The Montgomery County Council convened on March 18 to scrutinize the FY26 Capital Budget and mull over amendments to the FY25-30 Capital Improvements Program. A new bill aimed at supporting displaced federal workers was also on the docket, along with anticipated votes on legislation concerning animal control, and a resolution for establishing an infrastructure funding workgroup, as detailed in a report by Montgomery County's official website.
The legislative session began with the introduction of Expedited Bill 9-25, a procedural move for technical fixes across County law. "Technical, typographical, grammatical, reference, drafting, and codification errors" in County legislation were the focus, as Council President Kate Stewart championed this routine housekeeping measure. Alongside this, Councilmember Will Jawando brought forward Expedited Bill 10-25, offering a hiring preference for local federal workers impacted by job cuts or reductions. The preference granted under this bill would be "equal to the preference already given to veterans without disabilities and non-veterans with disabilities," the Council's announcement specified.
Within the clutch of projects under the capital budget review, the $47 million White Oak Science Gateway Redevelopment Project and a $2 million supplemental appropriation for the Silver Spring Recreation and Aquatic Center were highlighted, according to Montgomery County.
Hidden amongst the weightier legislative pieces were nods to various movements, like a resolution proclaiming a commitment to fair housing and equity, heralded by Councilmember Evan Glass. "The resolution acknowledges the long history of racial inequities in housing discrimination," reinforcing the area's pledge to equality in housing opportunities regardless of race or ethnicity, as per Montgomery County. In a similar vein, a budget bump of over $2.9 million was proposed for the DHHS Behavioral Health Crisis Stabilization Center and Mobile Crisis Team pilot, to bolster resources against a backdrop of escalating mental health needs.
