Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, along with the County’s regional services offices and community partners, will host 11 Community Conversations throughout September and October to seek input on the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Operating Budget.

Nov 5

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, along with the County’s regional services offices and community partners, will host 11 Community Conversations throughout September and October to seek input on the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Operating Budget. The first conversation will be from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 9, in the Social Hall at the White Oak Community Recreation Center in Silver Spring.

The White Oak Community Recreation Center is located at 1700 April Lane in Silver Spring.

Nine of the 11 conversations will be conducted in English, including one focusing on issues for older adults and another focusing on issues of importance to Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) members. Two non-English language forums will be held, one in Spanish and another in Chinese. Each of the 11 forums will be held online so the public has the option to participate remotely.

The County is in the early stages of formulating the FY26 operating budget. County Executive Elrich is required to submit a recommended budget to the County Council by March 15, 2025. The Council then will have two months to review the budget. It must adopt a final budget no later than June 1. The FY26 operating budget will go into effect on July 1.

“We hold these community conversations to give people a chance to be heard because their voice matters,” said County Executive Elrich. “Their insight helps drive our decisions and our priorities for the next fiscal year. The budget reflects not only the County’s needs and concerns but also our community’s values and goals. I encourage every resident to participate in these conversations because their voice shapes our path forward. When I started my administration, we started with five community conversations; since then, we have more than doubled the number of sessions to 11. I am glad that we are providing more opportunities to reach diverse communities within the County.”

The Community Conversations are scheduled as follows:

The Community Conversations will be televised live on the following cable channels, subject to channel availability:

Montgomery County will provide sign language interpreters and other auxiliary aids or services upon request — with as much advance notice as possible, preferably at least three business days before the event. For more information, contact Mark Roper at 240-962-1743 or send a request to mark.roper@montgomerycountymd.gov. In all situations, a good-faith effort (up until the time of the event) will be made to provide accommodations. TTY users can use Maryland Relay 711.

Upcoming Events

Nov 5

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, along with the County’s regional services offices and community partners, will host 11 Community Conversations throughout September and October to seek input on the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Operating Budget.

Learn more

Nov 14

Save the Date the Upcoming MoCo Made Mixer!

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