MARYLAND, April 29 - For Immediate Release: Thursday, April 28, 2022

Committees will discuss the FY23 Operating Budget and the FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program

The Education & Culture (E&C) Committee will meet on Friday, April 29 at 10:30 a.m. to discuss the FY23 Operating Budget for community use of public facilities. They will also continue their discussion of the FY23 Operating Budget and FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). 

The members of the E&C Committee include Chair Craig Rice and Councilmembers Will Jawando (Lead for Libraries) and Nancy Navarro. 

The Government Operations & Fiscal Policy (GO) Committee will meet at 2 p.m. to discuss the FY23 Operating Budget for Technology and Enterprise Business Solutions (TEBS), the Device Client Management (DCM) non-departmental account (NDA), the Interagency Technology Policy Coordinating Committee (ITPCC) NDA, the Telecommunications NDA, the Office of Procurement and the Cable Television Communications Plan. They will also discuss the FY23-28 CIP for FiberNet and ultraMontgomery. 

The members of the GO Committee include Chair Nancy Navarro and Councilmembers Andrew Friedson and Sidney Katz.

More detail on each agenda item is provided below. 

FY23 Recommended Operating Budget: Community Use of Public Facilities 

Review: The E&C Committee will review the FY23 Operating Budget for the Office of Community Use of Public Facilities. The recommended FY23 budget is more than $10.9 million, which is an increase of more than $2.4 million or 28.5 percent from the FY22 approved budget. The committee will discuss MCPS reimbursements and the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), budget implications of the Office of Legislative Oversight's (OLO) "Community Use of Public Facilities" report recommendations, the office's fund balance and ballfield renovation contributions, fee assistance and the bid process for child care placement.

FY23 Recommended Operating Budget and FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program: MCPS 

Review: The E&C Committee will review the FY23 Operating Budget and FY23-28 CIP for MCPS. The recommended FY23 budget for the department is more than $2.9 billion, which is an increase of 5.3 percent from the FY22 approved budget. On April 20, the E&C Committee received an overview of MCPS’ FY23 Operating Budget as requested by the Board of Education and recommended by the County Executive. During this worksession, the committee will review compensation and benefits, public testimony, Council staff operating budget recommendations and the FY23-28 Technology Modernization project. The committee will make a recommendation for the Council’s consideration on the operating budget.  

FY23 Recommended Operating Budget: Technology and Enterprise Business Solutions 

Review: The GO Committee will review the FY23 Operating Budget for TEBS. The recommended FY23 budget is more than $50.9 million, which is an increase of 14.2 percent from the FY22 approved budget. The funds will be used to replace and update County technology infrastructure, implement a Network Equipment Modernization Program, expand cybersecurity capabilities and implement an Enterprise Mobile Application Management (MAM) solution to enhance security on mobile devices and strengthen security of County data. 

FY23 Recommended Operating Budget: Device Client Management NDA 

Review: The GO Committee will review the FY23 Operating Budget for the DCM NDA. The recommended FY23 budget is more than $12.9 million, which is an increase of 6.3 percent from the FY22 approved budget. Given the intense use of existing and new equipment due to the pandemic and the importance of maintaining a safe and secure platform for government operations in the hybrid environment the County and its services are operating, the equipment and software processes must be well maintained. This is reflected in the DCM efforts to date and built into the requested FY23 budget. 

FY23 Recommended Operating Budget: Interagency Technology Policy Coordinating Committee NDA 

Review: The GO Committee will review the FY23 Operating Budget for the ITPCC NDA. The recommended FY23 budget is $3,000, which is the same as the FY22 approved budget. The ITPCC was chartered by the Montgomery County Council to promote strategic planning and coordination in the use of information technology across County agencies. 

Changes in priorities and leadership, as well as the pandemic have not allowed the ITPCC process of meetings, project coordination and shared work plan development to continue in FY22. The ITPCC principals have not met during the pandemic, but bilateral meetings and joint projects by the technology staffs of agencies have been helpful in finding and implementing shared solutions. 

FY23 Recommended Operating Budget: Telecommunications NDA 

Review: The GO Committee will review the FY23 Operating Budget for the Telecommunications NDA. The recommended FY23 budget is more than $5.3 million, which is the same as the FY22 approved budget. The County currently has more than 13,600 users on an aged premised based telephone system. TEBS plans to decommission the premised based telephone system. To minimize and mitigate service risk associated with the transition, TEBS will develop a connectivity activation strategy that will enable the migration of telephony voice functions to a hybrid/cloud system that can integrate with Microsoft Teams. 

FY23 Recommended Operating Budget: Office of Procurement 

Review: The GO Committee will review the FY23 Operating Budget for the Office of Procurement. The recommended FY23 budget is more than $5 million, which is an increase of 1.4 percent from the FY22 approved budget. Personnel Costs comprise 92.17 percent of the budget for 38 full-time position(s) and two part-time positions, and a total of 37.9 FTEs. Total FTEs may include seasonal or temporary positions and may also reflect workforce charged to or from other departments or funds. Operating Expenses account for the remaining 7.8 percent of the FY23 budget. 

FY23 Recommended Operating Budget: Cable Television Communications Plan 

Review: The GO Committee will review the FY23 Operating Budget for the Cable Television Communications Plan. The recommended FY23 budget is more than $15.2 million, which is a decrease of 12.8 percent from the FY22 approved budget. According to the Executive, declining cable subscriptions and changes in federal law have resulted in declining revenue for the cable fund and declining future revenues. To address this and simplify County budgeting, TEBS FiberNet operating expenditures funded by the Cable Fund have been moved and consolidated with other FiberNet operating expenditures in the TEBS Office of Broadband Programs and Infrastructure Modernization program (OBPIM) in the General Fund. 

FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program: FiberNet 

Review: The GO Committee will review the FY23-28 CIP for FiberNet. Given the migration of many County services to online format, the importance of FiberNet has grown. In addition, the responsibility of serving all agencies with high capacity, secure connectivity has increased the priority placed on maintaining and improving FiberNet as a County and enterprise-wide infrastructure investment. Council staff recommends accepting the FiberNet budget at the level of more than $10.3 million that the County Executive has proposed. 

FY23-28 Capital Improvements Program: ultraMontgomery 

Review: The GO Committee will review the FY23-28 CIP for ultraMontgomery that provides for capital funding to support the County’s economic development program and digital equity initiatives. Council staff recommends accepting the ultraMontgomery budget at the level of more than $5.3 million that the County Executive has proposed.

The Committee meeting schedule may change from time to time. The current Council and Committee agendas, Council staff reports and additional information on items scheduled for Council review can be viewed at: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/ondemand/index.html.

Committee meetings are being held in-person starting on April 25, and the Council returned to in-person meetings on March 15. 

Residents continue to have the opportunity to testify remotely for public hearings or provide in-person testimony at the Council Office Building in Rockville for many public hearings.

The Council is recommending that residents, who choose to attend in-person Council or committee meetings, get fully vaccinated to protect themselves and others against COVID-19. If this is not possible, virtual participation is encouraged.

Council and committee meetings are streamed live on the Council’s web page via YouTube and on Facebook Live and can be watched on County Cable Montgomery on Xfinity/RCN 6 HD 996/1056, Fios 30, and on the CCM live stream.

Release ID: 22-183 Media Contact: Sonya Healy, 240-777-7926 , Genevieve Kurtz 240-777-7805