Programs under the microscope

The nation's last county-run alcohol monopoly

FY2026 budget: $77.9M

The only county in America that operates both a wholesale monopoly over all beer, wine, and spirits distribution and a retail monopoly through 27 county-owned stores. FY2026 budget $77.9M; General Fund transfer projected to drop 37% to $19.6M. OIG has found persistent inventory management deficiencies; county stores now compete directly with private retailers who must buy from the county.

Free buses, delayed BRT, and on-demand experiments

FY2026 budget: $211M

Ride On: 19.6M rides in 2025, 400 buses, 80 routes. Flash BRT took 13 years from concept to first line; FLEX microtransit has no public cost-per-ride data; zero-fare policy trades $1.6M revenue for $19M in avoided fare equipment costs. Transit Services budget grew 88% (FY18–FY26) to $211M.

A $141M climate-finance institution and BEPS with unknown total costs

FY2026 budget: $141M+

Montgomery County Green Bank: $141.1M assets, no publicly disclosed default rates. Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) affect ~5,000 properties; no comprehensive cost estimate for full Climate Action Plan. Green Bank receives 10% of fuel-energy tax (~$18–20M/year).

MCEDC and incubators that trail Virginia on every metric

FY2026 budget: $4.67M + 2.4M

MCEDC county appropriation $4.67M (half of Fairfax's). Three business incubators ($2.4M combined) graduated only one company in 2024; capital raised by graduates collapsed from $100M (2022) to $1.5M (2024). Per capita income growth ranked 28th of 30 peer counties.

Racial equity office, food systems, guaranteed income, street outreach

Office of Racial Equity: $376K to $1.6M with binding mandates for all departments. Food Systems Resilience: budget surged 1,180% in one year ($1.1M to $13.8M). MoCo BOOST guaranteed income: $6.3M for 300 households. Street Outreach Network: $5.5M expansion with limited outcome data.

Grants debacle, parking, FiberNet, Vision Zero, OIG findings

Community grants program described as a 'debacle' with $4.7M legacy grants awarded without Council input. Parking Lot Districts $30.4M; county conference center; FiberNet 650 miles; Vision Zero $123M+; Purple Line commitments ~$250M. OIG: $18.1M questioned costs in FY2025.