Montgomery County PHP Committee Budget Work Session – April 13, 2026
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Montgomery County Council Planning, Housing and Parks Committee Budget Work Session – April 13, 2026
The Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) Committee met on Monday, April 13, 2026, from approximately 1:30 p.m. to 3:50 p.m. in the 3rd Floor Council Hearing Room to review the FY27 Operating Budget and FY27-32 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) for the Office of Agriculture, the Department of Recreation, and the Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA) and Housing Initiative Fund (HIF). The committee recommended approvals with amendments and placed several funding items on the Reconciliation List for full Council consideration. No public testimony was heard during this work session.
Consent Calendar
- No formal consent calendar was used; routine budget recommendations were approved without objection except where noted.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public testified during this session. Prior public hearings and testimony on the budget were referenced by committee members.
Discussion Items
Office of Agriculture
- The County Executive recommended a $1.6 million FY27 operating budget with no enhancements or reductions. Council staff noted the Office of Agriculture was rated "exemplary" in the OBIT analysis and had made significant strides on racial equity in land access and farming.
- Director Scheffel thanked the committee for support. Councilmember Friedson praised the office's work with emerging farmers and culturally competent food programs.
- The committee unanimously approved the FY27 Operating Budget and FY27-32 CIP as submitted by the County Executive.
Department of Recreation
- The County Executive recommended a $71,442,894 operating budget, an increase of $2.9 million (4.27%) over FY26. The department requested a cost-of-doing-business budget to maintain current services.
- The committee discussed and placed on the Reconciliation List:
- $104,098 for a Program Manager for administration of recreation contracts (one FTE, full annualized cost $138,798). The department currently has one program manager managing 608 contracts; Councilmember Jawando requested a breakdown of contract responsibilities for full Council.
- $23,305 for the FBI RapBack System background and fingerprinting verification. Councilmember Friedson called this a legal requirement for child safety; Councilmember Jawando noted it should be a base budget item. The committee requested it be flagged as a legal requirement.
- The committee also discussed an Excel Beyond the Bell Elementary (EBBE) expansion at Stedwick Elementary School, proposed by Councilmembers Luedtke and Evans. The minutes list the cost as $459,253; the transcript cites a full-year cost of $429,253 or $229,626 for half a year. The committee supported the request and placed it on the Reconciliation List, directing staff to provide phasing/tranching options for partial implementation.
- Other proposed changes, including seasonal staff annualization for the Silver Spring Recreation and Aquatic Center, food bank contract escalation, and other contract escalations, were approved without objection.
- Councilmember Jawando flagged a nearly 50% increase in travel expenditures ($297,000 to an unspecified higher amount) and requested a breakdown of potential savings.
Department of Housing and Community Affairs and Housing Initiative Fund
- The County Executive recommended a total FY27 operating budget of $77.7 million for DHCA across all funds, a decrease of $5.9 million from FY26, driven by increased HIF debt service.
- The committee placed on the Reconciliation List:
- One position ($125,180) to implement Expedited Bill 31-25 (eviction notification). The department noted over 4,600 eviction notices per year.
- One position ($121,320) to implement Expedited Bill 2-25 (PILOT affordable housing amendments).
- Compensation for grant-funded positions exceeding federal grant caps ($277,497 for 1.7 FTEs).
- Backfill for reduced federal funding for Fair Housing Testing ($25,000).
- Councilmember Friedson expressed concern about recurring gaps in federal grant funding and requested an ASAP countywide analysis of the impact on all departments, with a deadline of Thursday/Friday. The department agreed to provide an update.
- The committee discussed a $1.3 million revenue decrease in landlord-tenant fees and short-term rental registration fees. DHCA explained that the short-term rental universe was overestimated (actual ~700, not 1,400) and that a prior double-counting error inflated multifamily fee projections. Councilmember Friedson stressed the need for more conservative revenue estimates.
- The committee approved the following CIP amendments as submitted by the County Executive: Countywide Façade Easement Program, White Oak Commercial Area Improvements and Revitalization, Affordable Housing and Acquisition CIP, and Revitalization for Troubled and Distressed Common Ownership Communities CIP.
