Board of County Commissioners - Regular Meeting

Yeah. So, I will call to order a budget hearing for Montgomery Countyy's 2026 proposed budget. Uh, I will ask Mike from the community college to lead us in the pledge of allegiance. Thanks. Alian to the rep for it stands one nation indivisible with liberty justice for all.

Okay. So thank you everyone for being here today. Uh we're here for one reason to hear comments about the proposed budget. Uh the budget was presented on November 13th and in two weeks uh the board will consider the budget for adoption at our regularly scheduled board meeting on Thursday, December 18th at 10:00 a.m. So today we're here from you. We'll hear from you. And you may have seen or noticed that we've been working hard to make sure this budget is more accessible and easy to understand. Uh if you saw our budget presentation this year, it was uh quite different than prior years. So, uh, you can check it out on montgomery countypa.gov finance to get more information and we feel strongly that budget shouldn't just be a, you know, long spreadsheet or uh, something that general public can't understand. We wanted to make it really clear about uh the kinds of things that we're prioritizing and investing in and uh what this means for our constituents. And you'll hear a lot more information if you keep following our social media. So, please do that. Montgomery County PA on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, all the things. And before we get into public uh comments today, I'll just take a moment to thank all of our county staff who've done a really fantastic job on this budget. We talked about it during the proposal last week, but Dean Dortone, our CFO, Stephanie Tipton, uh all of our deputy COOs, Mira Bson, Tiffany Thomas, and of course Lee, our COO. Uh it takes a lot of work. You've got 3,000 people who work for the county. You've got 26 department heads. 36

over 30 30 over 30 departments. Uh which requires at least 30 conversations and

be nice if it was just 30 conversations. many more uh including follow-ups and questions and and requests and sorting through the question of you know what is absolutely essential for next year uh what's a nice to have you know what's an aspiration and uh we have to do all that and deal with the reality of uh our revenue streams and how they they're changing um as well so uh with that I'll turn over to my colleagues for any comments I'm good. Just thanks everybody for being here. Look forward to the the comments. Okay.

Um I think my mic on I want to thank everyone for coming this morning. Uh it's a much bigger turnout than we saw last year. So that's a good thing. Um I know that as Commissioner McKeshia mentioned this process we've been working um you know as far back as February on really understanding you know the budget and looking at you know where we're going to be as we were going into the 2026 uh time frame. Um, I know that I've mentioned this before where we we at one point we were up to we had about a $55 million budget deficit. Um, a lot of reasons for that. Uh, we we've talked about that as far as the the increases in expenses, health care and and operational expenses, cost of goods, a lot of these things uh which we what I would call as organic um increases per year. And we were we're averaging about 4% organic growth per year just in expenses. And that's expenses where that they grow that even if we don't do anything different, anything new or add anything to the the mix, that's 4% uh or that grows, which equates to about $24 million uh in additional or new expenses. So, it really put us in a in a dilemma as we were looking at this budget knowing that we were up to about a $55 million deficit. And over that time frame, you know, we were able to work uh to figure out how we could make the reductions and get to the point where we got to today. Um, a lot of a lot of things we went through, we worked with the department heads, we worked with our CFO and his team. Um, and we kind of really got deep into the budget

and looked extremely hard at all the the expenses, the revenue uh uh increases or in this instance, we're we're not going to see a large revenue growth this year, which our revenue usually is tied to, uh, property assessments. Um, and we're actually seeing a reduction in our assessment because a lot of a lot of businesses out there are going for property reassessments. Um, so all that has a direct impact to to the county and um and so when we're looking at this uh it's extremely hard because none of us sitting up here wants to do anything that would go back to the to the community uh to request additional funds from our community. So, we worked extremely hard to get to where we got to uh and what we proposed or what we advertised uh two weeks ago. Um we still have work that we're going to look at as we go into next year for the 2027 budget. Um you know, we um am I happy with where we're at today? No. Um, but I know I do know that um we we weren't we didn't take this very lightly and I I want to stress that we didn't take this very lightly um because we know that when we when we increase taxes here in the county um I know that there's a lot of school districts are increasing taxes, a lot of municipalities arere increasing taxes and it's and it's and it's a burden to our to our people, to our communities. Um, and we we're trying to do everything we can to to reduce or lessen that burden as much as possible. Um, so I'm really anxious to hear your comments. um and answer any questions we could answer. But um I know that we were able

to shave off of that $55 million deficit, we were able to shave off over $30 million uh in in reduction in spending and that includes because people have asked me that includes a reduction in some positions as well uh that we looked at that that were uh that were not filled at this point in time. we looked at do we could we or should we you know remove those off the rolls and and we did that. So um a lot of a lot of a lot of different parts of the county that we we dove into to figure out where we could reduce that that $55 million deficit. Absolutely. All right. So I will turn it over to team. Do we have any other public commenters?

