Mission Statement

The mission of the Office of the County Attorney is to act as the Chief Legal Officer of Montgomery County Government and to conduct all its legal business.

Budget Overview

The total recommended FY19 Operating Budget for the Office of the County Attorney is $6,189,525, a decrease of $129,957 or 2.06 percent from the FY18 Approved Budget of $6,319,482. Personnel Costs comprise 89.19 percent of the budget for 76 full-time position(s) and two part-time position(s), and a total of 43.50 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 10.81 percent of the FY19 budget.

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

Department 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 FY18 estimates reflect funding based on the FY18 approved budget. The FY19 and FY20 figures are performance targets based on the FY19 recommended budget and funding for comparable service levels in FY20.

Accomplishments

• Under the settlement of the Silver Spring Transit Center litigation, the County was paid $23 million in damages, and the defendants dismissed $11 million in claims against the County.

• US District Court for Maryland granted the County's motion to dismiss Pulte Homes' claim; the case is currently on appeal to the 4^th Circuit Court of Appeals.

• In the latest customer satisfaction survey, the Office remained the highest rated internal service department.

• Prevailed before the Court of Special Appeals of Maryland in Huber v. Montgomery County. The Court rejected MCGEO's claim for the return of savings in health benefits that were transferred to the general fund.

• Successfully cleared encroachments on Georgetown Branch in accordance with agreements with the state regarding construction of the Purple Line.
  

Initiatives

• Opioid litigation against opioid manufacturers and distributors initiated with assistance of outside counsel, Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP.

• Continuing to pursue investigation of Fair Housing Act claims against lenders for discriminatory lending practices that led to housing market crash in 2008-10.

  
  
• Work with DGS to implement White Oak general development agreement (GDA) through outside counsel.

• Managing electronically stored information (ESI) in the context of litigation and Maryland Public Information Act requests.

Program Descriptions

  Insurance Defense Litigation

Provides legal defense for cases involving Montgomery County and fourteen local government Self-Insurance Fund participants (including such entities as the Montgomery County Board of Education, City of Rockville, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Montgomery College, and the Housing Opportunities Commission) and all of their employees. The attorneys appear regularly...

  Health and Human Services

The attorneys in this division act as counsel and give legal advice to the Department of Health and Human Services, including the Office of the Director and Management Services; Adult Mental Health; Aging and Disability Services; Children, Youth and Family Services; Child Welfare Services; Crisis, Income and Victim Services; Emergency...

  Finance and Procurement

Acts as counsel and gives legal advice to the County Executive, County Council, and to several County departments, agencies, boards, and commissions. The Division represents the County Government in tax and procurement matters before State, Federal, and local administrative agencies and courts; drafts and reviews agreements, legislation, regulations, and other...

  Support Services

Provide administrative, research, and technical guidance and support to the other programs within the Department. The program is designed to allow for an equitable distribution of work assignments, to cross-train staff, and to evaluate fairly the performance of the program staff. The program provides administrative support to the...

  Human Resources and Appeals

Attorneys act as counsel and give legal advice to the following agencies: Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, Ethics Commission, Board of Investment Trustees, Office of Human Resources, Department of Correction and Rehabilitation, Office of Public Information, Department of Transportation (Transit Services Division, Taxicab Unit), Human Rights Commission, Board of...

  Zoning, Land Use and Economic Development

Represents and advises the County Executive, the County Council, and various County departments, including the Department of General Services, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Housing and Community Affairs, and the Department of Public Libraries. Represents and advises agencies and commissions, including the Historic Preservation Commission, the Revenue Authority,...

  Public Interest Litigation

Provides litigation and other legal services to County agencies and departments in support of their mission to promote general welfare and protect vulnerable citizens. The Division acts as counsel and gives legal advice to the Police Department, the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Environmental Protection, Permitting Services, Consumer...

  Administration

Provides internal personnel, financial, and operational management for the Office of the County Attorney....

  Goverment Operations

Drafts and reviews County and State legislation; represents the County in legal challenges to its legislative acts; drafts and coordinates formal legal advice given by the Office of the County Attorney; provides legal assistance to the Office of Management and Budget, Ethics Commission, Office of the Inspector General, and the...