Montgomery County Board of Commissioners Meeting - March 19, 2026
Montgomery County Board of Commissioners Meeting - March 19, 2026
The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners held its regular meeting on March 19, 2026, at 10:00 AM. All three commissioners were present. The meeting included recognition of women-owned businesses for Women's History Month, presentations on public defense and social work, public comments on agenda items and general county business, and unanimous approvals of contracts, personnel, and bids.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes Approval: The minutes of the March 5, 2026 meeting were approved unanimously.
- Personnel List: Approved the March 19, 2026 personnel presentation (three-page document dated March 18, 2026).
- Advertisement of Bids and RFPs (Exhibit A): Approved including a regional solar energy project RFP on behalf of Chester, Bucks, Delaware, and Montgomery counties (up to $11 million estimated savings over 25 years) and a recycling drop-off center RFP (with up to 80% DEP grant funding).
- Awards of Contracts (Exhibit B): Approved including five vehicles for the District Attorney's office (via COSTARS discounted state pricing), change orders for the justice center (which is over two years behind schedule and over budget; commissioners expressed frustration and stated they will pursue remedies against the contractor), and other contracts.
- Awards for Southeast PA Regional Task Force (Exhibit C): Approved unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony (on agenda items)
- Joe Rooney (Abington): Questioned the $210,000 total cost for five new vehicles (Chevy Traverse, Chrysler Pacifica, Dodge Durango) for the DA's office. Suggested buying used vehicles at half the cost to save ~$100,000. Expressed broader concerns about tax increases (55% county increase 2020-2026, 33% township, 23% school).
- David Morgan (Ambler): Agreed with Rooney on vehicle costs. Raised concern about a $1.22 million increase on a bridge contract (total $8.2 million, a double-digit increase). Also expressed safety concerns about a 24-hour remote drop box for voting equipment (item B6, $144,000 for transport), urging economy and safety.
Discussion Items
- Women's History Month Recognition: Commissioners introduced and celebrated 16 women-owned businesses from across the county, including Design Treasures, LaRadiance Salon, Unleashed Counseling, It Takes a Village, Be Well Apparel, Holistics Coaching & Consulting, Koté Chilean Bakery, King's Collar Shirt Makers, Maud India to the Joshi restaurant, Lillian Oak Wellness, Sweet Ashley's Chocolate, Keller Williams (absent due to flat tire), Salient Social Company, Sips and Berries, and others.
- New CIO Welcome: Mark Wheeler welcomed as new Chief Information Officer with experience in data analytics, AI, and former CIO of Philadelphia.
- Housing Announcements: Grand opening of a short-term supportive housing facility in Lansdale; groundbreaking for a Norristown facility on March 24, 2026.
- Sustainability Marketplace: First-ever event on April 22, 2026, 10 AM-2 PM on Swede Street; vendor applications due March 31.
- Way2Go Winners: Recognized five county employees for outstanding service (Yvonne Durham, Lauren Kell, William Franklin, Chad Moore, Jennifer Vedra).
- MCIU Clarification: Commissioners clarified that the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit is an independent organization, not a county agency; any alleged fund misappropriation would be addressed by the county controller's office.
- Commissioner McKeeja: Noted the May 19 primary election; warned about the SAVE Act in Congress that could disenfranchise married women (70 million) due to name mismatch; announced an "I Voted" sticker contest; praised Narberth for considering zoning for housing affordability.
- Commissioner De Bello: Recognized Agriculture Literacy Week and reading events; highlighted county hazmat and urban search/rescue teams (30 members each, 24/7 response); supported a motorcycle safety awareness month proclamation (May); proposed forming an audit team of volunteer CPAs to review the county budget.
- Presentations:
- Gideon Day (Public Defender's Office): Christine Laura, Chief Public Defender, explained the 1963 Gideon v. Wainwright ruling and the county's historic investment in staffing based on the National Public Defender Workload Study. Noted Pennsylvania is 49th state to fund public defense; nationwide funding gap ($128 billion needed vs. $6 billion spent).
- National Social Work Month: Vera from the Office of Mental Health highlighted 64 county social workers; theme "Uplift, Defend, Transform."
Key Outcomes
- All consent calendar items and contract awards passed unanimously (3-0).
- The solar RFP will proceed to seek a vendor for up to 15 county-owned sites across four counties.
- The recycling center RFP will proceed with DEP grant support.
- The commissioners directed staff to look into the vehicle purchase cost suggestion and to research a forum referenced by a public commenter regarding ICE.
- The board will consider a proclamation for May as Motorcycle Awareness Month, left information with the board secretary.
- Commissioner De Bello's proposal to establish a volunteer audit team for budget review will be discussed further.
- The next regular meeting is scheduled for April 9, 2026, at 10:00 AM.
The meeting adjourned at approximately 12:20 PM, followed by the Salary Board meeting.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. All right, that's that's a little better. Uh, it is a good morning, and it's today the first day of spring. Tomorrow, that's right. The twenty-second. Twenty-first. Listen, I don't know what day I don't know what day it is, but I'm here. And thank you for being here. Uh so we're gonna call it an order the March nineteenth, twenty twenty-six uh meeting of the Board of Commissioners. Note the presence of all three commissioners. Um, and I'm gonna ask Serena to lead us in the the pledge. Sorry to put you on the spot, but if you could stand and leave us in the pledge, okay. All right. So we know that uh March is women's history month. At our last meeting, we honored women who have been elected to represent their commun communities around Montgomery County. And this mor this morning, we wanted to turn the spotlight to women uh that are entrepreneurs in our uh Monco business community. Uh with us today are women who are impacting our local economy and bringing flair and flavor to our main streets. My fellow commissioners and I will introduce each of them and we'll have everyone uh come up for a group photo after uh every name has been called. So I will start. Um so first is design treasures. Uh design treasures. Uh the owners and founders of that's a is it designated treasures? Design. Okay. Design treasures. Brianna and Trevor Walls keep standing, keep standing. Anime uh current. So thank you for being here and let's celebrate Design Treasures. It says designated here for design. All right. And next up is LaRadiance One Salon. Lorrae Douglas, owner of LaRadiance, Hair and Wellness Salon in Lansdale. And we heard a little bit about your salon in the back room. You are doing well, like health and wellness tied to uh hair styling and care. So 10 years in Lansdale, correct? All right. Well, let's give uh Lorraine Douglas a round. Okay. Unleash counseling. Annalisa Smith Smithson, who owns Unleashed Counseling. Anna Lisa, a private licensed private therapist in Potstown who uses creative techniques, including animals, nature, and art to help those overcoming depression and anxiety and addiction. Thank you for being here. It takes a village. Serena Lucane, who I who I went to Norristown Area High School with, uh, owner of It Takes a Village. It takes a village, supports uh working families with reliable structured after school programming here in the Norristown area. Let's celebrate Serena. Umanda Phillips from East Narton, the best Narton, I must say. Uh, the owner of Be Well Apparel.
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