Henderson.

Good morning, commissioners, and thank you for letting uh letting me stand here to talk to you for a minute. My name is Bill Henderson and I'm representing the Montgomery County Municipal uh Municipal Fire Officers Association. Uh I grew up and live in Narworth and I work in Laura Marian Township. There are two additional members of the McGomery County Municipal Officers Association with me. Uh Matt Marklin from Limmerch and Conor McCann from UpperWinned. Uh I in to make the meeting go a little faster and not waste your time. I'm going to be the only one that speaks. So um we're here to support the your com your commitment to all public safety partners in Montgomery County, but especially the fire service. We support the proposed interest free loan program in for 2026 for first responders to purchase new public safety radios since the current models of at are all approaching the end of service life. Um we we had a great program where we got those radios a few years ago and and unfortunately they're uh um they're not making replacement parts for those radios. Uh, as as I'm sure you're aware, fireground communications, especially the lack of fire ground communications are one of the biggest safety concerns for firefighting. Um, good training and uh enhances both new and experienced personnel's professional growth and skills development which this increases leadership development which provides incident command presence training and team building. Funding for the public safety training campus infrastructure to ensure departments have modern, safe and functionally fully functioning uh facility is well into the future is important. We ask that you continue to fund continue funding repairs to the existing facilities at the fire fire training grounds to keep uh them all function all all to keep all functional firefighting training. Good firefighting training results in firefighter and civilian safety in addition to teaching

firefighters firefighting tactics. That doesn't happen without good firefighter training facilities. Uh we request that you fund the design and the construction of a new burn building to replace the 40 year 40-year-old existing burn building that has reached the end of life as firefighter training. Live fire training is critical both initial and ongoing training for firefighters. The current 40-year-old building has been a huge part of the training for firefighters in McGomery County as well as the surrounding counties. It was state-of-the-art. It was a state-of-the-art improvement when the leaders in McGomery County chose to uh support the new burn building at the time it was coni commissioned. I remember the UN when I took my first firefighting class, we used an unused building in Norristown State Hospital as the primary uh building for fire training. If you wanted to go to specialized training, you would go to the fact that they had a tower at Skipak. Um, these facilities made for some great memories and I wouldn't replace my time there. But the training took a major step forward when the new burn buildings were completed at the Montgomery County Fire Academy or post.

Go ahead. This although I shouldn't set the precedent, I have I have just three more bullet points.

Thank you. Um, the proposed building will also be able to serve as a multid-disciplinary training structure supporting not only firefighting training but emergency medical services, technical rescue, and law enforcement training. Uh, it's really important that we get together and we all work together because when we first if if the first time that we meet is on a fire ground or an emergency scene, it it doesn't it it work it doesn't work as smoothly as when we've trained together. Um we support the train the uh continued uh funding of the utility and technology and the work at the other stuff at the fire academy. Classroom training is the foundation of all our hands-on training. Um it just goes for it goes forward from there. And uh we support the uh funding for the emergency communications team to keep uh build building and developing the CAD system and the uh emergency uh communication system. They're they're the they're the first responders. They're the first responders who uh uh any incident that they're they're taking the calls and they're getting us going at the right people going to the right places. Um we so that's critically important. And we also support finally we support the funding for the continued process of replacing modems inside the first responder vehicles. I've already said how important communication is to the firefighting and police and EMS. It's it's critical that that we have state-of-the-art

stuff to work with. Thank you. Absolutely. Thank you. We're glad to put it in. I know there's six million for the radios and I think it's been 10 years since the last time we did that. It has been I was going to say 10 years. Seems like it was yesterday, but thank you for your service. Thank you,

Mike Jackson. Good morning. My name is Mike Jackson. I am the chief of police for Lower Providence Township. I am also the vice president of the police chiefs association of Montgomery County and on uh the the behalf of the police chiefs association of Montgomery County. I am here uh to voice our support for the funding of public for public or our police radios and improvements to the u public safety training campus. Reliable communications are essential to police operations. Purchasing radios in bulk allows for uh for for better pricing, which ultimately uh saves taxpayer dollars and ensures that every municipality in Montgomery County can uh afford the equipment needed to keep our community safe. Enhancing the public safety training CR campus will provide first responders with modern welle equipped uh environment to train across all disciplines not just police but fire EMS as well. This investment directly improves performance readiness and the quality of service that we can provide to our residents. We fully support both initiatives and extend our gratitude to the commissioners and also the community. These efforts reflect our shared commitment to public safety across Montgomery County. Happy to entertain any questions, but if not, I wish you a good morning.

