OpenPublica

Accountability starts with access.

© 2026 · Filed for the public record

Use casesAboutAPIPrivacyTermsLinkedIn
Home/Montgomery County, Pennsylvania/Board of Commissioners
OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Montgomery County Board of Commissioners Meeting Summary - April 9, 2026

Board of Commissioners — Thursday, April 9, 2026
BodyMontgomery County, Pennsylvania
SessionBoard of Commissioners
DateThursday, April 9, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:35:46

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:03

They have money that you've got to put it.

0:27

But that's why we do it in my area.

1:04

One, two, three.

1:06

Mike tests.

1:07

Testing.

1:08

One.

1:09

Two.

1:10

I three.

1:17

Mike test.

1:19

Check one.

1:20

Two.

1:21

Three.

1:21

Check check one two three.

1:23

Mike test.

1:25

Testing one, two, three.

1:32

Just wait for the stream to come off.

1:39

What is this?

1:40

We're looking at shore wireless mics, testing testing one, two, three.

1:45

Mike check testing one, two, three.

1:47

Well, they use your mic like that.

1:51

Ready?

1:54

Testing.

1:54

One, two, three.

1:55

Mike check.

1:57

Testing one two three.

1:59

One of those three I slide that I one two three.

2:04

One of those three mic check one, two.

2:06

One, two, three, three, two, one.

2:13

Mike test.

2:15

You're welcome.

2:17

Check, check.

2:18

One, two.

17:34

I don't have a sample catch.

17:37

We have to be on camera today.

17:38

Okay, so we can't fall asleep.

17:48

I couldn't have any guys.

17:53

Yeah.

17:55

We don't trust the version of the stuff.

17:58

Yeah, I can go.

18:00

Here we go.

18:05

Okay, good morning.

18:07

Morning.

18:08

We'll call to order the April 9th, 2026 for the commissioner's meeting.

18:13

Uh Mr.

18:14

Bell and I are present.

18:15

Commissioner Weider cannot make it today.

18:18

Um as it happens, push Commissioner DeVello also asked me to add one item to the agenda, which is to decide uh by ordinance who gets to have Commissioner Weiner's corner office.

18:29

So we're gonna vote on that later.

18:32

And we'll see how that vote goes.

18:35

But um that I will ask uh who I guess today.

18:50

Community engagement specialists, uh in external affairs, Jojo Dalwadi to leave us at the plate of the lead space.

19:02

Um I don't know, Jojo's falling up where this is your first meeting too.

19:32

So the uh one of the great powers of the chair is to spring the flight of the region.

19:38

And so yeah.

19:42

But uh welcome everyone.

19:45

Uh couple things that I'll have opening comments before I turn it over to Commissioner Bellow uh is that the primary elections coming up.

19:54

We have an election board meeting right after this.

19:56

Uh if you have any comments on that, please save them for the election board meeting.

20:00

But uh one of the things that we want to highlight is our I voted sticker contest, which is fast approaching.

20:08

And this is an opportunity for anyone in this county, particularly we're emphasizing high school students uh and these students uh uh of any age who want to apply.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural████████████████████████████████████████████44%
Voter Registration████████████████████████24%
Community Engagement████████8%
Child Welfare████████8%
Parks and Recreation██████6%
Public Health Awareness████4%
Mental Health Awareness████4%
Environmental Protection██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Montgomery County Board of Commissioners Meeting - April 9, 2026

The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners met on April 9, 2026, with Commissioners Bell and DeBello present; Commissioner Weider was absent. The meeting covered routine approvals, presentations on community initiatives, and detailed discussions on election logistics. Following the commissioners' meeting, a salary board meeting and an election board meeting were also held.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes: Approved the March 19, 2026, meeting minutes of the Board of Commissioners.
  • Personnel List: Approved a three-page personnel list dated April 9, 2026, presented by Chief Human Resources Officer Tony Brew.
  • Bids, RFPs, Contracts: Approved the advertisement of bids and RFPs (Exhibit A) and contract awards, amendments, and renewals (Exhibit B) for Montgomery County, as well as contract awards for the Southeast PA Regional Task Force (Exhibit C).

