By Adam Pagnucco.
Yesterday, several county council members released statements on their newly approved FY26 operating budget, which contains substantial spending increases (particularly for MCPS), no tax increases and a diversion of retiree health care funds away from prefunding and towards current costs. Even supporters of the latter move understand that it’s a temporary fix at best.
Of all the statements, I was most interested in the one by Council Member Gabe Albornoz, who is the only council member who worked in county government during the Great Recession. Albornoz was the recreation director in those years and he will never forget trying to hold his department together during funding cuts and staffing reductions. As the Trump Recession approaches, memories of those days become more vivid and the lessons learned then must be reexamined.
Council Member Gabe Albornoz. Photo credit: Montgomery County Council.
So we get to Albornoz’s statement. Here, a veteran of the Great Recession speaks.
*****
This was the 19th Montgomery County Budget that I had the privilege to work on directly as both a member of the Executive and Legislative branches respectively, and my 7th year as the Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee. This budget was particularly challenging, as a direct result of the changes at the State and Federal level that required constant recalculations and pivots.
I would like to express my appreciation for the leadership of our Council President Kate Stewart, our colleagues in the Executive Branch, and all County Government agencies for their collaboration and partnership. I would also like to recognize our public service employees, non-profit leaders, and private sector for each of their efforts in uplifting and supporting our community. I would especially like to thank our County residents who have chosen to call Montgomery County home, many of whom shared valuable opinions that informed and shaped the decision process.
Without having to raise taxes, this balanced budget made key investments in strengthening our social safety net, funding our schools, and addressing the needs of vulnerable members of our community, while increasing our reserves. This was due in large part to the increase our residents have paid previously in property taxes and the strategic problem-solving by our Council President and Council central staff. The investment in our social safety net through housing supports, food assistance, physical and mental well-being, and other services is both morally imperative and critical. We must continue to ensure we do all we can to prevent residents from being in crisis, including those impacted by the cruel, chaotic, and incompetent actions of our current federal administration.
Having lived through the draconian cuts of the Great Recession, the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, and everything in-between, I am troubled by what lies ahead. We are running out of rabbits and hats, and the loss of the AAA bond rating of Washington, DC and the State is ominous. We will have to pass austere budgets that reflect same services and unfortunately, likely reductions. We must also invest more in growing our economy at all levels and diversifying our revenue portfolio.
Through my years of service I have learned that no one individual, program or sector can address the complex needs of our community by itself. We must work collaboratively and strategically. That is why I was proud to introduce the Collective Impact Institute in partnership Montgomery College, which leverages the strengths of cross-sector leadership from businesses, nonprofits, education, government, and philanthropy to build a common agenda to enhance the prosperity and well-being of Montgomery County. I continue to believe strongly that there is nothing wrong with Montgomery County that cannot be fixed by what is right with Montgomery County.
Yours in service,
Gabe