Questions? No, I'll just thank you for, you know, bringing up these two issues first time we met. And, you know, I'm glad that we were able to get this done. Lee Lee was there the first time it happened just yesterday. Just yesterday, 10 years ago. Um, and you you made a very clear and compelling case. So, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. BJ Brush.

Morning, commissioners. Uh, for the record, my name is BJ Brush. Uh, and I'm speaking today as an elected official and proud homeowner in Lansel Burough. My opinions are my own and not representative of any official action of Lansdale Burough. Uh, but it is my strong opinion that the community shares these values. I'm here today to offer my sincere thanks on behalf of Lansdale uh for your ongoing and vital support as you deliberate the 2026 Montgomery County budget. I'm particularly grateful for the county's continued focus on its comprehensive housing strategy. The commitment to improve housing affordability and the continuing development of short-term supportive housing programs in the county is fundamental to ensuring every member of our community has a genuine chance to live and thrive. We see the tangible results of this strategy firsthand in Lansdale. And I want to specifically recognize and appreciate the commissioners for your targeted investment in the bureau, including the highly anticipated short-term supported housing program recently established in our town. This critical investment alone is poised to reduce homelessness in Lansdale by over 70%. These are projects that build stronger, more equitable communities that can ensure that nobody gets left behind. In addition to housing, we are deeply that we deeply value the county's support for connectivity and accessibility, especially within our beloved park system. A few weeks ago, I personally witnessed for the first time an individual enjoying our local Memorial Park in their wheelchair. This beautiful moment was made possible by the county which awarded Lansdale with $250,000 to pave and provide critical ADA accessibility improvements to three of our community parks. This investment is clearly making a direct positive difference in the daily lives of our residents. Admittedly, I have yet to comprehensively scrutinize the draft

2026 county budget, but for those of you who know me, I will. I am extremely pleased to see that your core values, housing stability and accessible infrastructure, continue to be strongly upheld and carried through in this new plan. Building communities for all requires dedication and partnership. I proudly consider myself and Lansdale Burough a strong and committed partner with the county commissioners in continuing to support the essential work for the future of Montgomery County. Thank you for your leadership. Thank you so much. Next comment, Jac.

Thank you. Um Janet Facord. Um thank you commissioner for my opportunity to speak to you today. Um one of the things is about um headcount and you addressed that Commissioner Dell in um eliminating some of that headcount that hasn't been um uh fulfilled. So, um I'm not sure of uh the utilization of the headcount, but I I would appreciate that you take a a look and make sure that um our headcount and resource in our county is effectively utilized. Um the other comment that I have is Commissioner Maha, um I understand that you obtain car service for um conducting county business. Um so I don't understand that that is allowable. It's my understanding that that's not allowable. So, I request that you don't do that anymore and that you reimburse the county um any expenses that you received in that regard. Thank you.

I think you're referring to security protocols. Go ahead,

Sandra Lavine. Sandra Levine from Hatfield Township. Um, thank you for having the meeting. I have a concern. um twice I the last uh this is was the last of my four years as an inspector during elections and I really questioned the use of our hard-earned tax money to receive a thank you letter using postage instead of um email that wouldn't cost anything thanking me for being an inspector when I get paid to do it and I just feel this is not a good use of county funds Since the first three years I did this, I did not receive a thank you note in person. And I I just feel that this is a waste of my my neighbors taxpayer money. Um it probably comes to close to a dollar for each um letter. The last one was 74 cents in postage and previous one was 69 cent. Um, yeah, it was nice gesture, but I just feel this is a waste of taxpayer money to do this when I get a paycheck and email would be available. Um, if you're looking to cut expenses, I think that's one that could be cut. Um, I just there's $8 million more for employee benefits. I wonder if we need all the new hires that we have recently done with positions that were not traditionally covered, whether it's DEI or immigration officials. I I I don't understand why this is needed for county government when um it just makes no sense to me. So, I'm really concerned for the community that I live in. They

are very hardworking, two working two jobs. they don't have money for child care, their rents go up or their taxes go up and they're pinched all the way around. We're not an affluent little area where I live. There are other places that have lots of money and a little extra money doesn't doesn't matter, but I really would um like the commissioners to think very hard about the positions that we've added that are not traditional. Thank you very much. and Pav.

Good morning, commissioners.

