Mission Statement

The mission of the Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) is to determine the effectiveness of legislation enacted by the County Council and to make findings and recommendations concerning the performance, management, and operation of programs and functions for which funds are appropriated or approved by the Council.

Budget Overview

The total approved FY19 Operating Budget for the Office of Legislative Oversight is $1,744,087, an increase of $82,392 or 4.96 percent from the FY18 Approved Budget of $1,661,695. Personnel Costs comprise 91.71 percent of the budget for 12 full-time position(s) and no part-time position(s), and a total of 11.67 FTEs. Total FTEs may include seasonal or temporary positions and may also reflect workforce charged to or from other departments or funds. Operating Expenses account for the remaining 8.29 percent of the FY19 budget.

Consistent with the County Charter, the County Executive makes recommendations on the operating budget for all County departments, offices, and agencies. However, recognizing the Charter-defined roles, the Executive defers significantly to Legislative and Judicial Branch agencies. Questions regarding the approved budgets for Legislative Branch departments should be directed to Mary Jane Berry, 240-777-7930.

Linkage to County Result Areas

While this program area supports all eight of the County Result Areas, the following is emphasized:

• A Responsive, Accountable County Government

Accomplishments

• OLO's report on prescription opioids provided the Council with an overview of the State's and County's efforts to combat the opioid epidemic through prescriber education and drug monitoring programs. The report identified a key barrier to increased prescriber education in Maryland: a 2016 law passed by the General Assembly that prohibits the Board of Physicians from requiring physicians to complete a specific course, such as a course on opioid prescribing, as a condition of license renewal.

  
  

• OLO completed a report on housing for adults with developmental disabilities so that the Council could better understand the housing challenges that face adults and their families. The report provided a framework of living arrangements, an inventory of State and local programs, and an overview of housing options available through the State's developmental disabilities service system.

• OLO completed a review of school construction cost trends and policies and regulations that influence construction costs. OLO found that Montgomery County Public Schools' construction costs per square foot increased by 19 percent from FY08 through FY15, a rate nearly identical to the national average of 18 percent. However, key variances in policies and practices drive school construction costs across jurisdictions.

• OLO completed a review of Federal grant management in Montgomery County. The report identified barriers in the process for County departments and offices that infrequently or do not pursue Federal grants, as well as, opportunities to address these barriers through increased collaboration and networking. The report contributed to a larger Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee discussion on establishing a centralized grants office in the County.

• OLO is working on an ongoing effort to review and evaluate proposals from the Maryland General Assembly's Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education on the school adequacy funding formula. OLO conducted an initial review of funding formula changes and impact on State Aid to MCPS and will continue its work into the coming calendar year.

• OLO completed a report that described non-conventional strategies implemented in other communities to address school capacity constraints including case studies of specific strategies employed by school districts to expand school capacity and alleviate overcrowding.

• OLO completed a report describing the availability of pre-kindergarten programs in Montgomery County and in other jurisdictions for four-year-old children. Findings and follow-up discussions from the report helped inform the County Council's decision to provide additional funding to MCPS to convert half-day Head Start classrooms into school-day length programs in FY18.

• OLO completed a report on a potential student loan refinancing authority in Montgomery County. OLO's research showed that it would be feasible to establish such an authority, but fully analyzing the demand in the County would require the determination of major program characteristics and a professional market study.

Program Descriptions

  Legislative Oversight

The Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) conducts program evaluations, base budget reviews, audits, and other special studies in accordance with a Council-approved work program. OLO studies the effectiveness of legislation enacted by the Council and makes findings and recommendations concerning the performance, management, and operation of programs and functions...