OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Montgomery County Board of Commissioners Meeting - June 11, 2026

Board of Commissioners — Thursday, June 11, 2026
BodyMontgomery County, Pennsylvania
SessionBoard of Commissioners
DateThursday, June 11, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
5:07

So good morning.

5:08

Since we last met, we the county has made a couple of exciting announcements.

5:13

First, at the end of May, we launched our brand new website.

5:17

If you visited our website in the last two weeks, you would have seen some big changes.

5:22

And if you haven't visited yet, take some time to go look.

5:26

Our new website is designed with residents in mind.

5:31

It's mobile friendly.

5:33

It prioritizes helping people get to the to what they need quickly, whether that's county services, maps of our parks, trails, and historic sites, or anything in between.

5:45

It was built with public feedback and works across all kinds of devices because that's how people access information today.

5:53

And it's accessible via assistive technology and translation to more than 50 different languages.

6:00

This website redesign project required coordination across a dozen county departments, the migration of over 1,200 pages and 12,500 files, and improvements to tons of thousands of documents.

6:44

And so I'm so proud of the team.

6:46

So if you were on that website team, do you want to stand up just to be acknowledged?

6:51

That's you, Megan.

6:53

Megan?

6:54

Okay, that's all right.

6:58

All right.

6:59

So everyone go check out our new site.

7:01

We're really proud of it.

7:03

Next, we also launched our first ever housing blueprint on May 28th.

7:08

This blueprint is a roadmap to building connected, affordable communities across the county.

7:14

It solidifies some of our existing priorities like fixing and preserving homes instead of letting them decay, making rental properties accessible to more budgets, making homeownership more attainable, making community spaces more livable and attractive, and reducing homelessness through short-term housing programs.

7:35

The blueprint is an actionable plan that we can bring to life in partnership with municipalities, nonprofits, and developers.

7:43

Ultimately, it's about making sure people can stay, belong, and build a future right here in our great county.

7:51

The blueprint was launched at Valley Forge Presbyterian Church in Upper Marion.

7:55

The church is converting a large vacant, uh long vacant school building into an apartment complex with 20 affordable rental units.

8:05

It's a great example of how we can be creative in using existing infrastructure to make communities more accessible.

8:12

So I want to commend the team that worked hard to put this blueprint together, our CENA senior leadership team led by Mira.

8:19

Poor Mirror always has to chase chase us down to give feedback.

8:22

We're grateful to you and your leadership and Tiffany, your team.

8:28

You all are on the front lines and helping us do this work.

8:31

The policy team, the planning commission, uh Kaylee Silver out of our uh Office of Housing and Community Development and her team, Commerce, led by Steve Forrester, and communications.

8:44

This was a true team effort, and I was proud to be there.

8:47

Was it last week?

8:48

It wasn't last week.

8:49

Two weeks ago.

8:50

Okay.

8:51

Next up, as many of you know, June is among many other things.

8:55

Pride month, and last week we held our annual Pride flag raising outside of the courthouse.

9:01

We had a big crowd of people there to celebrate.

9:05

And this year we were uh thrilled to be joined by Philly Pride 365, a local advocacy group who brought a giant pride flag, which you can see there, out on the courthouse steps.

9:17

It's a good thing we had such a big turnout because we needed a lot of hands on deck to help us with that flag.

9:24

I want to thank you, uh thank our team who organized Pride Month and for our community for standing up for our LGBTQ plus friends and neighbors.

9:34

Um our DEI team under Dr.

9:37

Vitra Jackson, we're grateful for her, our comms team and events team, and of course, our new summer interns.

9:45

Um Pride Month gives us a moment to just reflect on what Pride Month really means and how we need to show up for our friends and neighbors who may love differently than us.

10:00

And I'm glad that in Monco uh we are standing up for our LGBTQ friends and neighbors, not just in celebrating Pride Month, but in the policies and actions that we take as a board.

10:10

Next week we will be hosting our annual Juneteenth flag raising on Tuesday, June 16th, right here in the outside of the courthouse.

10:18

Mira has told me that the weather is not going to be good on June 16th.

10:22

Well, so it can change.

10:23

We still have time.

10:26

She's working on it.

10:27

Yes, she's working on it.

10:29

For those who do not know, Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States.

10:35

President Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation on January 1st, 1863.

10:41

But it wasn't until 900 days later, June 19th, 1865, that the Union Army brought word and enforcement of this new freedom to the final enslaved Americans in Texas.

10:54

So we celebrate June 19th as a day that America drew closer to its founding ideas of liberty and justice for all.

11:02

And it's also a reminder that our words require actions that make them concrete.

