Montgomery County Maryland Operating Budget

Budget Year / Version:

Mission Statement

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

Budget Overview

The total recommended FY26 Operating Budget for the Office of the County Attorney is $10,665,669, an increase of $175,983 or 1.68 percent from the FY25 Approved Budget of $10,489,686. Personnel Costs comprise 91.14 percent of the budget for 81 full-time position(s) and one part-time position(s), and a total of 51.75 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 8.86 percent of the FY26 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 FY25 estimates reflect funding based on the FY25 approved budget. The FY26 and FY27 figures are performance targets based on the FY26 recommended budget and funding for comparable service levels in FY27.

Initiatives

Implement Legal Files, a new case management cloud-based application with a technological advanced platform that offers a highly integrable case management to enhance OCA's ability to meet the daily demanding and challenging workload of Montgomery County Government.
Provide dedicated legal counsel to the Office of Grants Management entailing all aspects of finance, procurement, and budgeting for all grants made and received by Montgomery County Government.
Enhance legal counsel support to the Self-Insurance Fund, Workers-Compensation Division, to accomplish the substantially growth in workload experienced after the Maryland's Worker's Compensation Commission converted all notifications to electronic form.

Innovations and Productivity Improvements

Collaborate with the Office of Human Resources and the Office of Labor Relations to accomplish the drafting, approval, and publishing of updated Montgomery County Personnel Regulations.
Continue providing training to Montgomery County's Management Leadership Services (MLS) workforce on significant topics such as the supervision and management of represented and unrepresented employees.

Program Descriptions

Litigation

Through this program, OCA represents the County (and other members of the Self-Insurance Fund) before all courts and administrative agencies in which claims for relief are sought in connection with alleged wrong-doing by members of the Self-Insurance Fund and their employees. The Litigation program also provides the County with legal...

Program Performance Measures	Actual FY23	Actual FY24	Estimated FY25	Target FY26	Target FY27
Number of workers' compensation hearings	1,653	1,647	1,752	1,752	1,752
Total prayer amount demanded by plaintiff (Self-Insurance Fund only) ($000) ¹	$55,204	$40,811	$48,000	$48,000	$48,000
Total number of settlements (Self-Insurance Fund only)	24	22	22
Total judgment amount paid to plaintiff by the County (Self-Insurance Fund only) ($000)	$953.64	$31.22	$40.00
Percent of wins in Self-Insurance Fund litigation ²	86%	100%	95%
Number of judgments in the County's favor (Self-Insurance Fund only)	30	33	30
Number of judgments against the County (Self-Insurance Fund only) ³	7	5	5
Total net gain to the County in worker's compensation cases ($000) ⁴	$4,798	$6,439	$5,658

General Counsel

This program provides general counsel services to the County, its agencies, and instrumentalities. These general counsel services include providing legal advice to the Executive and Legislative Branches of County government on a wide variety of government operations; drafting and reviewing legislation, contracts, and real estate transactions for legal sufficiency; collecting...

Program Performance Measures	Actual FY23	Actual FY24	Estimated FY25	Target FY26	Target FY27
Number of new adoption petitions filed	38	28	31	31	31
Number of new termination of parental rights (TPR) petitions filed	34	33	35	35	35
Number of new children in need of assistance (CINA) petitions filed ¹	101	108	103	103	103
Number of children in need of assistance (CINA) or guardianship hearings	2,228	2,023	2,153	2,153	2,153
Number of adoptions granted	29	33	27
Number of termination of parental rights (TPR) granted	9	38	35
Ratio of total number of termination of parental rights (TPR) filed and adoption petitions filed and total granted	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%
Number of children in need of assistance (CINA) cases closed ²	90	102	98
Percent of appeals in the Appellate Court won	85%	100%	80%
Code citations processed	3,580	5,801	4,769	4,769	4,769
Ratio of debt collected to amount referred to the department for collection	97%	81%	83%	83%	83%
Ratio of cost of debt collection to revenue	4%	5%	5%
Code enforcement collected ($000)	$431	$461	$461
Ratio of wins to total code enforcement cases	99.8%	99.6%	99.7%
Debt collection ($000)	$14,213	$10,684	$10,000
Forfeitures collected ($000)	$135	$49	$136

