million
above
the
County
Executive's
recommended
budget,
to
strengthen
its
impact
and
support
the
quality
programming
it
offers
- Increased
the
budget
for
the
Montgomery
County
Adult
English
Literacy
by
$200,000
-
bringing
it
to
a
total
of
$1.66
million
-
including
a
$100,000
to
support
additional
Adult
ESOL
programs
Providing
A
Safety
Net:
Housing,
and
Health
&
Human
Services
Our
county
has
a
strong
social
safety
net
for
our
neighborhoods
in
need.
Strengthening
that
safety
net
is
more
important
than
ever
as
needs
grow.
We
must
face
with
clear-eyed
resoluteness
the
growing
poverty
in
our
midst,
and
this
budget
does
that.
Nonprofits:
- Allocated
$1.76
million
to
provide
a
2
percent
increase
to
eligible
contracts
with
non-profit
services
providers,
so
that
they
can
continue
to
endeavor
to
end
chronic
homelessness,
address
the
scourge
of
hunger,
provide
essential
medical
services
to
our
most
vulnerable,
and
confront
the
mental
health
challenges
in
our
community
- Approved
$3.2
million
for
138
Council
grants
to
nonprofit
organizations
for
a
variety
of
programs
that
support
youth
development,
housing,
health,
hunger
prevention,
services
for
seniors
and
the
disabled,
and
community
and
economic
development
Seniors:
- Approved
$185,286
to
expand
the
Senior
Cold
Meal
Program
to
five
days
per
week,
and
administer
it
an
additional
four
weeks
per
year
- Approved
$5,140
for
public
information
on
selecting
caregivers
Public
Health:
- Approved
$100,719
for
the
Care
for
Kids
program
to
meet
increased
program
demand
- Approved
$78,983
for
the
Care
for
Kids
Behavioral
Health
program
- Approved
$76,893
for
an
additional
Montgomery
Cares
1,000
visits
to
meet
increased
demand
- Approved
$147,560
for
to
increase
the
reimbursement
rate
for
Montgomery
Cares
clinics
by
$2
(to
$73)
- Approved
$161,906
for
a
dental
clinic
director
of
the
county
dental
program
- Approved
$76,588
for
a
Healthcare
for
the
Homeless
nurse
case
manager
- Approved
$76,700
to
increase
capacity
for
the
mobile
dental
program
for
the
homeless
Food
Security:
- Approved
$80,000
for
ongoing
implementation
of
the
County's
Food
Security
Plan
- Approved
an
additional
$150,000
for
weekend
food
for
elementary
school
students
at
high
FARMs
schools
Early
Childhood
Education:
- Approved
$2
million
to
increase
WPA
subsidies
for
children
birth
to
5
years
old
- Allocated
$342,000
for
Pre-K
services
for
40
3-to-5
year-olds
(delivered
by
Centro
Nia)
- Added
$2,186,180
to
support
expansion
of
10
MCPS
Head
Start
classrooms
to
full
school
day
programs
Housing:
- Approved
$59.1
million
in
capital
and
operating
budget
resources
to
be
available
for
program
uses
in
the
Housing
Initiative
Fund
(HIF),
the
highest
level
since
FY10
- Allocated
funding
within
the
HIF
to
ensure
funding
for
the
permanent
supportive
housing
needed
for
the
Inside
(not
Outside)
initiative,
which
houses
the
County’s
chronically
homeless
- Allocated
up
to
$1
million
from
the
HIF
to
capitalize
the
new
Montgomery
Homeownership
Program,
which
provides
up
to
$40,000
in
down
payment
assistance
for
households
using
the
Maryland
Mortgage
Program
- Allocated
$1.3
million
of
funding
for
Code
Enforcement
Inspectors
and
staff
associated
with
the
enhanced
code
enforcement
as
part
of
a
two-year
intensive
inspection
program
for
multi-family
rental
housing,
as
required
by
Bill
19-15
- Added
$210,000
to
enhance
tenant
advocacy
and
outreach
services
focused
on
assisting
tenants
in
resolving
complaints
Building
a
Transportation
Future
& Maintaining Our
Environmental
Stewardship
Transportation-related
items
were
high
on
our
list
as
we
went
through
this
budget,
as
they
should
be
given
the
state
of
traffic
in
our
County.