Presentations

  • Second Chance Month Resource Fair: Presenters from the County and the Montgomery County Reentry Initiative (MCRI) highlighted a resource fair on Monday, April 13, 2026, from 3-5 PM at the George Washington Carver Center in Norristown. MCRI, formed in 2017, now has over 150 members and focuses on five priority barriers to successful reentry: housing, career development, timely mental health/substance abuse services, parenting and child care, and natural supports. The fair will include county offices, expungement clinics, notary services, and health and wellness offerings. A video on voting rights for people with criminal records was also noted.
  • Monco Trail Challenge: The 11th annual trail challenge runs from April 25 to December 7, 2026, featuring a scavenger hunt along 18 participating parks and trails. New this year: four historic sites (Pennypacker Mills, Peter Wentz Farmstead, John James Audubon Center, Pottsgrove Manor) were added in celebration of America's 250th anniversary. 77% of last year's participants reported improved mental health, 78% walked more, 25% biked more. A kickoff event will be held on May 2, 2026, at Pennypacker Mills with free helmet distribution and safety resources.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Election Board Public Comments:
    • Michelle Ingarto (Lower Salford Township) asked about the availability of ballot drop boxes and when mail-in ballots would be sent out. Officials responded that ballots would be mailed next week, drop boxes would open in advance of ballots arriving, and logic and accuracy testing would begin next Wednesday.
    • Adrian Seltzer (Wynnewood, PA) expressed strong support for the new electronic poll books, stating that training has been excellent and they will speed up lines and help poll workers.

Discussion Items

  • Polling Location Changes: The Board of Elections requested authorization to relocate 10 polling locations for the May 19, 2026 primary election. Reasons included construction at current sites, requests from locations to cease hosting, and a desire to secure locations for both the primary and general election. All new locations are ADA-accessible, within the same or adjacent election districts, and have committed to November as well. Commissioner DeBello raised concerns about notification to the public and suggested exploring further consolidation of polling places (e.g., using larger venues like schools). The motion to approve the 10 relocations passed unanimously.
  • Drop Box Relocation: The Green Lane drop box will be moved to the Gilbertsville shopping center, outside the Magisterial District Court, due to the original location being secluded and poorly lit. The new site offers better lighting, visibility, and 24-hour recorded surveillance. Commissioner DeBello noted concerns about another drop box location but acknowledged improvement. The motion to approve the relocation passed unanimously.
  • Electronic Poll Book Rollout: Director Frank reported that 45 virtual trainings have been scheduled, and in-person open houses are well attended. Additional sessions will be held if needed.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved motions: The commissioners approved all consent agenda items, and the election board approved the relocation of 10 polling locations and the Green Lane drop box to the Gilbertsville shopping center.
  • Recognitions: Commissioner DeBello recognized Detective Ernie Morris for receiving a Blue Ribbon Award for child abuse prevention. The salary board recognized retiring employee Rosalie Moody for 26 years of service.
  • Next meeting: The next Board of Commissioners meeting is scheduled for April 23, 2026, at 10 AM.
  • Election logistics: Mail-in ballots will be mailed next week; drop boxes will open this weekend; logic and accuracy testing is tentatively set to start on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, with 48-hour notice to registered citizen groups.

Meeting Transcript

They have money that you've got to put it. But that's why we do it in my area. One, two, three. Mike tests. Testing. One. Two. I three. Mike test. Check one. Two. Three. Check check one two three. Mike test. Testing one, two, three. Just wait for the stream to come off. What is this? We're looking at shore wireless mics, testing testing one, two, three. Mike check testing one, two, three. Well, they use your mic like that. Ready? Testing. One, two, three. Mike check. Testing one two three. One of those three I slide that I one two three. One of those three mic check one, two. One, two, three, three, two, one. Mike test. You're welcome. Check, check. One, two. I don't have a sample catch. We have to be on camera today. Okay, so we can't fall asleep. I couldn't have any guys. Yeah. We don't trust the version of the stuff. Yeah, I can go. Here we go. Okay, good morning. Morning. We'll call to order the April 9th, 2026 for the commissioner's meeting. Uh Mr. Bell and I are present. Commissioner Weider cannot make it today. Um as it happens, push Commissioner DeVello also asked me to add one item to the agenda, which is to decide uh by ordinance who gets to have Commissioner Weiner's corner office. So we're gonna vote on that later. And we'll see how that vote goes. But um that I will ask uh who I guess today.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com