Montgomery County Council approves FY27 compensation and benefits package
May 05, 2026 | Montgomery County, Maryland
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Montgomery County Council on May 4 approved a package of FY27 compensation and benefits items, voting unanimously to implement multiple collective bargaining elements, adopt pay adjustments for nonrepresented staff, and authorize insurance and retirement allocations and a $36,000,000 compensation-related budget adjustment.
Council Member Stewart, chair of the Government Operations Committee, told the council the committee had reviewed the collective bargaining agreements and recommended a full-council briefing. “You are what makes our county work,” Stewart said, adding that “collective bargaining is based on trust and collaboration,” and urging the council to honor negotiated contracts despite a tight executive budget.
The staff presentation grouped the package into CBA elements (general wage adjustments, service and longevity increments, special pay, allowances, tuition assistance, retirement and health benefits) and non‑CBA compensation decisions. Council staff also noted technical updates to resolution text and salary schedules that the council accepted before voting. Miss Wallens, a council staff member, flagged factual edits in the packet: she said the executive submitted proposed legislation on April 23 and that the council intends to introduce that legislation on May 5, 2026. She also recommended correcting the deputy sheriff uniform salary-schedule increase from “1.57” in the draft to an average of “3.77” and revising a Department of Corrections figure from “1.57%” to “1.56%.”
The council then took a series of votes as a block. On the collective bargaining elements listed on pages 2–5 of the staff report — covering wage adjustments, increments and other CBA provisions — Council Member Stewart moved approval; Vice President Balcom seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. The council followed with unanimous votes to adopt FY27 pay adjustments for nonrepresented employees, to support the executive’s FY27 group-insurance requests and OPEB prefunding, and to approve recommended FY27 administrative and operating budgets for pension and retirement plans. Finally, the council approved a $36,000,000 compensation-related NDA, which staff said reflects a roughly $28,000,000 pension shift from the state; the budget language also retains a council approval requirement for general emergency or hazard pay exceeding $10.
Council members who made or seconded motions were identified in the record as Stewart (mover) and Vice President Balcom (seconder) for the CBA package; Council Member Will Joandos (mover) and Vice President Balcom (seconder) for the nonrepresented pay adjustments; Council Vice President Malcom (mover) and Council Member Sydney Katz (seconder) for the group insurance allocation; Council Member Will Joandos (mover) and Council Member Sarah Evans (seconder) for the retirement allocations; and Council Member Don Lukey (mover) and Council Member Sydney Katz (seconder) for the compensation NDA. The minutes record each motion as passing unanimously; individual member vote tallies or recorded yes/no names were not specified in the transcript.
Why it matters: the approvals put FY27 pay decisions and the county’s health and retirement funding plans into the budget process and preserve negotiated bargaining terms for county employees. Staff flagged and corrected several technical items in staff packet text and salary schedules that council members accepted before voting. The council scheduled follow-up consideration of related legislation for May 5, 2026, and said it will continue budget deliberations the following morning.
Next steps: the staff-referred legislation on the McGeo resolution will be introduced on May 5, 2026, per staff updates; the council plans to reconvene at 09:00 the next day to continue FY27 budget discussions.
Council Member Stewart, chair of the Government Operations Committee, told the council the committee had reviewed the collective bargaining agreements and recommended a full-council briefing. “You are what makes our county work,” Stewart said, adding that “collective bargaining is based on trust and collaboration,” and urging the council to honor negotiated contracts despite a tight executive budget.
The staff presentation grouped the package into CBA elements (general wage adjustments, service and longevity increments, special pay, allowances, tuition assistance, retirement and health benefits) and non‑CBA compensation decisions. Council staff also noted technical updates to resolution text and salary schedules that the council accepted before voting. Miss Wallens, a council staff member, flagged factual edits in the packet: she said the executive submitted proposed legislation on April 23 and that the council intends to introduce that legislation on May 5, 2026. She also recommended correcting the deputy sheriff uniform salary-schedule increase from “1.57” in the draft to an average of “3.77” and revising a Department of Corrections figure from “1.57%” to “1.56%.”
The council then took a series of votes as a block. On the collective bargaining elements listed on pages 2–5 of the staff report — covering wage adjustments, increments and other CBA provisions — Council Member Stewart moved approval; Vice President Balcom seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. The council followed with unanimous votes to adopt FY27 pay adjustments for nonrepresented employees, to support the executive’s FY27 group-insurance requests and OPEB prefunding, and to approve recommended FY27 administrative and operating budgets for pension and retirement plans. Finally, the council approved a $36,000,000 compensation-related NDA, which staff said reflects a roughly $28,000,000 pension shift from the state; the budget language also retains a council approval requirement for general emergency or hazard pay exceeding $10.
Council members who made or seconded motions were identified in the record as Stewart (mover) and Vice President Balcom (seconder) for the CBA package; Council Member Will Joandos (mover) and Vice President Balcom (seconder) for the nonrepresented pay adjustments; Council Vice President Malcom (mover) and Council Member Sydney Katz (seconder) for the group insurance allocation; Council Member Will Joandos (mover) and Council Member Sarah Evans (seconder) for the retirement allocations; and Council Member Don Lukey (mover) and Council Member Sydney Katz (seconder) for the compensation NDA. The minutes record each motion as passing unanimously; individual member vote tallies or recorded yes/no names were not specified in the transcript.
Why it matters: the approvals put FY27 pay decisions and the county’s health and retirement funding plans into the budget process and preserve negotiated bargaining terms for county employees. Staff flagged and corrected several technical items in staff packet text and salary schedules that council members accepted before voting. The council scheduled follow-up consideration of related legislation for May 5, 2026, and said it will continue budget deliberations the following morning.
Next steps: the staff-referred legislation on the McGeo resolution will be introduced on May 5, 2026, per staff updates; the council plans to reconvene at 09:00 the next day to continue FY27 budget discussions.
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