Um, my name is Anne Pavone, the president of the board of uh, commissioners in West Norton Township. Uh, I'd like to tell you a story about how meaningful collaboration between our pres, our residents, our township, and Montgomery County can lead to real tangible improvements in our community. In 2024, one of our residents, Shaun Golas, approached the board with a request to present some concerns and ideas regarding pedestrian safety in a specific area of town. He had taken the time to study the issue carefully, gather photographs, and prepare a PowerPoint presentation put outlining several thoughtful, well-ressearched recommendations. The quality and clarity of his suggestions were so strong that our township manager used took his plans and sentiment as is uh as the basis of West Norton's application for a MONCO 2020 2040 implementation grant program. Because the ideas came straight from a community member, our application carried an authenticity and clarity that truly strengthened it. Thanks to that effort and thanks to the county's willingness in to invest in projects that prioritize safety and mobility, West Norton Township was awarded the grant. We recently received the funding to begin implementing the improvements that Shawn envisioned. What started as one resident's desire to make his neighborhood safer has become uh a fully supportive project, one that will improve walkability, enhance safety, and serve families, seniors, and students for years to come. This is a powerful reminder that when residents take the initiative to engage and township staff recognizes and elevates good ideas and when the county supports municipalities and turning those ideas into reality, we can accomplish so much more. On behalf of West Norton Township, thank you for your continued partnership and for supporting initiatives that help improve the quality of life for our residents. Thanks.

Thank you,

Dr. Basti Perez. Good morning, commissioners and residents of McGomery County. I'm Dr. Vicky Basti Perez, proud president of McGomery County Community College, resident of McGomery County, as well as proud MCCO mom of a 2025 graduate of McGomery County Community College. I'm here today to express my gratitude and consideration of the continued partnership and support of the McGomery County Commissioners as well as residents. Since 1964, the inception of McGomery County Community College, we have been supported financially for higher education, workforce development, and community engagement. Our current 39 millillage began as a dedicated, sustainable, and dependable resource of income in 2017. We held tuition and froze it, including our fees, for five years between 2017 and 2022. As you can imagine, in nearly a decade, there continues to be rising costs for operations, inflation, workforce expenses, and certainty in public funding. We appreciate your consideration of our proposed increase to 49 millillage. This increase would allow, and I will commit to you today, that we would freeze tuition for three years to help keep student debt to a minimum. This [clears throat] local funding increase would also bring parity to our state funding as well as

provide as I said relief for our students directly. We continue to grow and evolve as an institution of higher education are dynamic and responsive to the everchanging needs as we continue to educate the talented workforce that's the economic driver in McGomery County and for so societal improvements. Our value proposition and return on investment for every dollar that's invested we have a $4.40 40 student lifetime earning return, a 2.3 taxpayer gain, and a $930 societal gain of income and social savings. Every year we contribute more than $80 million in operation to the economy, 12 million in construction, 7 million and more in student expense, and almost a half a billion dollars in alumni impact through our 90,000 alumni across the Commonwealth. We also support nearly 600 million in annual income. Again, I appreciate the ongoing support and on behalf of the entire MONCO family, our board of trustees, our students, faculty, staff, and future students, I thank you for your ongoing commitment and engagement with McGomery County Community College so that we collectively can continue to enhance our mission, ensure that every county resident who dares to dream in higher education has equal access and equal opportunity for all. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Thanks for all the work you're doing and the national recognition that you've brought to our community college which we're all proud of. So appreciate it.

Salone Harker Morning. My name is Sloan Harker and I'm a secondyear student at Montgomery County Community College. When I first started at the school, I was at a point of transition in my life. I had taken some time off from school and wasn't sure where I stood in the academic space, in the professional space. And I was looking for somewhere that I could take some time, work up my own pace, and discover all the opportunities that are available for me available for me professionally. And I think Monco is the best place possible for students to get that experience. Um, academically, I have experienced one of um, the best schools and the best educations I have throughout my academic career. Um, in the classroom, it seems as though we are getting a personalized education. We're getting the same rigorous education that we would get at any other school, but it seems as though the professors have a personal stake in our success, and they're really pushing us to develop both academically in the classroom and professionally. I have gained so much so many professional opportunities through MONCO as well. Through my time working with the accounting department as a student support specialist, I've been able to um grow myself both within my professional development and make so many career connections that I wouldn't have otherwise gotten if I wasn't both a student and a faculty at Montgomery County Community College. I recently had the opportunity to speak on a panel at a convention hosted by the um Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs and that was something that was recommended for me from a mentor who's also a professor of mine at Montgomery County Community College and there's been so many other opportunities both academically and professionally that I have gained through my time at Monco and so many other students have as well. So, it seems like the school is really pushing us to develop ourselves both in the classroom and outside. It's not just a place where you're going to go and you're going to sit through a lecture and do some homework and go home and that's it. This is a place where