11:07

So I'm proud that our county is celebrating Juneteenth.

11:11

It is a countywide holiday, and that we are remembering kind of our history and what got us to today, and that we still have a lot of work to do.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement███████████████████19%
Procedural██████████████████18%
Public Engagement███████████████15%
Voter Registration█████████9%
Technology and Innovation████████8%
Economic Development██████6%
Affordable Housing█████5%
Workforce Development█████5%
Historic Preservation████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Montgomery County Board of Commissioners Meeting - June 11, 2026

The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners met on June 11, 2026, at 10 a.m. in the boardroom. Chairperson Winder led the meeting, which included announcements, public comments, approval of minutes, an ordinance vote, appointments, personnel actions, and contract awards. A salary board meeting immediately followed the regular meeting.

Announcements

  • New County Website Launched: At the end of May, the county launched a redesigned website that is mobile-friendly, accessible via assistive technology, and translated into over 50 languages. The project involved over a dozen departments, migration of over 1,200 pages and 12,500 files, and improvements to thousands of documents.
  • First-Ever Housing Blueprint: Released on May 28, 2026, the blueprint aims to build connected, affordable communities by preserving homes, increasing rental accessibility and homeownership, improving community spaces, and reducing homelessness. It was launched at Valley Forge Presbyterian Church, which is converting a vacant school into 20 affordable rental units.
  • Pride Month Flag Raising: Annual Pride flag raising held on June 3, 2026, joined by Philly Pride 365. The county reaffirmed support for LGBTQ+ friends and neighbors through policies and actions.
  • Juneteenth Observance: A flag raising is scheduled for Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at 10 a.m. outside the courthouse. The county recognizes Juneteenth as a countywide holiday.
  • Immigrant Heritage Month Block Party: Second annual block party to be held on Thursday, June 25, 2026, after the next board meeting, featuring music, food, and cultural organizations.
  • 20th Anniversary of Montgomery County Drug Court: Celebrated on June 16, 2026. The program reduces recidivism and supports long-term recovery for individuals with substance use disorders.
  • America 250 Birthday Bash: Monday, June 29, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the courthouse steps, hosted by the county with the Valley Forge Tourism Convention Board, featuring a video message from General George Washington.
  • I Voted Sticker Contest Winners: Commissioner McKeesha announced six winners from over 300 submissions (ages 4 to 75). Nearly 3,000 public votes were cast. Winners: Samuel (age 8, Pennsburg), Genevieve (age 13, North Wales), Ellie (age 11, Abington), Nina Agar (age 22, Norristown), Charlie (age 15, Abington), and Max Kimbrough (age 42). Stickers will be available at polling places in November 2026.
  • Security and Summer Events: Commissioner DeBello attended a FIFA and DHS roundtable on security for major events. He noted coordinated efforts by federal, state, and local agencies to ensure public safety during the World Cup, MLB All-Star Game, and other events.
  • Flag Day, D-Day, and Father’s Day: Commissioner DeBello reminded attendees of Flag Day (June 14), the 251st birthday of the U.S. Army, the anniversary of D-Day (June 6, 1944), and Father’s Day (June 21).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Karen D'Angelo (Norristown Public Library): Thanked the board for considering the RFP contract for the library. Mentioned receipt of several grants and a fundraising event (June Jubilee) that evening.
  • David Morgan (Ambler): Raised concerns about the $3.6 million total contract for scanning for the clerk of courts and district attorney (item in Capital Fund IT page), questioning the high cost. Also questioned the $260,000 construction escrow for the Norristown Justice Center project and $209,000 for new furniture at One Montgomery Plaza, suggesting existing furniture could be reused. Advised deferring spending until the budget outlook is clear and recommended selling the vacant building at 18 West Airy Street to generate revenue. He reiterated these concerns during a second public comment session later.
  • David Morgan (second public comment): Spoke about the right to life, citing Ronald Reagan's proclamation and the Declaration of Independence. Expressed support for unborn children and referenced the county's Maternity Care Coalition (Monco Mamas) program and fatherhood resources, including the website moms.gov and local organizations offering father support groups.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: Motion to approve the May 21, 2026, minutes of the Board of Commissioners passed unanimously.
  • Reappointments:
    • Agricultural Land Preservation Board (resolution G-1) – approved unanimously.
    • Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board (resolution G-2) – approved unanimously.
    • Montgomery County Women’s Commission (resolution G-3) – approved unanimously.
  • Personnel List: Approved the June 10, 2026, personnel list as presented by Marty Moss – unanimous.
  • Advertisements of Bids and RFPs: Approved exhibit A – unanimous.
  • Contract Awards, Amendments, and Renewals: Approved exhibits B (Montgomery County) and C (Southeast PA Regional Task Force) – unanimous.

