Mission Statement

The mission of the Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) is to enforce consumer protection laws prohibiting unfair and deceptive business acts or practices to ensure a fair marketplace for consumers and businesses. Activities include complaint resolution, business registration, law enforcement, education, legislation, advocacy, and outreach to vulnerable consumers.

Budget Overview

The total approved FY22 Operating Budget for the Office of Consumer Protection is $2,453,337, an increase of $256,610 or 11.68 percent from the FY21 Approved Budget of $2,196,727. Personnel Costs comprise 94.76 percent of the budget for 19 full-time position(s) and no part-time position(s), and a total of 18.00 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 5.24 percent of the FY22 budget.

County Priority Outcomes

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

• Effective, Sustainable Government
• A Growing Economy
• Thriving Youth and Families

Program Performance Measures

Performance measures for this department are included below (where applicable). The FY21 estimates reflect funding based on the FY21 approved budget. The FY22 and FY23 figures are performance targets based on the FY22 approved budget and funding for comparable service levels in FY23.

Initiatives

• The Montgomery County COVID-19 portal added OCP alerts and information regarding consumer scams related to the pandemic. In addition to posting on social media, these alerts received media coverage on WJLA TV-7 and WUSA TV-9.
• OCP alerted consumers and restaurants about the complicated and costly fee structures associated with major food delivery apps, which resulted in media coverage.

Innovations and Productivity Improvements

• OCP decreased the amount of time that it takes the department to process and issue business registrations and licenses by 22.48 percent (FY19 18.19 days, FY20 14.1 days).
• OCP increased the percentage of complaint cases resolved by the department by 21.57 percent (FY19 51%, FY20 62%).

Program Descriptions

  Consumer Protection

The Consumer Protection program is a law enforcement function established in 1971 responsible for enforcing consumer protection laws to prohibit 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...