Meeting colors

OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Montgomery County Council Meeting - April 28, 2026: Budget Worksession, Legislative Actions, and Proclamations

County Council & Committees — Tuesday, April 28, 2026

BodyMontgomery County, Maryland

SessionCounty Council & Committees

DateTuesday, April 28, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 2:26:42

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:00

Good morning, everyone.

0:03

Welcome to the April 28th County Council session.

0:06

We're gonna start the day with a really awesome proclamation by Councilmember Glass recognizing peaceful protest.

0:14

Those of you who came for that proclamation, please move forward.

0:29

If you are here for the peaceful protest proclamation, come on down.

0:34

You get to protest in the well.

0:40

Oh, yes, please.

0:40

Of course.

0:51

Hi, hi, good to see you.

0:53

Good morning, good morning, good morning.

0:55

Come on in.

0:56

Let me grab one more.

1:09

Good morning, everybody.

1:11

It is a great day to celebrate democracy and celebrate our ability to share our thoughts and concerns and stand up and fight back and protest against what we see our government doing, whether it is at the federal level or quite frankly, letting our voices be heard at the local level as well.

1:34

The right to peacefully protest, the right to organize, and thank you to all our labor partners who are here today demonstrating that exact same constitutional right.

1:45

Um it is guaranteed in the Constitution, the right to peacefully assemble.

1:50

And we as Americans and we as Montgomery County residents have used that right to continue supporting expanded rights for all of our residents.

2:02

You know, here in Montgomery County, we use the right to peacefully protest to fight for civil rights at the Glen Echo Park.

2:11

We as Americans have fought back against Jim Crow by using the right to peacefully assemble during the civil rights movement.

2:21

And before serving on the council, I ran an after-school program where I helped teach young students and teach immigrant and low-income kids how to use their voice to share their thoughts and their concerns with their own community.

2:41

And just last month, so many of us in this room uh and across Montgomery County gathered on our streets in our parks, uh, on our bridges uh to protest no kings, recognizing that nearly 250 years ago we broke away from Britain and declared that there are no kings in the United States, and we're keeping true to that today by making sure that democracy remains alive and well.

3:10

And I want to thank everybody who is joining behind me, uh, people who have been leading those efforts, who've been organizing our neighbors, who've been standing up and fighting back.

3:20

Uh and I want to take a moment and allow each of them just to introduce themselves.

3:25

Some of them are gonna be making more expanded comments, but uh, if you just want to introduce yourself.

3:38

Ethan Park, uh Montgomery County Progressive Asian American Network.

3:42

Ellis Leach, Montgomery County resident and no kings protest organizer.

3:47

Dominic Rosoli, uh human rights commission member.

3:53

I believe in this being from South Africa originally.

3:59

Kate Nardone with Empowered, Melanie Whalen Empowered, Anita Moore with Empowered, Ashima Talwar, Senator Van Holland, State Director.

4:11

Deborah Williams, lifelong resident of Montgomery County, and member of WDC.

4:18

Debbie Shulman.

4:20

Debbie Share Debbie Shulman.

4:55

Here we are.

4:56

There we are.

4:57

If a protest happens and no one hears it, is it still a protest?

5:00

Yes, it is.

5:02

So I want to thank our federal partners.

5:04

I want to thank uh Senator Also Brooks and Senator Van Holland for sending uh their team.

5:09

Uh they are blocking and tackling up on Capitol Hill, uh, and we uh appreciate everything that that they do.

5:17

There are some special guests I would like to invite to make some uh brief remarks as well.

5:21

First, we'll start with Ariana Young.

5:28

Thank you, Councilmember Evan Glass, and all the members of the county council for your protection of us residents and the exercise of our First Amendment rights.

5:38

Um since 2016 and across protests, I've seen people from all walks of life.

5:44

You all, neighbors, grandparents, suburban moms, students, and cancer survivors among um many others.

5:51

Um you've come together.

5:52

Why?

5:53

Because the compact between the people and the government is unraveling.

5:58

Um did you know that the U.S.

6:00

has been slipping in the democracy index?

6:03

Last year we were 20th in place, and this year we have dropped to 51st among 179 nations.

6:12

So you're turning to what you know, which is one of your remaining rights, and what defines you as an American, and that is to exercise free speech.

6:23

So to the county council, I want to say um just as you have enacted laws to protect immigrants.

6:29

Um please also be prepared to protect a slew of laws and policies to protect residents who are targeted based on their protest participation, political activity, organization membership, social media activity.

6:43

We are going to need that and in mass.

