Montgomery County Council Meets on March 25 to Continue to Review the FY26 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY25-30 Capital Improvements Program

MARYLAND, March 24 - For Immediate Release: Monday, March 24, 2025

Also on March 25: Proclamation presentations recognizing Mom and Pop Small Business Day and Equal Pay Day

The Montgomery County Council will meet on Tuesday, March 25 at 9:30 a.m., and the meeting will begin with two proclamation presentations. The first, presented by Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles, will recognize Mom and Pop Small Business Day. The second, presented by Councilmember Evan Glass, will recognize Equal Pay Day.

More detail on each agenda item is provided below. 

FY26 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY25-30 Capital Improvements Program (CIP)

The Council will continue its review of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Capital Budget and Supplemental Appropriations to the FY25 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY25-30 Capital Improvements Program (CIP). This year represents an off year for the CIP, which follows the previous year’s full review and approval of the FY25 Capital Budget and FY25-30 CIP. In odd-numbered years, including 2025, the Council approves the capital budget but approves only amendments to the approved CIP.

At this meeting, the Council will review items from the following categories:

Correction and Rehabilitation: The Council will review amendments to the FY25-30 CIP for the Montgomery County Correctional Facility Sewer project and the Justice Center project within the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation (DOCR). The Montgomery County Correctional Facility Sewer project is needed to prevent excess trash from entering the sanitary sewer system. The recommended amendment reduces expenditures by $333,000 due to changes since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Justice Center project provides for a new building that houses the functions of Central Processing and Detention to support processing new arrestees and detaining remanded individuals for up to 72 hours. The amended project reflects a minor project acceleration, shifting $9,000 from FY26 up to FY24. The Public Safety (PS) Committee recommends approval of both amendments.

Fire and Rescue Service: The Council will review amendments to the FY25-30 CIP for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS). Amendments to the Rockville Fire Station 3 Renovation project shifts funding from FY26 to FY27, due to project delays. The costs for the White Flint Fire Station 23 total project have increased by $6.9 million from the approved FY25-30 CIP due to last year’s two-year deferral of construction. Total costs for the Clarksburg Fire Station project have decrease by $1.3 million to reflect project savings. The PS Committee recommends approval of all three amendments.

Dickerson Radio Tower: The Council will review a more than $1.8 million amendment to the FY25-30 CIP for the Dickerson Radio Tower project. The amendment would increase total expenditures over the six-year period to $3.8 million. The appropriation is needed to accelerate the project and fund the replacement of one radio system antenna located in Dickerson ahead of the pending demolition of the GenOn smokestack. The joint Government Operations and Fiscal Policy (GO) and PS Committee recommends approval.

Other Public Safety Judicial Security Improvements: The Council will review amendments to the FY25-30 CIP for judicial security improvements. Total costs for this project have increased by nearly $1.3 million from the $500,000 approved in the FY25-30 CIP. This project funds Judicial Center Annex North Tower improvements to increase security and protection for Circuit Court judges. Phase 1 of the project is expected to install new security doors at each level of the North Tower Courthouse to restrict access to two elevators on each floor for judicial use, leaving four elevators on each floor for public access. The PS Committee recommends approval of the amendments.

Recycling and Resource Management: The Council will review the $77.9 million amended FY25-30 Recycling and Resource CIP, which is an increase of more than $8.5 million, or 12 percent, from the approved FY25-30 CIP. The CIP consists of four projects, including the Oaks Landfill Leachate Pretreatment Plant retrofitting, full upgrade of the existing Recycling Center Complex, Gude Landfill remediation and the new Organics Processing Facility.

The changes include a cost increase of nearly $1.7 million to the Oaks Landfill Leachate Pretreatment project, which provides for the installation of new and upgraded leachate pretreatment equipment. The changes also include a project delay in the full upgrade of the existing Recycling Center Complex, resulting in $6.8 million in costs moving into the FY25-30 period from FY24. The Transportation and Environment (TE) Committee recommends approval of both amendments.

Storm Drains: The Council will review amendments to the more than $35 million Storm Drains FY25-30 CIP. The County Executive is recommending a technical amendment to the facility planning project, which reflects a project acceleration of $378,000 from FY25 to FY24. The TE Committee recommends approval of the technical amendment.

Stormwater Management: The Council will review amendments to the more than $306 million approved Stormwater Management FY25-30 CIP. The County Executive is recommending an increase of $1.9 million for Phase 2 modeling work in the Comprehensive Flood Management Plan and shifting $1.5 million to the comprehensive Flood Management Plan project to partially offset the cost increase. In addition, the County Executive is recommending an increase of $2.4 million to the Stormwater Management Retrofit: Countywide Project for three new upstream mitigation projects.

The TE Committee recommends approval of the amendments.

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS): The Council will review the Board of Education’s amendments to the more than $1.85 billion FY25-30 CIP for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). This six-year level of funding in the board’s amendment is the same as the original approved FY25-30 CIP, although the totals requested for specific years vary from the approved CIP. The amendment offsets increases requested for the Crown, Northwood and Woodward High School Projects, along with an increase in the HVAC project, with reductions and deferrals in other projects.

The Council also will consider the County Executive’s recommendation, which reduces six-year expenditures to $1.74 billion, or $113.7 million less than the original approved FY25-30 CIP. This reduced six-year spending is related to technical amendments and expenditure accelerations from in the six-year period based on actual spending. The County Executive is also recommending an affordability reconciliation project that would reduce spending by nearly $16.6 million.

The Education and Culture (EC) Committee tentatively recommended approval, pending final reconciliation, of the Board of Education’s proposed amendments and the County Executive’s recommended technical adjustments.

Consent Calendar

Each item on the Council’s Consent Calendar can be found on the Council agenda for Tuesday, March 25, which is available on the Council website. The Council will introduce multiple resolutions proposed by the County Executive as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 Recommended Operating Budget to adjust fees, charges and fares which are listed below. The public hearing on these agenda items is scheduled for April 9 at 2:30 p.m.

Public Hearings

Unless otherwise noted, the Council will hold the following hybrid public hearings at 1:30 p.m.  Residents can visit the Council website to learn about the multiple ways to provide testimony.

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The Council meeting schedule may change from time to time. View the current Council and Committee agendas, Council staff reports and additional information on items scheduled for Council review on the Council website.

Council and committee meetings are streamed live on the Council’s web page via YouTube and on Facebook Live and can be watched on County Cable Montgomery on Xfinity/RCN 6 HD 996/1056, Fios 30, and on the CCM live stream.

Release ID: 25-101
Media Contact: Sonya Healy 240-777-7926, Benjamin Sky Brandt 240-777-7884