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One aspect of advancing this work involves analyzing resource allocations that form the structures-programs, policies, practices, and procedures - that can either worsen or improve racially disparate outcomes across the County. Our goal is to identify these disparities, reduce them, and ultimately create structures that eliminate their existence and prevent disparities from emerging in the future.

To this end, and in accordance with Bill 27-19, Administration - Human Rights - Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice - Racial Equity and Social Justice Committee Established, the Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice (ORESJ) developed a Budget Equity Tool to support departments and decision makers in applying a racial equity lens to the development of the County Executive's FY26 Recommended Operating Budget. This tool, related trainings, and reports, have helped to assess the strength of the County's commitment to and implementation of its guiding racial equity framework, adapted from the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), to normalize, organize, and operationalize for racial equity and social justice. This framework guides jurisdictions across the country in navigating the changes required to advance racial equity and social justice.

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ORESJ highlighted-with its structured analysis-areas of strength and opportunity related to how the FY26 Recommended Operating Budget enables the County's commitment to advancing racial equity and social justice. FY26 resources continue to help the County build its racial equity and social justice infrastructure, with departments across the County targeting resources towards:

  • Allocating or supporting the use of staff time for capacity building activities such as CORE team meetings and ORESJ-led convenings
  • Allocating resources for relevant professional development, including department-specific training
  • Designating staff resources to organize and lead the department's commitment to advancing racial equity and social justice
  • Identifying areas of strength and opportunity in recruiting, retaining, and advancement of a diverse and representative workforce
  • Using or creating department-specific racial equity tools or maps

These targeted investments mean that while the County continues to carry out its core business, it will strengthen staff knowledge and capacity to apply a racial equity lens to program design, collecting and analyzing data, utilizing best practices and research, and involving the community in program development. With this growing capacity, County government will also be able to reflect on areas of opportunity, where changes to policy or process can help remove barriers, enable greater transparency and accountability, and drive more equitable outcomes for communities most burdened by structural racism and other inequities.

While many programs in the County help to fill gaps created by structural inequities, a few programs standout for taking concrete steps to reduce the following racial disparities and gap.

  • Department of Environmental Protection - Energy, Climate, and Compliance - Racial disparities and other inequities related to health, safety, financial, and energy efficiency outcomes for low-and moderate-income residents.
  • Department of Environmental Protection- Watershed Restoration - Racial disparities and inequities among populations most negatively impacted by environmental injustices.
  • Department of Health and Human Services - Childcare Subsidies - Racial disparities and other inequities affecting low-income single mothers and BIPOC families burdened by economic inequities and struggling to meet the County's self-sufficiency standard.
  • Department of Housing and Community Affairs - Affordable Housing Programs - Racial disparities and inequities in the racial wealth gap, homeownership, and housing cost-burden. -
  • Department of Recreation - Community & Neighborhood Centers - Racial disparities and other inequities in health outcomes and well-being indicators of low-income BIPOC seniors and youth.
  • Technology and Business Enterprise Solutions - Office of Broadband Programs and Infrastructure Modernization - Racial disparities and inequities in "digital equity", enabling the County to put resources towards narrowing racially disparate outcomes in education and employment by targeting broadband and related programs to community members with the greatest need.
  • Department of Transportation - Transit Services - Racial disparities and inequities related to public transportation access and helping to expand economic, health, and educational opportunity in the County.

Overall, this budget provides resources for the County to expand its commitments to and implementation of the RESJ Act. It supports County government in building the skills and competencies necessary to identify and address racial and ethnic disparities across issue areas, at the same time providing resources for programs that help to fill gaps created by structural inequities.

FY26 Recommended Budget includes:

Some departments and non-departmental accounts (NDAs) have not been reviewed by ORESJ but have the potential to advance racial equity and social justice:

Office of County Attorney

  • Funding for staff to support the Office of Grants Management.

Office of Grants Management

  • Funding for grant data tracking and approval for a stronger integration of racial equity and social justice into all aspects of the County grant management practices.

Office of Food System Resilience

  • In FY23, established the Office of Food System Resilience to coordinate food resilience efforts with community partners, government agencies, and regional partners to develop and implement interagency budgetary, regulatory, and operational strategies to build a more equitable, efficient, resilient, and sustainable food system in Montgomery County.
  • Enhance funding to expand the school-based food assistance program to serve additional schools.
  • Funding to enhance the Capital Area Food Bank and Manna Food Center during the Food Staples transition.

Department of Health and Human Services

  • Expand the dental program to meet the increased demand.
  • Allocate funding for the recruitment and retention of bilingual staff to support the Linkages to Learning clients.
  • Subsidize funding for dedicated nurses for new community schools.
  • Increase funding to maintain Rapid Rehousing (RRH) Program.
  • Continue serving older adults with Senior Nutrition Services.
  • Include $2.9 million in funding to support the Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance Program (RAP).
  • Include funding of $6.9 million for the Short-Term Housing and Resolution Program (SHARP).
  • Allocate funding to provide permanent supportive housing for households through the Housing Initiative Program.
  • Increase funding to support increased utilization of the domestic violence shelter.

Department of Housing and Community Affairs

  • Continue to leverage Federal grants including the Community Development Block Grant, the HOME Investment Partnership Grant, and the Emergency Solutions Grant to provide affordable housing, housing rehabilitation, commercial revitalization, focused neighborhood assistance, public services, and prevent homelessness.
  • Provide over $168.7 million to expand the preservation and production of affordable housing for the County's most economically burdened residents, including new funding of $108.9 million for three CIP projects and $59.8 million in the Housing Initiative Fund (HIF) to continue various programs and projects dedicated to creating and preserving affordable housing and related services.
  • Add an additional $1.5M to provide more resources to support first-time homebuyers with downpayment assistance and counseling services through Homeownership Assistance programs.
  • Continue funding support for the Rent Stabilization Program, which implements legislative mandates and maximum allowable rent increases to stabilize rents in the County.
  • Continue to actively underwrite affordable housing loans to preserve and produce affordable housing.
  • Fourteen multi-family developments have already been identified for potential funding in FY26. These developments would preserve or produce 2,353 units, including 2,018 affordable units.