6:46

We're also going to need alliances across Maryland with the AG's office, uh, with civil rights organizations, and with other states, and particularly with with other states.

6:56

We will need that because with this fast moving technology, uh, there are going to be issues with data privacy, with um you know facial recognition, with political surveillance tools and crowd control tools, and we need to get ahead of that.

7:12

But we want to thank you, the council for your um your efforts to keep Montgomery County a safe haven for us all.

7:20

Thank you.

7:21

Thank you, Ariani.

7:22

Uh, next I'd like to invite Lisa Fuller up.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Personnel Matters█████████████████17%

Procedural███████████████15%

Fiscal Sustainability█████████████13%

Community Engagement████████████12%

Budget Equity Analysis████████████12%

Public Health███████7%

Immigration Policy███████7%

Peace Initiatives█████5%

Public Education█████5%

Summary of Proceedings

Montgomery County Council Meeting - April 28, 2026: Budget Worksession, Legislative Actions, and Proclamations

The Montgomery County Council convened on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at 9:15 a.m. in the Council Hearing Room. The session included proclamations recognizing peaceful protest, child abuse prevention, and the National Pan-Hellenic Council; a worksession on the FY27 Operating Budget compensation and benefits; a public hearing on a supplemental appropriation for the North Bethesda Metro Station northern entrance; introduction of a zoning text amendment and a police hiring bill; and final enactment of two immigration-related bills (the Unmask ICE Act and the Vehicle Recovery Act). The meeting adjourned at 1:54 p.m.

Consent Calendar

Approved minutes of the April 7 Council session and April 8 and 9 public hearings (9-0; Jawando and Mink temporarily absent).
Introduced Supplemental Appropriation #26-71 for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program ($500,000).
Introduced Supplemental Appropriation #26-68 for 4th District Police Station Move and Space Modifications ($994,000).
Introduced Supplemental Appropriation #26-45 for Montgomery County Correctional Facility Refresh ($481,000).
Introduced Supplemental Appropriation #26-73 for MCPS reappropriation of fund balance to offset winter weather impacts ($8,500,000).
Introduced Supplemental Appropriation #26-72 for the National Capital Strategic Economic Development Program ($500,000).
Adopted Resolution 20-1094 confirming Aline Hull to the Board of License Commissioners.
Adopted Resolution 20-1095 confirming appointments to the Board of Social Services (Vanessa Allen, Armando DelToro, Hannah Friedman, Sue Liu, Teresa Lopez).
Added item 1.5: Adopted Resolution 20-1096 extending time to review FY27 collective bargaining agreements (10-0; Jawando temporarily absent).

Public Comments & Testimony

During the morning proclamation, community members (including representatives from Empowered, Indivisible MoCo Women, and the Montgomery County Progressive Asian American Network) expressed full support for the right to peaceful protest and urged the council to protect residents' First Amendment rights and prepare for potential surveillance issues.
The public hearing on Supplemental Appropriation #26-67 (North Bethesda Metro Station Northern Entrance, $275,000) had no registered speakers; the record remained open until close of business April 28.

Discussion Items

FY27 Operating Budget Worksession – Compensation and Benefits for All Agencies (9:35 a.m. – 10:37 a.m.): Council staff presented the County Executive’s proposed $4.9 billion tax-supported compensation package, a 4.5% increase from FY26. Key elements included negotiated salary increases (ranging from 6.0% to 7.9% for various employee groups), retirement plan enhancements (RSP/GRIP contributions increasing from 8% to 10% over two years, and a new annuity option), and a $27 million shift of teacher pension unfunded liability from the state to the county. Council Vice President Balcombe raised concerns about exceeding the Spending Affordability Guideline (SAG), long-term sustainability, and the fiscal liability of the Guaranteed Retirement Income Plan (GRIP). Several councilmembers requested additional data on comparability with neighboring jurisdictions and the vacancy/lapse rate assumptions. MCGEO President Renne defended the contracts as necessary for recruitment and retention. No final decisions were made; straw votes are scheduled for the week of May 4.
Proclamations (1:00 p.m.): Recognized Child Abuse Prevention Month (sponsored by Katz with the County Executive) and the Montgomery County Chapter of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (sponsored by Jawando, Evans, and Sayles).
Zoning Text Amendment ZTA 26-08 (1:35 p.m.): Introduced by Councilmember Friedson to allow reinstatement of nonconforming uses abandoned for less than five years. Public hearing set for June 16.
Bill 18-26 – The Continued Excellence in Public Service Act (1:40 p.m.): Introduced by Councilmember Glass to require additional background review for former DHS law enforcement agency hires applying to Montgomery County Police. Public hearing set for June 9.