- The committee approved an additional $4 million in FY27 taxable bonds for the Affordable Housing Acquisition and Preservation CIP to equalize FY27 funding with FY26 approved levels, pending a Council staff analysis. Councilmember Friedson emphasized maintaining level of effort on affordable housing. The amendment was approved 3-0.
Key Outcomes
- Office of Agriculture: Approved unanimously as submitted.
- Department of Recreation: Approved as amended, including Reconciliation List items for the contract manager, FBI RapBack, and EBBE expansion; staff to provide additional information on contract division, travel costs, and EBBE phasing options.
- DHCA/HIF: Operating budget and CIP approved as amended, including the $4 million Affordable Housing Acquisition and Preservation CIP increase; staff to provide countywide analysis of grant-funded position shortfalls.
- Troubled Properties Regulations: DHCA reported that the regulations were transmitted to the County Executive's office on January 23, 2026, with the fiscal impact statement sent last week. The committee agreed to send a letter if the regulations are not received by the Council by the end of the week.
- Note on discrepancies: The meeting agenda listed the session as 1:30–4:30 p.m.; the minutes state 1:15–3:50 p.m. The transcript indicates the meeting began at 1:30. The EBBE funding amount is listed as $459,253 in the approved minutes and as $429,253 in the transcript; the committee requested options for partial implementation.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon. It's just after 130. It is April 13th. We're here as the Planning Housing and Parks Committee. We have a budget work session, three items on the agenda for today. We're going to go through Department of Agriculture, Department of Recreation, and then we have DHCA and the Housing Initiative Fund, the HIF. With that, why don't we start with the Office of Agriculture? And let me uh before we turn it over to Mike Scheffle and the Office of Agriculture. Let me see if uh Council Staff has any comments on this item. Good morning or good afternoon. No specific comments, just to note that this council county executive is recommending a $1.6 million budget, no recommended enhancements, no recommended reductions, and council staff hasn't identified any either. I would just point you to the OBIT analysis on page two, which notes that Office of Ag is exemplary and that despite its size and structure of its operating budget, OAG has made significant strides, suggesting that with additional targeted resources, it could expand its efforts and have a greater impact on racial disparities and other inequities that affect land access and farming in the county. All the um small changes uh that are not to be voted on today are summarized in the table on page three, and that's the packet. Thank you, Mr. Ali. And uh speaking of exemplary uh offices, let me turn it over to the office. Director Sheff. Thank you, Chair Friedson. Uh thank you again, Councilmembers Jawondo and Fanny Gonzalez. It's always nice to be in front of you. Uh we particularly appreciate the full council's support on our capital budget. We like short, brief to the point conversations. So I'm I want to thank Bilal. I want to thank Seamus here. They do a great job with our budget. So with that, thank you. Great. We'll take yes for an answer. Uh congratulations and good work and hope you can continue the efforts on the OBET. I think it speaks to your commitment to equity. And uh we really appreciate all of your work on the ResJ goals that we have. Uh and you know, in particular, uh really appreciate the work that you uh are doing with emerging farmers. We have one-third of the county is foreign-born. Most people who are born in other places around the world are born in rural communities. This is the overwhelming land pattern uh for most people uh across the globe, particularly those people who move to uh the U.S. from other places and providing agricultural opportunities, making sure that we have culturally competent food, uh, making sure that we are uh addressing those issues is really significant and ensuring programs that support smaller and emerging farmers help to facilitate that. And uh we have Afro Thrive uh here uh recently. Uh and uh you know Trofina has spoken uh quite a bit and has a really good partnership uh with the office, and there are many other examples like her, and so just wanted to express my personal appreciation for your work on that. And uh it's reflected qualitatively, not just quantitatively, but both uh are are important. Um with that, um I think we are uh agree to agree here. Uh uh we like non-controversial budgets, uh nothing on the reconciliation list uh to consider and uh appreciate the work of the team and your continued leadership. And uh with that, all those in favor of uh this uh please raise your hand. We have uh unanimous uh as recommended by the county executive. Appreciate it. Thank you. All right. May all of our budgets be this easy. Uh-huh. All right. Uh we're we're moving in the range of uh of of uh controversy, I guess, or at least discussion, I should say, not controversy.
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