Montgomery County Board of Commissioners Meeting – February 3, 2026

The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, at 10:05 AM. All three commissioners (Chair Weiner, Commissioner McKeesha, and Commissioner DeBello) were present. The meeting began with a pledge of allegiance, followed by commissioner remarks, approval of prior meeting minutes, several resolutions, public comment on agenda items, and general public comment. A separate Salary Board meeting was held immediately afterward.

Commissioner Remarks

• Chair Weiner opened by recognizing Black History Month, noting this is the 100th year of celebration. The county will host a series of webinars every Wednesday starting February 4 at noon, with registration available on the county website. She also highlighted the second annual State of the County event on February 11 at Montgomery County Community College, with nearly 500 people already registered. Chair Weiner reviewed the newly approved county seal and branding system—the first update to the county seal in 25 years—and announced a contract with Rios Partners, a cost-savings consultant that only gets paid when savings are found.
• Commissioner McKeesha provided an update on an affordable housing crisis at The Willows apartment building in East Greenville Borough, where residents had been without heat for six weeks despite partial county funding. She noted that a story claiming the issue was resolved on Saturday was false; the building had a transfer of ownership but heat still not working. The county is considering legal remedies, including revoking the occupancy permit, and has asked the owner to cover electricity costs and rent during the outage. She also discussed election security, the upcoming primary election on May 19 (petition period February 17–March 10), and encouraged residents to become poll workers. Additionally, she reminded volunteer first responders (EMS/fire) to apply for the 100% property tax rebate by February 15; 1,000 of 3,000 eligible have already applied, with an average county rebate of $600. Finally, she announced a joint solar energy RFP with Bucks, Chester, and Delaware counties, to be issued by Montgomery County.
• Commissioner DeBello clarified confusion between the new logo and the county seal, emphasizing the seal remains unchanged and is only used for official business. He noted February is Heart Health Month, highlighted the Valentine’s Day date, and congratulated the Plymouth-Whitemarsh varsity cheerleaders for winning their second consecutive Suburban One League championship and heading to Orlando for nationals. He also mentioned the upcoming Olympics in Milan and the Super Bowl, and reminded the public of the next “meeting on the road” scheduled for February 19 at 6 PM at the Abington School District Administration Building.

Public Comments & Testimony

• David Morgan (Ambler) spoke on several agenda items, questioning the cost-benefit of the Office of Innovation Strategy and Performance, the $648,000 voter services contract, and a $349,000 trails improvement project. He also expressed concern about the Justice Center project’s cost exceeding $480 million and asked about the status of the CFO position.
• Joe Rooney (Abington) asked about infrastructure (county roads and bridges) and flagged a pothole problem on Jenkentown Road. He also questioned a line item for Justice Works youth care at $101 per hour per child. He criticized the county solicitor for interrupting speakers during public comment.
• Melia Talett (Norristown) proposed a teen rally for youth born 2007–2012, to be held at the courthouse steps, featuring speeches in native languages and vendors, and invited Governor Shapiro to speak. Commissioners praised her initiative and offered to help with permitting.
• Reverend Peter Martin (First Presbyterian Church of Norristown) urged the board to trust local law enforcement rather than cooperate with ICE, citing incidents in Minneapolis. Commissioners responded that the county has a welcome policy but limited authority over municipalities, and emphasized that local police respect constitutional rights.

Consent Calendar

• Approved minutes of January 5 and January 22, 2026 meetings.
• Approved resolution authorizing tax-exempt revenue bonds (up to $180 million) for refinancing at The Hill at Whitemarsh continuing care retirement community.
• Approved resolution designating Chief Operating Officer Lee Soltiziak as county signatory for PennDOT documents.
• Approved the February 3, 2026 personnel list as presented.
• Approved advertisement of bids and RFPs (Exhibit A).
• Approved contract awards, amendments, and renewals (Exhibit B).
• Approved contract awards for the Southeast Pennsylvania Regional Task Force (Exhibit C and D).

Discussion Items

• Commissioner DeBello responded to David Morgan’s budget concerns, noting the county’s $650 million operating budget and $1.3 billion total budget, and assured that all expenditures are reviewed carefully, including reductions like a $600,000 decrease in a Microsoft contract.
• Commissioner McKeesha responded to Joe Rooney’s complaint about the solicitor, stating that the solicitor intervenes only when comments are not germane to county business, and promised to review the process.
• Commissioner McKeesha also addressed David Morgan’s call for a cost-control committee led by Commissioner DeBello, stating that all three commissioners and the senior team work collectively on budget management.
• Regarding Reverend Martin’s comments on ICE, Commissioner DeBello noted the county’s legal limitations but affirmed the importance of empathy and care for community members, especially children experiencing mental health challenges.

Key Outcomes

• All resolutions and contract awards were approved unanimously by voice vote.
• The board will follow up with Melia Talett to assist with planning the teen rally.
• The next meeting on the road is scheduled for February 19 at 6 PM in Abington Township.
• The board directed cooperation with East Greenville Borough and county legal staff to explore remedies for the Willows apartment building.

Salary Board Meeting

Immediately following the commissioners meeting, the Salary Board convened. David Morgan commented on concerns about new positions funded by grants, questioning whether benefit and pension costs were fully covered. The board approved the February 3, 2026 salary board list (four-page document), and the meeting was adjourned.