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 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 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 beginning in May 2021, the program now provides the County's Public Election Fund Liaison Service.

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Consumer Protection

Program Contacts

Contact K. Samuel Buo of the Office of Consumer Protection at 240.777.3760 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 FY22	Actual FY23	Estimated FY24	Target FY25	Target FY26
Number of business registrations received ¹	707	759	770	770	770
Number of complaint cases received	1,047	1,169	1,175	1,200	1,210
Percent of consumer protection cases closed that are resolved by OCP	59.1%	62.1%	63.0%	65.0%	65.0%
Average number of calendar days to issue a business license / certificate of registration (excluding new home builder registrations)	6.85	6.08	5.75	5.50	5.00
Average number of workdays to investigate and close a written complaint (all complaints)	43.6	38.1	37.0	35.0	35.0
Average OCP customer satisfaction rating - Outcome of the customer's case (5-point scale) based on customer satisfaction survey	4.60	4.53	4.50	4.50	4.50

¹ Actual FY23 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

FY25 Approved Changes	Expenditures	FTEs
FY24 Approved	2566794	18.00
Restore: One-Time Lapse Adjustment	3525	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.	269230	0.00
FY25 Approved	2839549	18.00