Montgomery County Maryland Operating Budget

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Program Description

Consumer Protection

The Consumer Protection program is a law enforcement function established in 1971 responsible for enforcing consumer protection laws prohibiting unfair and deceptive business acts to ensure fairness and integrity in the marketplace for consumers and businesses. The program is responsible for receiving, investigating, and resolving complaints, educating consumers and merchants, and registering and licensing certain businesses. The program has the authority to issue civil citations for violations of law, issue subpoenas to compel testimony and documents, and collaborate with other agencies to advocate for legislation. The program also staffs the Patient Advocate, administers the Domestic Worker law, and provides the County's Public Election Fund Liaison Service.

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Consumer Protection

Program Contacts

Contact Shaun Carew of the Office of Consumer Protection at 240-777-3675 or Eva Acevedo of the Office of Management and Budget at 240-777-2763 for more information regarding this department's operating budget.

Program Performance Measures

Program Performance Measures	Actual FY23	Actual FY24	Estimated FY25	Target FY26	Target FY27
Number of business registrations received ¹	759	666	700	780	690
Number of complaint cases received	1,169	1,119	1,100	1,170	1,200
Percent of consumer protection cases closed that are resolved by OCP	62.1%	59.7%	60.0%	60.0%	60.0%
Average number of calendar days to issue a business license or certificate of registration (excluding new home builder registrations)	6.1	4.9	5.0	5.0	5.0
Average number of workdays to investigate and close a written complaint (all complaints)	38.1	37.5	36.0	37.0	38.0
Average OCP customer satisfaction rating - Outcome of the customer's case (5-point scale) based on customer satisfaction survey	4.5	4.5	4.0	4.0	4.0

¹ Actual FY24 amount includes registrations issued for new home builders, new home sellers, motor vehicle repair and towing operators, secondhand personal property dealers, and small electrical repair dealers.

Program Budget Changes

FY26 Recommended Changes	Expenditures	FTEs
FY25 Approved	2839549	18.00
Decrease Cost: Miscellaneous Operating Expenses	-20881	0.00
Multi-program adjustments, including negotiated compensation changes, employee benefit changes, changes due to staff turnover, reorganizations, and other budget changes affecting multiple programs.	189136	0.00
FY26 Recommended	3007804	18.00