Mission Statement

The Office of the County Executive provides leadership to the community and administrative direction to the County's departments and offices. The Office is committed to providing accurate, timely, and effective support to the County Executive and the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) as they carry out their responsibilities to residents and employees of Montgomery County in an atmosphere that is characterized by excellence, efficiency, openness, equity, and integrity.

Budget Overview

The total recommended FY24 Operating Budget for the Office of the County Executive is $7,543,082, a decrease of $140,596 or 1.83 percent from the FY23 Approved Budget of $7,683,678. Personnel Costs comprise 81.08 percent of the budget for 47 full-time position(s) and six part-time position(s), and a total of 39.28 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 18.92 percent of the FY24 budget.

The total recommended FY24 Operating Budget for the Office of the County Executive is $7,543,082, which is a decrease of $140,596 or 1.83 percent from the FY23 Approved Budget of $7,683,678. Personnel costs comprise 81.08 percent of the budget for 47 full-time position(s) and six part-time position(s). There is a total of 39.28 FTEs. Total FTEs may include seasonal or temporary positions and reflect workforce charges to or from other departments or funds. Operating Expenses account for the remaining 18.92 percent of the FY24 budget.

County Priority Outcomes

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

• Thriving Youth and Families
• A Growing Economy
• A Greener County
• Easier Commutes
• An Affordable, Welcoming County for a Lifetime
• Safe Neighborhoods
• Effective, Sustainable Government

Initiatives

• Attract businesses to the White Oak Science Gateway by developing a marketing plan for a new website, pamphlets, brochures, and branding for the White Oak Science Gateway.

• Track the County's interactions with the business community through a Customer Relationship Management System. This will ensure faster, more reliable customer service.

• Increase capacity to proactively assist and engage small businesses throughout the County, resulting in more businesses that start, grow, and stay in the County.

Innovations and Productivity Improvements

• The Office of Internal Audit worked with departments to ensure that corrective actions required to address recommendations from the Office of The Inspector General, the Office of Legislative Oversight, and Internal Audit reports were implemented in a timely manner, with 90 percent of recommendations being implemented.

• The Office of Internal Audit conducted four internal control reviews and three information technology audits, including risk analyses integral to the County's disaster recovery and business continuity of operations to strengthen the County's Information Technology enterprise environment.

• The Business Advancement Team was rebranded as County's Business Center Team with a redesigned website that helps answer local business questions quickly and a greater focus on proactive outreach and engagement with the County's small businesses.

• The Business Center staff assisted more than 440 businesses by helping them access capital, navigate the County processes for licenses and permits, and connect with the County's resource partners.

• The Business Center provided more than $5.1 million in direct business grants and loans. Several of these business grants, like the Small Business Rental Assistance Program, provided critical funding for businesses still negatively impacted by the pandemic.

• The Business Center staff managed multiple business resource contracts, connecting more than 5,550 County business owners to expert coaching and technical assistance that allows them to sustain and grow their businesses.

• The Accelerator Program returned to in-person interaction with cohorts. Cohort participants from across government drove improvements ranging from improvement of intake for the Department of Housing and Community Affairs to improve the vendor experience for Alcohol Beverage Services stores.

• The Innovation Team co-designed the content of the new Hiring Process Playbook, which guides hiring teams across Montgomery County Government through the hiring process with required steps, best practices, and tools and templates they can adapt and use. As a result, recruiters have reported a decrease in time spent responding to hiring questions, saving recruiters valuable time.

• The Civic Design and Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) partnership has increased the percentage of women in the Academy class, a reduced application process, and increased personalized applicant engagement throughout the process, which candidates state sets MCPD apart from competitors.

• The Innovation Team developed standards that describe the ideal customer experience. These standards will be used as a benchmark to improve how a customer requests and receives county services.

• The Civic Design team worked with teams across Health and Human Services (HHS) to understand the experience and needs of clients who contact HHS by phone, and the needs and experiences of the staff who serve them. Through this process, the Crisis Center and the Office of Eligibility and Support Services (OESS) Customer Service and Assistance Center identified urgent needs for updated phone technology to serve their clients. The Civic Design team worked with frontline staff in both offices to map the client journey and understand system requirements from the client and staff perspective before engaging with the vendor. The journey maps were used by the vendor to understand the needs of each team and kept the client perspective centered in the development of a new technology system, which will be tested with staff and clients before roll-out.

Program Descriptions

  County Executive - Policy Planning and Development

The County Executive oversees the enforcement of the laws of Montgomery County and provides executive direction to all departments and offices of the County government. The County Executive develops policies; proposes services, programs, budgets, and legislation to the County Council; adopts Executive Orders and Regulations; and appoints citizens to...

  CAO - Supervision & Management of Executive Branch Departments

The Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) oversees the operations and services of all departments and offices of the Executive Branch. The CAO also advises the County Executive on all administrative and government operations/service-related matters and coordinates final review and decision-making on policies, programs, service delivery, budgets, legislation, regulations, and related matters....

  Internal Audit

The Internal Audit program provides independent strategic risk-based auditing services. The core functions of this program are to: improve internal controls and provide reasonable assurance of reliable financial reporting; ensure effective and efficient operations; meet legal and regulatory compliance requirements; conduct fraud investigations and inform deterrence; and safeguard County assets....

  Administration

The Administration Program provides budget development and analysis, fiscal and inventory control, personnel and payroll management, training and supervision, procurement, and contract administration....

  Business Center Team

The Business Center Team serves as a visible point of entry for the business community by coordinating the delivery of County services and projects related to business development. The Team guides business clients in identifying where to go for assistance and ensures results-driven relationships and projects with related business development...

  Innovation

The innovation Team supports colleagues across Montgomery County government to more deeply understand challenges and redesign how government serves people. The Accelerator course guides employees through a structured problem-solving approach to make tangible improvements to their processes and systems. The Civic Design Team facilitates progress on cross-departmental challenges, such as...

  Food Resilience

The office of Food Systems Resilience (established under Bill 20-22) works to coordinate efforts across multiple government agencies and nonprofits, engage food providers and farmers, and improve food systems. This will strengthen our community and food system to be more responsive during emergencies. Seek to strengthen our local food system...