Mission Statement

The mission of the Office of Public Information (PIO) is to provide timely, accurate, and effective communication to the public. PIO works with the County Executive, departments and agencies, media, County employees, the County Council and other elected officials, businesses, civic groups, and every other segment of the Montgomery County community. PIO provides information through the mass media, social media, internet, presentations, publications and graphics, cable television programming, and telephone and electronic requests for information and assistance via the MC311 Customer Service Center.

Budget Overview

The total recommended FY24 Operating Budget for the Office of Public Information is $7,158,807, an increase of $423,108 or 6.28 percent from the FY23 Approved Budget of $6,735,699. Personnel Costs comprise 96.48 percent of the budget for 75 full-time position(s) and one part-time position(s), and a total of 60.11 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 3.52 percent of the FY24 budget.

County Priority Outcomes

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

• Effective, Sustainable Government

Program Performance Measures

Performance measures for this department are included below (where applicable), with multi-program measures displayed at the front of this section and program-specific measures shown with the relevant program. The FY23 estimates reflect funding based on the FY23 approved budget. The FY24 and FY25 figures are performance targets based on the FY24 recommended budget and funding for comparable service levels in FY25.

Innovations and Productivity Improvements

• Collaborated with TEBS, the Office of Community Partnerships, Regional Service Offices, and OMB to expand non-English speaking hybrid budget forums to improve community engagement.
• Streamlined the process for requesting graphic and website support by introducing an online work request form.
• Implemented bi-weekly meetings for Executive Branch public information officers and outreach staff to update department communicators on communication trends as well as ensure consistent messaging.
• During the past year, MC311 reduced customer pain points by changing policies in partnership with the Departments of Environmental Protection, Finance, Health and Human Services, Housing and Community Affairs, and Permitting Services and the Office of Human Resources.
• Simplified and streamlined how MC311 staff answer questions on the phone and online, with the cooperation and support of many department operations, which reduced the time customers spent on the phone getting the information they requested.
• Eliminated or minimized the need to transfer MC311 callers to internal experts in property taxes, permitting services, and trash and recycling leading to more callers who received the information they needed in one call.
• Callers to MC311 wait an average of 26 seconds, down from 36 seconds in FY22, over 60 seconds in FY21, and over 4 minutes in FY20.
• Average handle time for callers to MC311 is just under 4 minutes, down from 4.5 minutes in FY22, and down from over 5 minutes during FY21 and FY20.
• Customer satisfaction for callers to MC311 continues to hover near 90% so far in FY23.

Program Descriptions

  Public Relations

Under this program, the Public Information Office: Educates and informs residents about County issues, programs, and services through press releases, media advisories, news, public events, the County website, online newsletters, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and podcasts. Works directly with media organizations to ensure that reporters and editors have accurate and...

  Web Content and Graphic Management

The Web Content and Graphic Development Program has four major functions: Providing creative and technical support to Public Relations, Cable Programming, MC311, and County departments. Developing and overseeing the County's graphic identity program to ensure consistency in the County's printed communication for the public. The program develops...

  MC311 Customer Service Center

MC311 is a key strategic, enterprise-wide initiative that provides the public with a single three-digit number (311) to call for County information and service from anywhere within Montgomery County. In addition, MC311 provides the County with a sophisticated ability to count, track, and respond to resident requests. MC311 is the...