Montgomery County Board of Commissioners Meeting - April 23, 2026
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Montgomery County Board of Commissioners Meeting - April 23, 2026
The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners convened at 10 a.m. on April 23, 2026, with all three commissioners present. The meeting included welcoming 40 new employees as part of Take Your Child to Work Day, announcements of upcoming youth programs, a presentation on the county's Drug Take Back Day, recognition of two sheriff's deputies for life-saving actions, and approval of routine contracts and personnel actions. The meeting also featured public comments on trail spending, opioid and THC dangers, and meals on wheels services. Following the commissioners' meeting, the Salary Board and Election Board held short sessions.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the minutes of the April 9, 2026 Board of Commissioners meeting.
- Approved Resolution G-1 (appointment to Montgomery County Open Space Board).
- Approved Resolution G-2 (appointment to Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Committee of the Office of Children and Youth).
- Approved the April 23, 2026 personnel list as presented by Chief Human Resource Officer Tony Brew.
- Approved the advertisement of bids and RFPs for Montgomery County (Exhibit A).
- Approved awards, amendments, and renewals of contracts for Montgomery County (Exhibit B).
- Approved awards, amendments, and renewals of contracts for the Southeast PA Regional Task Force (Exhibit C).
- Approved advertisement of bids and RFPs for the Southeast PA Regional Task Force (Exhibit D).
Public Comments & Testimony
- David Morgan (Ambler) questioned the affordability of two trail expenditures (nearly $1 million and over $1 million) and a $400,000 dark fiber service contract given past budget deficits and tax increases. He commended increased funding for ambulance associations listed on page six of the budget.
- Camina Taylor discussed the dangers of unregulated THC edibles and vapes, noting that in Canada edibles are limited to 10 mg while U.S. teenagers often consume 600 mg per edible and 800 mg per disposable vape. She emphasized the lethal potential of a pencil-tip amount of fentanyl and offered to share her presentations on youth substance abuse.
- Denise Pottinger spoke in support of the Meals on Wheels program ahead of an upcoming RFP. She highlighted the program's role in reducing isolation and providing volunteer eyes on seniors, and expressed concern that a drop-off model might not serve seniors with mobility issues or those above income limits for county services.
- Ariana Rumley (founder, Airy Cares Child Care Center) described the lack of licensed 24-hour child care in Montgomery County and proposed a workforce-aligned model for low- to moderate-income parents working non-traditional hours. She requested guidance and support from the county and noted interest from Senator Penny Hewick's and Congresswoman Madeleine Dean's offices.
- David Morgan (second appearance) raised concerns about data centers' water consumption (citing 300,000 gallons per day for average centers, up to 5 million for large ones) and urged planning for drought scenarios. Commissioner Weiner clarified the board has no authority over data center siting; water use is regulated by state and federal agencies. Commissioner McKeown noted a recent data center 101 event.
- Jim Thomas (Gwynedd) echoed water concerns and discussed fentanyl's origins at Janssen Pharmaceuticals and production moved to China. He advocated for naltrexone as a longer-acting alternative to naloxone for first responders and requested a list of vaccine ingredients, challenging the commissioners to provide transparency.
Discussion Items
- Youth Programs and County Initiatives: Commissioner Weiner announced the first Montgomery County Youth Summit on May 2, 2026, at Montgomery County Community College (registration open until April 28), and a new Junior Commissioner program for the 2026-2027 school year (applications due May 10). He highlighted the first Sustainability Marketplace (over 30 vendors) and a new RFP to strengthen language access services (due May 22), led by the Director of Immigrant Affairs.
- Elections Update: Commissioner Winder reported 620,000 registered voters, 70,000 mail-in ballots already mailed, 18 drop boxes (24/7, camera-monitored), and satellite offices open on weekends. Registration deadline is May 4, mail-in ballot requests until May 12. Electronic poll books will debut for the May 19 primary, with paper back-ups available. He also discussed Allegheny County's recent ballot question on term limits under home rule, suggesting home rule could offer similar options for Montgomery County.
- Way to Go Winners: The board recognized six employees for outstanding work: Chelsea Maynard (Clerk of Courts), Colin (Communications, surprised with the award), Craig Tinney, Ashley Vinhar (Retirement), Victoria Urban (Office of Aging Services), and Marissa Warren (Adult Probation).
- Commissioner DeBello's Announcements: He noted receiving a Government Excellence Award jointly with Lower Merion for Armor House 2, an affordable senior living facility funded in part by $5 million in federal pandemic relief. He promoted the Montgomery County Trail Challenge (April 24 - May 2, over 65 miles), Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month in May, the Envirothon at Norristown Farm Park (over 50 students from four to five districts), and the 37th annual International Spring Festival at North Penn High School (over 6,000 attendees).