Administration

Under this program, administrative support, financial and operational management, and oversight is provided in support of the Litigation Program and the General Counsel Program. This program also provides administrative, research, and technical guidance and support to divisions within the department, allowing for an equitable distribution of work assignments, cross-training of...

Program Performance Measures	Actual FY23	Actual FY24	Estimated FY25	Target FY26	Target FY27
Average quality of service rating from department customers responding to Internal Customer Satisfaction Survey (1-4 scale)	3.33	3.38	3.42

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2026 RECOMMENDED Budget

Archives

Data

Budget Snapshot

10.7M FY26 Recommended
Operating Budget

51.8 Full Time
Equivalents

Budget Trends

Program Contacts

Contact Carolyn Kilgariff of the Office of the County Attorney at 240-777-6766 or Veronica Jaua of the Office of Management and Budget at 240-777-2782 for more information regarding this department's operating budget.

Related Links

Montgomery County MD Home Page

Budget Summary

Title	Actual FY24	Budget FY25	Estimate FY25	Recommended FY26	%Chg Bud/Rec
COUNTY GENERAL FUND
EXPENDITURES
Salaries and Wages	5975828.00	7341820.00	7144157.00	7708939.00	5.0
Employee Benefits	1517648.00	1800649.00	1761062.00	2012135.00	11.7
County General Fund Personnel Costs	7493476.00	9142469.00	8905219.00	9721074.00	6.3
Operating Expenses	862331.00	1347217.00	1148500.00	944595.00	-29.9
County General Fund Expenditures	8355807.00	10489686.00	10053719.00	10665669.00	1.7
PERSONNEL
Full-Time	78.00	78.00	78.00	81.00	3.9
Part-Time	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.0
FTEs	43.60	50.75	50.75	51.75	2.0
REVENUES
Other Charges/Fees	1996.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.0
Federal Financial Participation Reimbursements	173752.00	250000.00	250000.00	250000.00	0.0
Other Intergovernmental	45630.00	45630.00	45630.00	45630.00	0.0
County General Fund Revenues	221378.00	295630.00	295630.00	295630.00	0.0

GRANT FUND - MCG
EXPENDITURES
Salaries and Wages	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.0
Employee Benefits	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.0
Grant Fund - MCG Personnel Costs	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.0
Grant Fund - MCG Expenditures	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.0
PERSONNEL
Full-Time	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.0
Part-Time	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.0
FTEs	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.0
Grant Fund - MCG Revenues	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.0

DEPARTMENT TOTALS
Total Expenditures	8355807.00	10489686.00	10053719.00	10665669.00	1.7
Total Full-Time Positions	78.00	78.00	78.00	81.00	3.8
Total Part-Time Positions	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.0
Total FTEs	43.60	50.75	50.75	51.75	2.0
Total Revenues	221378.00	295630.00	295630.00	295630.00	0.0

FY26 Recommended Changes

Title	Expenditures	FTEs
COUNTY GENERAL FUND
FY25 ORIGINAL APPROPRIATION	10489686	50.75
Changes (with service impacts)
Add: Assistant County Attorney III for Grants Management Support [General Counsel]	136032	1.00
Enhance: Legal Files - Case Management Software to Support OCA's Workload [Administration]	36000	0.00
Other Adjustments (with no service impacts)
Increase Cost: FY26 Compensation Adjustment	409586	0.00
Increase Cost: Annualization of FY25 Compensation Increases	185249	0.00
Increase Cost: Lapse Adjustment [Administration]	121877	0.00
Increase Cost: Retirement Adjustment	21655	0.00
Increase Cost: Miscellaneous Expenditures - Self Insurance Fund/Workers' Compensation [Administration]	6800	0.00
Decrease Cost: Printing and Mail Adjustment	-4022	0.00
Decrease Cost: Annualization of FY25 Personnel Costs	-111317	0.00
Technical Adj: Reverse one time lapse increase [Administration]	-121877	0.00
Decrease Cost: Elimination of One-Time Items Approved in FY25	-504000	0.00
FY26 RECOMMENDED	10665669	51.75