we're growing ourselves pre-graduation and getting ready for the workforce. And it's been really a really great asset for so many myself and so many other students. Another thing that really drew me to Monco was the sense of community that I knew was fostered on campus. We have so many great organizations that are on campus both socially, academically, professionally, and culturally that connect students at all different stages of life, both within the Monco community and the outside Montgomery County community, which has been such a great thing to be able to meet other people and make these connections and grow ourselves together as students and as professionals. and um to be able to uh participate in the extra extracurriculars have been amazing for me and has grown me so much and I'm I'm very grateful for that. Um and another thing that really did um blow my mind about MOACO which is something I wasn't anticipating going into it was all of the resources that are available to students that um is just unmatched from other schools. the both the academic support we receive and the financial support we can receive and also the wellness support which is such a huge thing that I know other schools don't necessarily have at the level that Montgomery County Community College does. the um access to resources that students have that I've experienced and I know has been life-changing for other students has been amazing. And I think McGomery County Community College is a great asset to this county, to this community. And um it really exemplifies the prof the professionalism within our community and with our in our county. And um 3 minutes is not a long time. I could honestly talk for hours about how amazing MCO has been. And it's such a great school for me. and um I just think it's a really great asset to our community. So, I thank you for your time.

Thank you so much,

Deborah Panko. Morning. I'm Doris Science Panco and I'm um on the Burough Council in Jenin Town and um I've served for over 20 years um and also served as the chair of public works uh building zoning and revitalization and um and as the president for quite some time. I'm here to express our deep gratitude for the grant program that you all are offering. Um Jenintown has benefited mightily from the from the grants. We received three grants in years past. Um and right now we are looking at a um $250,000 grant which will help us to increase roadway safety and especially pedestrian safety. Um we are a small burrow. We only have four 4,700 people and that doesn't count the dogs, cats, and chickens that are in the burrow. So just 470 of us human beings. Um, and yet we have over 30,000 vehicles that drive through Jenin Town every single day on Old York Road. So we have a a terrific traffic um population and it has an effect on us as pedestrians, as residents. Um, so what we've been trying to do with the county's help is to make a safer pedestrian environment for our kids, for our uh adults. Um, and that safety environment for pedestrians had a ripple effect on making it more safe for motorists as well. Um, we're a burrow that has access to two important SEPTA hubs. Jenintown station is one of the largest um, SEPTA stations um, throughout the region. And

we also have the Noble Station. And both of those are a 10-minute walk for every resident in Jentown. And so we need to make sure that our crossings are safe. So this grants that um we will benefit from um are to make pedestrian crossings safer. We also are very fortunate to have a new development of a food store in our burrow. Um it's it's, you know, unheard of. which means that our kids can walk to the grocery store and pick up a half gallon of milk for their parents. Um but crossing Washington Lane is which is another major artery is really dangerous and so we hope to improve the pedest pedestrian crossing at that intersection. Um, we also have a a very narrow cartway in the burrow. And so what that means is that our sidewalks are also narrow and improving our crossings um helps stu the children as they're making their way to school. We have no public school busing in the burrow. Every child walks to school, many of them with their parents or guardians or grandparents. Um, all of this points to our gratitude also for the McGomery County Planning Commission. Um, we have partnered with the staff on so many projects. I feel like they are we couldn't uh operate without them. Uh and I'll just say very much uh our we are very grateful for the funds that come through the county for the support for the planning commission that all point toward our burough 2020 2035 plan as well as the county's 2040 plan of pedestrian and roadway safety. Thank you.

Thank you. Uh

Steve Splender. Hi, I'm Steve Spindler, also from Jenkintown Bureau. And I I'm not a money person, so I know this, but I think that the people that you hire, we have Claire Warner and Marley Bice. They were both working with our planning commission to make Jentown better. Um, and I think the, you know, even going back to John Wood who passed away um, this fall, um, John was a a land use planner who worked on the trails program uh, for the county. But it's really the people you guys are doing a great job. You um, Commissioner Winder, you showed up at the trail opening for Chester Valley Trail. Um, Commissioner Makija, you showed up at the M inter inner county trail symposium recently and I know you've shown up [laughter] as well, but it's really I think the county is doing a great job. Um, and I think that active transportation, SEPTA, and walkability, um, they cost less than driving. Um, and I think that walking and bicycling should be part of every transportation plans. But thank you,

Stacy Doerty. Good morning. Uh, my name is Stacy Doerty, lifelong resident of Montgomery County, but I'm here today as the executive director at Laurel House, which is Montgomery Countyy's only comprehensive domestic violence organization. Uh each year we serve as a lifeline for thousands of individuals facing unthinkable circumstances. And last year alone, Laurel House provided critical services to approximately 3,000 survivors of domestic violence, their loved ones, and their children. And we answered more than 3,600 hotline calls from individuals in crisis who needed immediate guidance, safety, and hope.