Discussion Items

  • Ordinance to Update County Procurement Policy: Deputy COO Stephanie Tipton presented updates incorporating sustainable procurement guidelines (energy-efficient equipment, environmentally preferable products, reduced single-use materials, local business opportunities) and revisions to responsible contractor requirements (clarified documentation, alignment with state law, defined bid protest timelines). Commissioner DeBello expressed that while he appreciated the work, he disagreed with some aspects, some of which were outside county control due to state law. The ordinance passed 2–1, with Commissioner DeBello voting no.

Key Outcomes

  • Procurement Policy Ordinance: Approved (2–1). Commissioner DeBello voted no.
  • All Consent Calendar Items: Approved unanimously.
  • Public Comments: Acknowledged; no immediate action taken. Commissioner Winder noted a budget update will be presented at the next board meeting.
  • Next Meeting: Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 10 a.m. in the boardroom.
  • Meeting Adjourned: 10:?? a.m. (time not specified).

Salary Board Meeting

Immediately following the regular meeting, the salary board convened. Marty Moss presented a five-page salary board list dated June 10, 2026. The board approved the list unanimously. The salary board meeting was then adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

So good morning. Since we last met, we the county has made a couple of exciting announcements. First, at the end of May, we launched our brand new website. If you visited our website in the last two weeks, you would have seen some big changes. And if you haven't visited yet, take some time to go look. Our new website is designed with residents in mind. It's mobile friendly. It prioritizes helping people get to the to what they need quickly, whether that's county services, maps of our parks, trails, and historic sites, or anything in between. It was built with public feedback and works across all kinds of devices because that's how people access information today. And it's accessible via assistive technology and translation to more than 50 different languages. This website redesign project required coordination across a dozen county departments, the migration of over 1,200 pages and 12,500 files, and improvements to tons of thousands of documents. And so I'm so proud of the team. So if you were on that website team, do you want to stand up just to be acknowledged? That's you, Megan. Megan? Okay, that's all right. All right. So everyone go check out our new site. We're really proud of it. Next, we also launched our first ever housing blueprint on May 28th. This blueprint is a roadmap to building connected, affordable communities across the county. It solidifies some of our existing priorities like fixing and preserving homes instead of letting them decay, making rental properties accessible to more budgets, making homeownership more attainable, making community spaces more livable and attractive, and reducing homelessness through short-term housing programs. The blueprint is an actionable plan that we can bring to life in partnership with municipalities, nonprofits, and developers. Ultimately, it's about making sure people can stay, belong, and build a future right here in our great county. The blueprint was launched at Valley Forge Presbyterian Church in Upper Marion. The church is converting a large vacant, uh long vacant school building into an apartment complex with 20 affordable rental units. It's a great example of how we can be creative in using existing infrastructure to make communities more accessible. So I want to commend the team that worked hard to put this blueprint together, our CENA senior leadership team led by Mira. Poor Mirror always has to chase chase us down to give feedback. We're grateful to you and your leadership and Tiffany, your team. You all are on the front lines and helping us do this work. The policy team, the planning commission, uh Kaylee Silver out of our uh Office of Housing and Community Development and her team, Commerce, led by Steve Forrester, and communications. This was a true team effort, and I was proud to be there. Was it last week? It wasn't last week. Two weeks ago. Okay. Next up, as many of you know, June is among many other things. Pride month, and last week we held our annual Pride flag raising outside of the courthouse. We had a big crowd of people there to celebrate. And this year we were uh thrilled to be joined by Philly Pride 365, a local advocacy group who brought a giant pride flag, which you can see there, out on the courthouse steps. It's a good thing we had such a big turnout because we needed a lot of hands on deck to help us with that flag. I want to thank you, uh thank our team who organized Pride Month and for our community for standing up for our LGBTQ plus friends and neighbors. Um our DEI team under Dr. Vitra Jackson, we're grateful for her, our comms team and events team, and of course, our new summer interns. Um Pride Month gives us a moment to just reflect on what Pride Month really means and how we need to show up for our friends and neighbors who may love differently than us. And I'm glad that in Monco uh we are standing up for our LGBTQ friends and neighbors, not just in celebrating Pride Month, but in the policies and actions that we take as a board. Next week we will be hosting our annual Juneteenth flag raising on Tuesday, June 16th, right here in the outside of the courthouse. Mira has told me that the weather is not going to be good on June 16th. Well, so it can change.

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