Program Summary

Program Name	FY25 APPR Expenditures	FY25 APPR FTEs	FY26 REC Expenditures	FY26 REC FTEs
Administration	2969595	12.00	2261734	10.00
General Counsel	7384606	37.75	8403935	41.75
Litigation	135485	1.00	0	0.00
Total	10489686	50.75	10665669	51.75

Charges to Other Departments

Charged Department	Charged Fund	FY25 Total$	FY25 FTES	FY26 Total$	FY26 FTES
COUNTY GENERAL FUND
Permitting Services	Permitting Services	173979	1.00	189781	1.00
Finance	Risk Management (Self Insurance - ISF)	3641924	20.00	4111632	22.00
Housing and Community Affairs	Montgomery Housing Initiative	165530	1.00	214394	1.00
Health and Human Services	General Fund	60360	1.00	60360	1.00
Health and Human Services	Grant Fund	194294	2.40	194294	2.40
NDA - Montgomery County Employee Retirement Plans	Employees Retirement Savings Plan (RSP)	17945	0.10	19580	0.10
NDA - Montgomery County Employee Retirement Plans	Retirement Fund (ERS)	75368	0.42	82237	0.42
NDA - Montgomery County Employee Retirement Plans	Retiree Health Benefits Trust Fund	30506	0.17	33286	0.17
NDA - Montgomery County Employee Retirement Plans	RSP-Disability Benefits (LTD2)	10767	0.06	11748	0.06
Human Resources	Employee Health Self Insurance	17945	0.10	19580	0.10
Parking District Services	Bethesda Parking	60447	0.30	65100	0.30
Parking District Services	Silver Spring Parking	39565	0.20	40795	0.20
Recycling and Resource Management	Solid Waste Disposal	166909	0.75	180353	0.75
Recycling and Resource Management	Solid Waste Collection	55636	0.25	60118	0.25
Total		4711175	27.75	5283258	29.75

Funding Parameter Items ($000s)

Title	FY26	FY27	FY28	FY29	FY30	FY31
COUNTY GENERAL FUND
EXPENDITURES
FY26 Recommended	10666.000000	10666.000000	10666.000000	10666.000000	10666.000000	10666.000000
No inflation or compensation change is included in outyear projections.
Annualization of Positions Recommended in FY26	0.000000	44.000000	44.000000	44.000000	44.000000	44.000000
New positions in the FY26 budget are generally assumed to be filled at least three months after the fiscal year begins. Therefore, the above amounts reflect annualization of these positions in the outyears.
Elimination of One-Time Items Recommended in FY26	0.000000	-227.000000	-227.000000	-227.000000	-227.000000	-227.000000
Items recommended for one-time funding in FY26, including (Knowledge Transfer Contract, Legal Files - Case Management Software, and miscellaneous expenditures), will be eliminated from the base in the outyears.
Restore One-Time Lapse Decrease	0.000000	20.000000	20.000000	20.000000	20.000000	20.000000
Restores in FY27 the one-time lapse decrease made in the FY26 budget.
Labor Contracts	0.000000	56.000000	56.000000	56.000000	56.000000	56.000000
These figures represent the estimated annualized cost of general wage adjustments, service increments, and other negotiated items.
Subtotal Expenditures	10666.000000	10559.000000	10559.000000	10559.000000	10559.000000	10559.000000