Our work spans the full spectrum of support. We provide crisis response, legal and medical advocacy, therapeutic counseling, and community prevention education. We also own and operate the county's only domestic violence specific shelter um as well as transitional housing to help survivors rebuild their lives with stability and dignity. Um in a county of over 800,000 residents where statistics tell us that one in four women and one in seven men will experience domestic violence, the demand for services is pretty staggering. Every day Laurel House staff work tireless tirelessly to meet that need and we could not do this work without the steadfast partnership and investments from Montgomery County. Uh to name every way the county and UR commissioner support Laurel House would uh require far more than my allotted three minutes. Uh but I want to highlight two particularly transformative areas in both our shelter and housing programs and our recent partnership with project cares. Um each year more than 200 victims and their children come through our housing and shelter programs. These are individuals who are fleeing domestic violence often in immediate fear for their lives with nowhere else to turn. At Laurel House, they receive case management, safety planning, and perhaps more importantly, a safe, trauma-informed place to breathe and begin healing. Our shelter is staffed 247 by trained advocates and provides special support uh through on-site counseling, support groups, and safety planning. In addition, Laurel House owns two apartment buildings that provide flexible, affordable housing options for survivors working to rebuild their lives. Maintaining these spaces and providing these services is a significant portion of our budget and would simply not be possible without the county's support. Funding for these programs quite literally saves lives. Um, another critical element made possible through county investment is our uh project cares, a partnership with plane learn. Uh, it provides free stable child care to survivors many of whom have experienced financial abuse and lack the resources for highquality uh care. For these families, child care is not just a convenience. It is a lifeline that allows survivors to work, attend

schools, secure housing, and regain their independence. Um, as we all know, budgets are more than just numbers. They're moral documents for a county. Uh, they reflect what we value as a community. And Montgomery Countyy's investments in in domestic violence services and public safety tell victims that they are seen, that they are believed, and that they are not alone. Your foundation forms a foundation for their healing, stability, and independence. So, I thank you for believing in our work. Uh, your investments in survivors is an investment in stronger families, safer communities for victims, neighbors, and first responders, and a future where violence has no place in Montgomery County. Thank you. David Ree.

Good morning, commissioners. My name is David Reich and I'm a resident of Harley'sville where my family and I have lived since 2005. I earned my MBA from Northwestern University and spent my career working in a variety of financial capacities including controller and finance director. In the corporate world, my annual mandate was to ensure that the operating budgets that I supported not only offset inflation, but also included targeted reductions incorporating operating efficiencies, automation, and the use of technology. In other words, doing more with less. I have reviewed in detail the proposed $632.7 million Montgomery County budget for 2026 and compare it to this year as well as going back to 2019, a 7-year trend. What I have found is deeply concerning to me and should be to every taxpayer in Montgomery County. Over the period from 2019 to 26, the county budget has an increase of nearly 51% from 420 to 632.7. You could say, well, that's due to inflation and organic population growth, but that's only 38% of the increase. So, the county budget is really growing in real dollars 13%. To fund this increase, real estate taxes are up over 55%. So rather than come becoming more efficient and doing more with less, the county government appears to be on a mission of expansion and and intrusion. So my question to each taxpayer watching this is, are you really receiving 55% more from your county in hard-earned dollars since 2019? Well, what would cause such an increase of this magnitude? The county's budget is divided up into seven different major budgets and I want to

focus on one in particular and that is administration which is up a shocking 102% since 2019. It's gone from 53.2 million and is proposed to be 107 and a half next year an increase of 54.2. even adjusted for inflation and population growth. That's an increase of nearly 33 million. So why would the county government need to grow such a magnitude unless it was expanding existing activities or taking on new ones? The admin budget, the 107.5, had 16 departments back in 2019. Now it has 20. The additional four, including next year's new one, external affairs, costs the county $5 million. Among the 16 that did exist back in 2019, 12 of them are up between 60 and 217%. And the one that's the largest increase is the commissioner's very own budget, 217%. So I ask you folks, why is that the case? The commissioner's budget has gone from 3.4 to 10.7. That is a wage. That is an increase of nearly three times. Seems to me,

Mr. Right, we're past the three. Let me finish. I have one short paragraph left. It seems to me no justification for much of the past and proposed budget increases that exceed inflation and population growth. So I ask those responsible putting the budget together to revisit what is really necessary and seek ways to become more efficient. Was founded on the principle that government while necessary is

