Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich’s suggestion to have an extra month to prepare the county’s multibillion-dollar budget isn’t sitting well with one County Council member.
Elrich said at a news conference last week that releasing a budget proposal on April 15 would give leaders a better idea of how much money the county can expect from the state, which wraps up its annual 90-day legislative session in mid-April.
“There’s something to be said for doing a budget when you know what all of the resources are that you’re going to get from the state, because had we known some of the things that were clear at the very end of the legislative session, we would have had a little more flexibility with the budget,” he said.
The county’s charter requires the release of a budget plan by March 15 for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1. The council generally approves a marked-up version of the county executive’s budget in late May.
Moving the due date would require amending the county’s charter by a vote of the council or a ballot referendum put to the voters in the 2020 election, county spokesman Ohene Gyapong said.
Council member Hans Riemer called Elrich’s idea a “non-starter.”
“That gives the council one month left to do the budget. The fiscal year begins July 1. The budget has to be done by June 1 so county government can be done translating this into procedures,” he said. “If you kept the fiscal year July 1, you’re giving the county council six weeks to do oversight and accountability, which would have very negative consequences for legislative branch oversight.”
Riemer said Elrich’s suggestion is “out of sync” with other local governments across the country.
“The council already has the budget at that time [when the legislature finishes]. The county budget formulation has plenty of time to address the impacts for the state. It’s not as convenient for the executive, but it works just fine for the county,” he said.
Council President Nancy Navarro was less quick to criticize Elrich’s idea, calling it “an interesting thing to consider.”
“That would provide a bit more certainty, because we would know what was allocated from the state,” she said.
But Navarro said ultimately, the shortened time for the council to consider the budget could prove challenging.
“One can explore different options, but at the end of the day you have to consider logistical options,” she said.
Dan Schere can be reached at Daniel.schere@moco360.media
