For Immediate Release: Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Montgomery County Executive Elrich to Hold Five Hybrid Forums to Seek Input on FY 2023 Operating Budget, Starting TODAY, Tuesday, Oct. 5, in Bethesda 

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and the County’s regional services centers will host five hybrid forums in October to seek input on the Fiscal Year 2023 Operating Budget. The first forum will be from 7-8:30 p.m. TODAY, Tuesday, Oct. 5, at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center in Bethesda. Residents can attend the forums in person or view them via the internet. 

The County is in the early stages of formulating the FY23 operating budget. County Executive Elrich is required to submit a recommended budget to the County Council by March 15. The Council will then have two months to study the budget. It must adopt a final budget by late May. The FY23 operating budget will go into effect on July 1.

“The budget is a primary indicator of the priorities of any jurisdiction,” said County Executive Elrich. “This is why community and resident involvement is essential to the process of developing a budget that reflects our values and goals.  Last year the sessions were totally virtual and this year they will be a hybrid of in-person and virtual.  The objective is the make these forums more accessible and interactive. I encourage residents to participate in these discussions because they are for you. No matter where you live or your age, I want to hear from as many people as possible. We have been fortunate to maintain a very strong financial position throughout the pandemic, which has enabled us to continue to support programs and services that are important to residents.”

The forums will be televised live on the County cable station County Cable Montgomery (CCM), which can be seen on Comcast (Channel 6 and High-Definition Channel 996), RCN (Channel 6 and HD 1056) and Verizon (Channel 30). All forums also will be available on cable channels Montgomery Municipal (Channel 16), Montgomery Community Media (Channel 21) and the Montgomery College (Channel 10).

The forums also can be viewed on Facebook Live.

The schedule for the hybrid forums, including how to join each one virtually:

• Tuesday, Oct. 5. 7-8:30 p.m. Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center, 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Wisconsin D Room, Bethesda. To join this forum virtually, go to Budget Forum – Bethesda 10/5 7-8:30 PM Viewer Link.
• Wednesday, Oct. 6, 7-8:30 p.m. Silver Spring Civic Building, One Veterans Place, Silver Spring. To join this forum virtually, go to Budget Forum – Silver Spring 10/6 7-8:30 PM Viewer Link.
• Wednesday, Oct. 13, 7-8:30 p.m. White Oak Community Recreation Center, 1700 April Lane, Silver Spring. To join this forum virtually, go to Budget Forum – East County 10/13 7-8:30 PM Viewer Link.
• Monday, Oct. 18, 7-8:30 p.m. BlackRock Center for the Arts, 12901 Town Commons Drive, Germantown. To join this forum virtually, go to Budget Forum – Up County 10/18 7-8:30 PM Viewer Link.
• Tuesday, Oct. 19. 7-8:30 p.m. Mid-County Regional Services Center, 2424 Reedie Drive, Park and Planning Board Room, Wheaton. To join this forum virtually, go to Budget Forum – Mid-County 10/19 7-8:30 PM Viewer Link.

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Media contact: Barry Hudson, 240-300-7348, or barry.hudson@montgomerycountymd.gov