good morning. Uh my name is Shannon Issacs. I'm a resident of Amler and I'm the executive director of the Montco Antihunger Network and I'm the co-vice chair of the Montgomery County Food Policy Council. Uh Montco Antihunger Network is a coalition of close to 80 food banks, free meal providers, and food pantries. We work on innovation, collaboration, and the emergency provision of food here in Montgomery County. Created by the Montgomery County Food Space, we are the backbone agency in the county for food security. I'd probably say more accurately, we're a coalition of the food security space and Montgomery County government because the truth is that MON has always been a collaboration between county government and uh the emergency food providers of Montgomery County. I'm here to speak this morning in support of the county budget and of the county's incredible leadership in stepping up this year on food insecurity during the SNAP crisis and during the rolling crisises that we have experienced uh regarding instability and funding and of food insecurity due to federal shifts. Montco Antihunger Network remains dedicated to collaboration among the food security space with our fantastic partners at the county because we know that collaboration exponentially increases the systemwide capacity and reduces food insecurity. I would like to thank the county and the county commissioners on several counts for their support in the past year. The county's investment in seed money through the ARPA grant to scale Montco Antihunger Network has been transformative to the course of food security in Montgomery County. We've used this money to separately from that support scale the organization doubling our revenue over the past two years and doubling the food that we provide to the county to close to1 million pounds a year this year breaking breaking a big record. The total of $28,000 the county gave to MCO Antihunger Network this year um along with the close to a million dollars given to food pantries through through our network has had an incredible impact on our work supporting

food and security in the county. The county's leadership during the SNAP crisis a few weeks ago was absolutely transformative. Because of the county's incredible investment in the emergency food system and food purchasing money totaling $1 million over the past year, people's lives been changed in the county. Children have been able to eat when they would not have otherwise. Families were able to put food on the table. This access to emergency food has a ripple effect impacting health, education, and preventing slides into housing insecurity from food insecurity. For the estimated 120,000 people experiencing food insecurity in Montgomery County, thank you so much for the care that you have shown to our neighbors and our friends. Without the Nourish MCCO grant, many people would not have had enough to eat this past year in Montgomery County. Montgomery County has a multi-dimensional poverty problem. the county's rapid action to address this issue of multi-dimensional poverty, a poverty that intersects housing, food, education, economic opportunity, and public health has been tremendous. Uh it has been a privilege to work with uh the county to co-launch the four community council uh which is a in the past year which is a council of all of the emergency food space. Uh thank you again to the county leadership including commissioner Winder, Makia Diabella, Mr. TPAC uh for all your leadership on food insecurity this year. It's truly changed the

Jacob McCree is next. Thanks so much.

Good morning. Uh my name is Jacob Stone McCrae and I serve as the community resource and advocate specialist at ALOM. One of my primary responsibilities is to oversee the safe haven food pantry located at 801 West Marshall Street. Our pantry serves about 150 individuals every other week. So twice a month. Our actually our food distribution is happening tomorrow uh tomorrow. Uh roughly that means roughly 600 people come through our food pantry every month. Overall, this past year, we served more than 19,000 individuals and distributed around 148,000 pounds of food. Uh the support from the Norish Macco Grant and other community uh county funded uh programs have played a crucial role in our ability to provide healthy, fresh foods to our guests. This support is essential to our operations, to our mission of serving the community. We are deeply grateful for the assistance provided to our pantry and others in the area thus far. We hope to see this support continue. Thank you so much.

Thank you so much,

Monro. Welcome. Good morning. Manira Walker from Neighbors Helping Neighbors on the Main Line in Ardmore. Uh just as Shannon and Jacob said, I want to thank you so much for the nourishment money. The spend down money that you provide for us helps us as pantry leaders in a myriad of ways. Going into winters are always um a time of insecurity, unsorty, and having the ability to have funds that we can draw down on on the weeks when we out of nowhere have no food to give to people has been a tremendous tremendous help. Uh during this snap pause and and all the uncertainty this year already. Um really for us leaders it was going we felt like we were going through the COVID period again. Literally we were so unsure about what we were going to be able to do to provide for people and the people were in a panic. Knowing that we had the Nourish Monco money in our back pocket to be able to support our efforts at the drop of a dime gave a level of support to us as leaders. um we are just getting over mentally and physically all the strains of COVID and the recovery period and to be forced in this position again has literally taken a real toll on those of us who are in the food uh in the sector who service people. Uh and then having to give them mental and physical support while we're um supporting them with the food uh is a component that I think a lot of people don't realize and don't think of sometimes. So having um the support of

you guys is just I I can't express how much it has meant to us and continues to mean to us. I hope that it will continue. Um we have the years ahead that we don't know what they're going to look like either. And just knowing that um you guys have a really good slate. I say it all the time. You're a really great slate and we really feel your support. So knowing that you're behind us, knowing you're with us, and knowing that we can count on us is helping us to keep going. So I cannot uh reiterate enough how much that means to us. And um unlike how someone else said, I appreciate the personal touches. So, a letter in the mail for me is something that's very special because in this very techy world, I think it's very important that we all stay personally connected to each other and show each other how much we appreciate each other and we all work together to help every single citizen who needs our help. So, thank you again and I I hope that this will continue. Thanks so much.

Thank you very much. We appreciate it and thank you for all of your work in the hunger space at this time. Now 120,000 people as Shannon mentioned never been more important than we're lack of support. David Morgan.