Through
our
efforts
in
this
budget,
we
created
new
Ride
On
routes,
increased
service
to
existing
routes,
took
a
major
step
toward
the
creation
of
Montgomery
County's
Bus
Rapid
Transit
network,
and
began
allocating
funding
to
prevent
traffic
crashes
as
part
of
our
Vision
Zero
plan.
We
also
endeavored
to
reinvest
in
our
environment,
by
adding
money
for
tree
planting
throughout
the
County.
Here
are
the
details
of
all
these
efforts
and
more:
- Approved
$1
million
to
initiate
a
new,
limited-stop
Ride
On
extRa
service
on
Route
355
between
Lakeforest
Mall
and
the
Medical
Center
Metro
Station,
starting
in
October
- Allocated
$7.5
million
in
next
fiscal
year's
budget
to
study
and
design
the
County's
first
Bus
Rapid
Transit
(BRT)
route
on
Route
29
- Approved
$705,000
for
new
Ride
On
routes
in
Clarksburg
and
the
Upcounty
area
to
the
Shady
Grove
Metro
Station
to
provide
needed
services
to
one
of
the
fastest
growing
parts
of
our
County
- Funded
installation
of
12
new
Capital
Bikeshare
stations,
including
the
first
nine
stations
in
the
White
Flint
and
Twinbrook
areas
- Added
$6.9
million
for
neighborhood
road
resurfacing
for
a
total
of
$12
million
in
FY18
and
added
funding
in
the
FY17
resurfacing
fund
for
a
total
of
$16.2
million
- Added
$100,000
for
a
Vision
Zero
grant
program
that
will
fund
traffic
safety
projects
proposed
by
government
agencies,
non-profits
and
community
organizations
- Added
$500,000
to
plant
nearly
3,000
street
trees
in
neighborhoods
across
the
County
- Funded
a
state-of-the-art
traffic
signal
operation
that
has
been
shown
to
reduce
travel
times
by
10%
to
15%
Strengthening
our
Commitment
to
Public
Safety
Our
County's
public
safety
apparatus
is
among
our
most
important,
and
most
fundamental
services.
In
order
to
keep
our
county
safe
and
secure,
my
colleagues
and
I
included
a
number
of
new
recruit
classes
as
well
as
new
equipment
to
stations
across
the
County
to
help
reinforce and
support
the
tremendous
work
our
public
safety
officers
undertake
on
a
daily
basis.
- Increased
our
public
safety
budget
by
restoring
overnight
police
department
coverage
and
added
sixteen
new
patrol
officers
as
well
as
two
Community
Engagement
officers
- Added
two
police
recruit
classes
-
one
starting
in
July
2017
with
32
candidates
and
the
other
starting
January
2018
with
36
candidates
- Added
recruit
class
expected
to
graduate
65
firefighters.
Five
of
those
positions
will
support
the
Advanced
Life
Support
(ALS)
chase
car
at
Aspen
Hill
(Station
40)
and
the
remaining
60
will
replace
personnel
lost
through
attrition
- Included
$190,500
and
one
new
captain
position
to
provide
liaison
services
at
the
WMATA
Rail
Operations
Control
Center
- Added
$450,000
for
five
full-time
employees
to
staff
a
paramedic
position
at
Takoma
Park
Station
2
- Approved
$132,288
for
the
County's
first
supervised
visitation
center,
which
will
fund
two
guards,
three
observers,
metal
detectors,
security
cameras,
and
keep
the
the
center
open
for
28
hours
a
week
Supporting
our
Parks
and
Recreation Opportunities
One
of
the
qualities
that
I
think
sets
our
County
apart
from
other
communities
is
our
commitment
to
what
I
would
call
the
soul
of
Montgomery
County.