Key Outcomes

Enacted Bill 5-26 – Police – Mask or Facial Coverings – Prohibited (The Unmask ICE Act): Enacted unanimously (11-0) with amendments. The bill prohibits law enforcement from wearing masks or facial coverings while on duty (with exceptions for medical, safety, and weather emergencies), requires identification display, creates an online complaint portal, and sunsets upon adoption of a statewide policy by the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission.
Enacted Expedited Bill 14-26 – Motor Vehicle Towing – Redemption of Vehicle – Proof of Ownership or Control (The Vehicle Recovery Act): Enacted unanimously (11-0) with amendments. The bill allows vehicle redemption by an authorized agent (family or household member) upon presenting proper identification and documentation of relationship or shared residence, and includes indemnification provisions. The law sunsets after four years.
Public Hearing Held: Supplemental Appropriation #26-67 for the North Bethesda Metro Station Northern Entrance ($275,000). Action tentatively scheduled for May 5.
Zoning Text Amendment Introduced: ZTA 26-08 (Nonconforming Use – Reinstatement) with public hearing June 16.
Bill Introduced: Bill 18-26 (Continued Excellence in Public Service Act) with public hearing June 9.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the April 28th County Council session. We're gonna start the day with a really awesome proclamation by Councilmember Glass recognizing peaceful protest. Those of you who came for that proclamation, please move forward. If you are here for the peaceful protest proclamation, come on down. You get to protest in the well. Oh, yes, please. Of course. Hi, hi, good to see you. Good morning, good morning, good morning. Come on in. Let me grab one more. Good morning, everybody. It is a great day to celebrate democracy and celebrate our ability to share our thoughts and concerns and stand up and fight back and protest against what we see our government doing, whether it is at the federal level or quite frankly, letting our voices be heard at the local level as well. The right to peacefully protest, the right to organize, and thank you to all our labor partners who are here today demonstrating that exact same constitutional right. Um it is guaranteed in the Constitution, the right to peacefully assemble. And we as Americans and we as Montgomery County residents have used that right to continue supporting expanded rights for all of our residents. You know, here in Montgomery County, we use the right to peacefully protest to fight for civil rights at the Glen Echo Park. We as Americans have fought back against Jim Crow by using the right to peacefully assemble during the civil rights movement. And before serving on the council, I ran an after-school program where I helped teach young students and teach immigrant and low-income kids how to use their voice to share their thoughts and their concerns with their own community. And just last month, so many of us in this room uh and across Montgomery County gathered on our streets in our parks, uh, on our bridges uh to protest no kings, recognizing that nearly 250 years ago we broke away from Britain and declared that there are no kings in the United States, and we're keeping true to that today by making sure that democracy remains alive and well. And I want to thank everybody who is joining behind me, uh, people who have been leading those efforts, who've been organizing our neighbors, who've been standing up and fighting back. Uh and I want to take a moment and allow each of them just to introduce themselves. Some of them are gonna be making more expanded comments, but uh, if you just want to introduce yourself. Ethan Park, uh Montgomery County Progressive Asian American Network. Ellis Leach, Montgomery County resident and no kings protest organizer. Dominic Rosoli, uh human rights commission member. I believe in this being from South Africa originally. Kate Nardone with Empowered, Melanie Whalen Empowered, Anita Moore with Empowered, Ashima Talwar, Senator Van Holland, State Director. Deborah Williams, lifelong resident of Montgomery County, and member of WDC. Debbie Shulman. Debbie Share Debbie Shulman. Here we are. There we are. If a protest happens and no one hears it, is it still a protest? Yes, it is. So I want to thank our federal partners. I want to thank uh Senator Also Brooks and Senator Van Holland for sending uh their team. Uh they are blocking and tackling up on Capitol Hill, uh, and we uh appreciate everything that that they do. There are some special guests I would like to invite to make some uh brief remarks as well. First, we'll start with Ariana Young. Thank you, Councilmember Evan Glass, and all the members of the county council for your protection of us residents and the exercise of our First Amendment rights. Um since 2016 and across protests, I've seen people from all walks of life. You all, neighbors, grandparents, suburban moms, students, and cancer survivors among um many others. Um you've come together. Why? Because the compact between the people and the government is unraveling. Um did you know that the U.S. has been slipping in the democracy index? Last year we were 20th in place, and this year we have dropped to 51st among 179 nations.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI

TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com