The Players
Who approved the $7.6 billion budget? Who’s been at the table — and for how long?
Montgomery County’s budget doesn’t write itself. Every dollar of the $7.6 billion FY2026 operating budget was proposed by someone, approved by someone, and overseen — or not overseen — by someone. This page documents the key decision-makers, their tenure, their signature fiscal actions, and the results. All information is drawn from official county records, budget documents, public statements, and OIG reports.
The Executive
The County Executive proposes the annual operating budget and sets the administration’s spending priorities.
The Council
The Montgomery County Council has 11 members — 7 district seats and 4 at-large. The Council sets tax rates, approves the operating budget, and confirms the capital improvement program. The FY2026 $7.6 billion operating budget was approved unanimously, 11-0. No councilmember voted against it or formally proposed an alternative spending level.
The FY26 Budget Vote: 11-0
“The FY26 budget was approved 11-0. The FY25 budget before it was also unanimous. And the one before that. Montgomery County’s $7.6 billion spending plan faced zero opposition from elected representatives. Out of 1,082,000 residents, only ~300 testified at budget hearings. That’s 0.028%.”
Featured Council Profiles
“Three current council members — Glass, Jawando, and Friedson — are running to replace Elrich as County Executive. All three voted for every budget from FY20 to FY26 without exception. The question isn’t what they say on the campaign trail. It’s what they did when they had the vote.”
The Institutions
MCPS receives and spends ~47% of the entire county budget. The Superintendent proposes, the Board of Education approves.
The Vote Record
Every operating budget vote from FY2020 to FY2026. Every row reads the same: Unanimous.
| Fiscal Year | Total Budget | Vote | Dissents | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $6B | Unanimous (9-0) | 0 | Pre-COVID budget |
| FY2021 | $6B | Unanimous (9-0) | 0 | COVID-adjusted |
| FY2022 | $6B | Unanimous (9-0) | 0 | Recovery budget |
| FY2023 | $6B | Unanimous (11-0) | 0 | New council seated Dec 2022 |
| FY2024 | $7B | Unanimous (11-0) | 0 | ~4.7% effective property tax increase |
| FY2025 | $7B | Unanimous (11-0) | 0 | — |
| FY2026 | $8B | Unanimous (11-0) | 0 | Fare-free Ride On, $250M above-MOE for MCPS |
Tenure Timeline
Overlapping timelines showing how many budget cycles each decision-maker has influenced.
Marc Elrich
County Executive (Council from 2006)
Sidney Katz
District 3
Will Jawando
At-Large
Gabe Albornoz
At-Large
Andrew Friedson
District 1
Evan Glass
At-Large
Laurie-Anne Sayles
At-Large
Kate Stewart
District 4
Marilyn Balcombe
District 2
Natali Fani-González
District 6
Dawn Luedtke
District 7
Kristin Mink
District 5
“Sidney Katz has served on the Council since 2014. During his tenure, the county budget grew from $4.9 billion to $7.6 billion — a 55% increase. The population grew 8%. He voted yes every time. He is now term-limited and will leave office in December 2026.”
“In Montgomery County, the budget process works like this: the County Executive proposes, the Council disposes, and MCPS consumes. The FY26 budget — all $7.6 billion of it — was approved without a single dissenting vote.”
How This Page Works
Every data point on this page comes from official county records: adopted budgets, Council vote records, OIG publications, and officials’ own public statements or campaign websites. We do not use anonymous sources, leaked documents, or unverified claims. We present official actions and let the numbers tell the story.
Fairness & Corrections
MoCoGap.org welcomes corrections and responses from any official profiled on this page. If you are a current or former county official and believe any information here is inaccurate, please contact us at corrections@mocogap.org. Verified corrections will be published within 48 hours.