Morning commissioners. Some good findings I've have I'm man by the way uh of the county's role is that there is a now a quarterly financial report which has been happening and also we have had uh at our meetings and we have had evening meetings in Montgomeryville and lower Marian Township only two of them so that'll be good to have more so the public knows more about the spending and there's also efforts to reduce cost uh I am concerned as Mr. Reich mentioned about the high percentage increase in our tax the hike history I call it lately the hike history goes 5% going into 2020 to 2021 then we have eight [clears throat] then we have eight again then we have 13 then we have 9.69 my calculations so those five years is 51.8% 8% if you're compounding multiplying as these percentages do then you have with an additional 4% projected we have 57.9% takes he types of taxes since [clears throat] I start with a base at 2020 and it's easy if you just start with that base put the increase on top and get a percent you can see that's uh really close to 60% so imagine doubling in in a decade it's going to double and I just found out that the Bucks County has zero 2026 0% increase. Norristown school district reported here at zero. So there are ways of dealing with the cost challenges. [clears throat] Um, one is that uh to really look at this new position situation because in January, the first meeting of the year, we had all these new positions which I would think mostly go over budget and um many solicitors are in there and um external affairs was mentioned and um policy positions. So there's additional

ones that you'll find in the back table. If you look there when you come in, you'll find uh in March uh there was uh an addition too in new positions of all these here. And then in May, there's a position such as a director of talent management or labor leaison which could go up to 134,000 per position. So uh these have pensions and they have health care costs. And so to look at retirements and merge these positions as Bucks counties has as a goal, look how we can best use our staffing. has just not spread and instead reduced. So that also we have the comprehensive look at the uh all the um justice center costs and the county campus plan. That's an awful big undertake. We could have more transparency. We have Skidmore Owens and Merrill which was designing still involved in in tens of millions involved with that and that's an outside firm around Washington and New York. We have uh fortunately though um no vote last time on the budget by Commissioner Dalo. So he is looking out for us the fact that renters and businesses have to pay more and I say revise before next meeting. Revise this budget so it's better even.

Okay, we have one more on Zoom. Claire Higgins. Claire, can you hear us?

Yep. Thank you so much. Sorry, I was having trouble unmuting. Hi everyone. My name is Claire Higgins and I am the director of the family teams at HopeWorks, which is a peer-led service organization based out of Norristown. I'm here to speak both professionally and personally about the meaningful impact of Montgomery Countyy's continued investment in crisis services for families and youth. Personally, our family navigated the behavioral health systems for two of our eight children, both of whom came to us through adoption and with significant trauma. For many years before that, our lives looked typical. Things were steady and peaceful. We didn't even know what crisis services were. However, as time went on, things became so much worse. The smallest disruption could lead to hoursl long meltdowns. Neighbors who witnessed the turmoil called authorities out of fear or misunderstanding. There were even times when we called the police ourselves simply because we did not know what else to do. We spent hours in the emergency room surrounded by trauma and chaos only to be told, "Sorry, but we can't help you here." Crisis replaced peace in our home. I was exhausted and defeated and I couldn't do it alone. The support of individuals who knew how to help us navigate through this changed everything for us. Our children are now thriving independent adults who have the skills they need to live well. I have deep and abiding gratitude for everyone in this county who helped us weather that storm. And because of their profound impact, I have dedicated my career to peer work, where together with my team, we support nearly 1,000 Montgomery County families every year, all of whom are on their own journey to wellness. And this is only a fraction of the number of families that need our help in the county. Each family story is unique, but the themes are movingly familiar. Children who are overwhelmed by their emotions, parents who are exhausted, isolated, and unsure of where to turn. We can lo walk alongside families on this journey and

that support is invaluable. But sometimes it isn't enough. Sometimes the families need support of trained crisis professionals who can help them catch their breath, steady themselves, and begin to rebuild. This is why I am asking for continued support for our most critical crisis services. Our mobile crisis teams already play an essential role in the crisis continuum. And now with the development of the emergency behavioral health center, the county is taking the next crucial step. This center will give families a safe and dedicated place to go when they need it most. Families in crisis are not to be feared. They are facing unimaginable circumstances, but they love their children fiercely and are doing the best they can. This could be your family, your friend's family, your child's family. It has been my family and it could be again. I never imagined that my family would need crisis services. Now I can't imagine how we would have survived without them. I thank you for robust financial support for a full continuum of crisis services so that Montgomery County families will not have to weather the storm alone. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Is that it? Okay. Um I will make a motion to recess the 2026 budget hearing until 5:30 p.m. today. Is there a second? I'll second that. Seconded by Commissioner Winder. Any board comment? All in favor? I I Any opposed? Uh will be recessed until 5:30. Thank you. and several