We
value
our
natural
resources,
our
parks,
and
recreation
opportunities
–
all
of
which
help
to
keep
us
grounded.
This
budget
reflects
those
values
too.
Recreation:
- Approved
a
total
budget
of
$37.8
million
for
the
Department
of
Recreation,
an
increase
of
$3.5
million
(10.1
percent)
over
the
FY17
approved
budget
- Approved
a
net
increase
of
six
full-time
and
three
part-time
positions—the
sixth
straight
year
the
number
of
positions
have
increased
(although
the
total
number
of
positions
remain
fewer
than
pre-recession
levels).
- Added
$298,092
for
an
additional
Dream
Academy
Program
to
allow
a
program
at
JoAnn
Leleck
at
Broad
Acres
and
Harmony
Hills
elementary
schools.
Funding
will
also
support
the
staffing
needed
for
program
oversight
and
expansion
- Added
$52,742
for
an
additional
day
of
programming
each
week
at
the
new
Dream
Academy
site
(Leleck
at
Broad
Acres)
for
half-year
- Added
$52,742
for
an
additional
day
of
programming
each
week
at
the
second
highest
need
Dream
Academy
program
(Harmony
Hills)
for
half-year
- Added
$97,898
for
an
additional
day
of
programming
each
week
at
the
existing Dream
Academy
program
at
South
Lake
Elementary
School
for
full
year
Parks:
- Approved
a
tax-supported
budget
of
$94.8
million
for
the
Parks
system
(which
includes
418
parks)
--
a
$1.3
million
increase
over
the
County
Executive’s
recommendation
- Approved
$100,000
transfer
from
the
Cable
Fund
for
a
“WiFi
in
the
Parks”
pilot
program
- Restored
funding
to
critical
park
programs/initiatives,
including:
- $125,000
for
activating
urban
parks
- $625,463
for
improving
ballfields
- $212,269
to
enhance/expand
the
trail
system
- $109,541
for
operating
budget
impacts
for
new
and
expanded
parks
- $236,699
for
inflationary
increases
to
sustain
current
level
of
service
at
parks/facilities
- $81,329
for
a
Program
Access
Outreach
Specialist
to
assist
with
ADA
compliance
by
providing
inclusionary
services
for
patrons
of
park
facilities
and
programs
Creating
Economic
Opportunities
and
Strengthening
Our
Local
Economy
Supporting
and
maintaining
a
healthy,
vibrant
economy
is
paramount
to
our
county’s
future.
In
this
budget,
we
have
taken
steps
to
create
a
stronger
business
climate
and
support
our
small
businesses,
the
lifeblood
of
our
county’s
economy.
- Funding
for
Business
Solutions
Group
to
provide
greater
constituent
service
and
support
for
our
County’s
small
businesses
- Funding
for
new
microloan
program
to
support
entrepreneurial
enterprises
- Continued
funding
and
support
for
the
Montgomery
County
Economic
Development
Corporation
(MCEDC)
which
is
tasked
to
accelerate
business
growth
and
retention
in
Montgomery
County
- Increased
funding
for
workforce
training
Other
Budget
Highlights
- Increased
grant
funding
by
$100,000,
for
a
total
of
$5.4
million
- Added
$100,000
to
enhance
arts
funding
throughout
Montgomery
County
- Provided
$150,000
for
operating
support
for
the
National
Philharmonic
- Approved
an
FY18
budget
of
$42.7
million
for
Montgomery
County
Public
Libraries,
an
increase
of
$1.07
million
over
the
approved
FY17
budget,
that
will
expand
hours
at
three
branches
(Kensington
Park,
Little
Falls
and
Twinbrook)
and
help
maintain
our
County
libraries
- Provided
$5.095
million
for
the
Public
Election
Fund
for
the
2018
election
cycle,
bringing
the
total
funding
to
$11
million
- Allocated
$10,000
to
strengthen
outreach
and
translation
services
for
our
senior
community
|