Take Action
Contact your council member, use our talking points, share the data, and get involved.
Sign the Petition
Add your name in support of fiscal accountability. We collect First Name, Last Name, Email, Signature, and Address — powered by Typeform.
Contact Your Council Member
Enter your ZIP code to find your district representative and at-large members. Pre-drafted email template included.
Talking Points
Use these at budget hearings, letters to the editor, civic meetings, or social media.
Did you know? Montgomery County spends $7,301 per person per year — 41% more than Fairfax County ($5,191).
Source: FY2027 Adopted Budgets, U.S. Census ACS
Did you know? County budget grew 37% (FY20–FY27) while population grew ~2%.
Source: Montgomery County FY2027 Adopted Budget
Did you know? Montgomery County's income growth ranks 28th of 30 peer counties.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, BEA
Did you know? MCPS administrative overhead: 45%. Fairfax County schools: 37%. The 8-point gap on a ~$3.7B budget is roughly $296M.
Source: MCPS/FCPS budget documents, OIG
Did you know? A $168M electric bus contract was declared illegal by the Maryland State Board of Education. Two MCPS transportation officials were criminally convicted.
Source: Montgomery County OIG, State Board of Education
Did you know? The FY27 operating budget passed 9–2 — the first non-unanimous operating budget vote in years. Friedson and Luedtke dissented over one-time revenues covering ongoing costs.
Source: County Council, May 21, 2026
Did you know? ABS General Fund transfer collapsed again: from $31.3M (FY25) to $19.6M (FY26 projected) to at least $9.3M (FY27) — while the monopoly's operating budget rose to $81.9M.
Source: FY27 Operating Budget Resolution
Did you know? Transit (Mass Transit Fund): ~$218M. Fare revenue: $0. Fareboxes were too expensive to replace; fares were eliminated instead.
Source: County transit budget, OIG
Did you know? OIG identified $18.1M in questioned costs in FY2025 alone — then faced county denials of records access in 2026 under MPIA interpretations.
Source: Montgomery County OIG Annual Report FY2025; Banner / Perspective reporting Feb 2026
Did you know? Your county council votes on a $7.9B budget every May. They heard from about 300 residents last year. Out of 1,082,000. Be resident #301.
Source: Council testimony records
Download the key statistics one-pager (PDF) — all press downloads are on the Press Kit.
Share the Data
Pre-formatted stats for social media. Copy and paste to Twitter/X, Facebook, or email.
$7,301 — Montgomery County's per capita spending
Fairfax County: $5,191. Same region. 29% less.
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Upcoming budget dates
- Mar 2026County Executive proposed FY27 budget release
- Apr 2026Council budget hearings — public testimony open
- May 2026Council votes on FY27 adopted budget
For Candidates
Running for office in Montgomery County? Here's what voters want to know. Five yes/no questions:
- Will you support an independent performance audit of MCPS?
- Will you cap budget growth at the rate of income growth?
- Will you require above-MOE justification from MCPS?
- Will you fund an additional OIG position for MCPS oversight?
- Will you publish annual per capita comparisons vs. peer counties?
Candidate response tracker coming when candidates respond.