By Adam Pagnucco.
The Stop the Spend charter amendment, which would limit the annual growth in the county’s operating budget to the rate of inflation absent a unanimous county council vote to override it, has failed to acquire the 10,000 signatures from voters necessary to place it on the ballot. The Montgomery County Board of Elections, which must verify voter signatures, has told the amendment’s ballot question committee that only 9,698 of its 14,074 submitted signatures were found to be valid. That kills the proposed charter amendment, at least for this year.
If it had made the ballot, taxpayer outrage over a recent large increase in homeowners’ property tax bills would have given it a real chance to win approval from voters.
The committee’s press release and the board’s letter to the committee appear below.
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August 17, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: info@controlmocospending.com
Committee Disappointed by Validated Signature Count, Remains Committed to Responsible County Spending
Thousands of Montgomery County residents supported giving voters a direct voice on fiscal discipline
ROCKVILLE, Md. — The Committee to Control Montgomery County Spending expressed disappointment today after the Montgomery County Board of Elections determined that the Committee’s nearly 14,000 submitted signatures did not include the 10,000 valid signatures required to place its proposed charter amendment on the November general election ballot.
The Committee’s petition drive relied on both volunteers and paid petition circulators. During an internal review, the Committee identified serious irregularities in a substantial number of signatures collected by one paid group. The Committee terminated its relationship with that group and declined to submit any signatures it believed could not be verified as authentic signatures of registered voters.
“Submitting signatures we believed to be fraudulent would have been unethical,” the Committee said. “That decision left us with little time to rebuild the petition drive, but protecting the integrity of the process was paramount.”
Stacks of unsubmitted petitions.
The Committee intensified its efforts and collected nearly 14,000 signatures within a compressed timeframe.
“We are deeply disappointed that the number of signatures validated by the Board of Elections fell short of the legal requirement,” the Committee said. “Based on our review of the signatures before submission, we expected a better outcome.”
Regardless of the final count, thousands of Montgomery County residents signed the petition because they believe the County must become more affordable and its elected leaders must exercise greater discipline when spending taxpayer dollars.
The strong public response demonstrated that concerns about County spending, property taxes, and rising fees cross political and geographical lines. Residents repeatedly told petition volunteers that household expenses are rising faster than their incomes and that County government should identify savings, eliminate inefficiencies, and establish clear priorities before asking taxpayers to pay more.
The proposed charter amendment would not have eliminated any specific program or required cuts to schools, public safety or other public services. It would have required unanimous County Council approval when annual County spending increased faster than inflation.
The signature shortfall emphasizes the need to elect council members that have an eye on County spending to bring common sense, fiscal guardrails to Montgomery County.
The team from the Committee to Control MoCo Spending committee will regroup and start collecting signatures to get this referendum on the ballot in 2028 starting in early 2027.