- Drug Take Back Day Presentation: District Attorney Kevin Steele presented the spring Drug Take Back Day (April 25, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.) at 38 police departments and four grocery store locations. He noted collection totals of 6,532 pounds in October and 6,853 pounds last April. He reported that overdose deaths increased 14% (clarified as an increase, not percentage of fentanyl involvement), with rising methamphetamine and cocaine overdoses that are not reversible by naloxone. The board encouraged participation and directed staff to post promotional posters in county buildings.
- Sheriff's Deputy Recognition: Sheriff Sean described an August 1, 2025 incident where Deputies Zachary Fairchild and Samuel Sample intervened during a transport to prevent a detainee from self-harm. The deputies' training and quick action were credited with saving a life. Both received certificates of recognition.
Key Outcomes
- All consent calendar items and routine resolutions were approved unanimously (all ayes).
- The Board directed staff to connect Ariana Rumley with Tiffany Thomas (early childhood) and the Commerce Department regarding her child care proposal.
- The next Board of Commissioners meeting was scheduled for May 7, 2026, at 10 a.m.
- The April 23, 2026 Salary Board meeting approved the personnel list (motion carried unanimously).
- The April 23, 2026 Election Board meeting approved the relocation of seven polling locations for the May 19 primary, with new voter ID cards to be mailed the following day. The meeting was adjourned.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, there he is. Aren't they cute? Okay. All right. Well, um, I'd like to call to order the April twenty-third, twenty twenty-six meeting of the Montgomery County uh Board of Commissioners with the presence of my two colleagues. Um I'm gonna have our sheriff lead us in the pledge. Right. So good morning. Um first I want to take a moment to welcome uh forty new employees that we have working for the county today. So I want them to come in and say hello to everyone. Do they have any music? Is there any oh there's music. Here's music. Here they come. Thanks for coming. Max and Liley, can you come up really quickly? Yeah, I think we got so if you haven't uh guessed uh today is uh take your child to work day. So I have my son Max and my bonus daughter Miley here. Um and we've got a whole bunch of kids from our co-workers across the county. So thanks, thanks, Tony and the HR team for putting together such a thoughtful program for the kids to enjoy. Uh this is a day that always creates memorable moments for our staff and their children, and it's a part of a larger uh strategy to familiarize our young people uh with their local government and the importance of civic participation. So uh we'll be building on that with two upcoming programs that I'm excited uh to share. Uh on May 2nd, the county will be hosting our first youth summit in Montgomery County. Uh it will be held at Montgomery County Community College. I'd like to thank our county team for really thinking through putting this program together. Uh, this is a chance uh for any Monco high school student to come out and have their voice heard in a welcoming and inclusive space. Our goal is to encourage students to become more engaged in their local community and to help them find their voice, especially at a time when the world might feel a little overwhelming. Uh register registration is still open uh until April 28th, and we encourage all interested students to sign up at Montgomery County PA.gov forward slash youth summit. Um, next we're also excited to unveil our new Mongo Junior Commissioner program for the 2026-207 school year. This will be an exciting new opportunity for rising juniors and seniors at any public or private high school in Montgomery County. We'll select three students to shadow the commissioners during the upcoming school year. Students will get a front row view, so guys, we gotta behave to county operations, our what our county commissioners do, and they'll participate in structured learning experiences with various departments, site visits with all three commissioners, and county meetings just like this one. The program will run from September of this coming of this year until April 2027. And at the end, students will present a capstone project addressing a real world government issue. The application deadline for this program will be Sunday, May 10th. So for further details, visit Monco Montgomery County PA.gov forward slash junior commissioner. Um next, I want to uh quickly uh share that yesterday we hosted Monco's first ever sustainability marketplace. We had over 30 vendors, advocacy organizations, and food trucks participate right outside our courthouse. And when I spoke, it was pouring down rain. I'm hoping that after I left, the sun came out and it dried up a little bit. I think that it did. Um everyone was able to see the many ways, large and small, that they can contribute to a uh uh more sustainable Monko, whether learning about composting, vegetable gardening, recycling textiles and plastics, or just exploring options for clean energy. There was so much good information and um so proud of our chief sustainability officer Davey for making the program uh so remarkable. So grateful to her and look forward to us doing this uh every year. And then, yes, she's hiding. There she is. Davy, don't hide, stand up. Okay, there we go. All right. Um, last but not least, uh, April's uh also recognized as National Language Access Month.
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