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Here
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we go.
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» [music]
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» I got you.
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» [music]
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» Hey d hey hey d hey hey hey hey hey hey
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hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey
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hey hey hey hey
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Dream.
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Hey. Hey.
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Good Hey, how's everybody doing?
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» Okay, good. Sorry, we're three three
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minutes late. We'll get let everybody
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get get settled.
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» We'll make it up on the back end. All
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right,
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we'll be be quick. All right, I'd like
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to call to order the June 25th uh 2026
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uh meeting of the Montgomery County
[9:37]
Board of Commissioners. Note the
[9:39]
presence of all three commissioners. And
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I'd love for our students that are here
[9:44]
to lead us in the pledge of allegiance.
[9:46]
You know the pledge of allegiance,
[9:47]
right? All right. So, stand up and lead
[9:49]
us in the pledge. Why don't you kick us
[9:51]
off?
[9:51]
» Ready
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to the flag of the United States of
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America and to the republic for which it
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stands, one nation under God,
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indivisible, with liberty and justice
[10:04]
for all.
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» Great job.
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Okay.
[10:12]
Uh good morning. Uh it's nice to have a
[10:14]
a packed house and see so many familiar
[10:17]
faces. Um couple comments for me. This
[10:21]
is our last uh meeting before July 4th.
[10:24]
Uh so I wanted to wish everyone a safe
[10:26]
and happy Independence Day. We all know
[10:29]
that this is a special year as we
[10:31]
celebrate America 250. And to help get
[10:35]
you all in the spirit, we've got a
[10:37]
couple uh fun things uh for you to tune
[10:40]
into. Everybody likes fun, right? We all
[10:43]
like fun. I know I do. Uh first, on
[10:45]
Monday the 29th, we'll be hosting MCO's
[10:49]
America 250 Birthday Bash along with our
[10:52]
partners at Valley Forge Tourism and
[10:55]
Elmwood Park Zoo. This will be held
[10:58]
right here outside of the courthouse
[11:00]
from 11:00 am to 1 pm. This is a
[11:03]
familyfriendly block party with food
[11:06]
trucks, photo ops, and some zoo animals.
[11:09]
So, please join us if you are able. And
[11:12]
for those of you that don't drive yet,
[11:13]
you can ask your parents if they can
[11:15]
bring you you here. It'll be tons of
[11:17]
fun. On top of that, our social media
[11:19]
team has been putting out some fun A250
[11:23]
videos that you may have seen on social
[11:25]
media. I just have to give uh the the
[11:27]
social team, the cons team a shout out
[11:30]
uh because they've done such a great
[11:32]
job. Um it's sad that on Saturday
[11:35]
evenings I'm scrolling through Facebook
[11:38]
and
[11:39]
» They get a text from me. I'm like that
[11:40]
was a really good one. So uh kudos to
[11:43]
the team for um kind of honoring A250
[11:46]
but having a little fun while doing it.
[11:49]
Um, some county employees were
[11:52]
adventurous enough to dress up an 18th
[11:54]
century guard. We don't have any
[11:55]
pictures, do we? No. And George
[11:58]
Washington himself was nice enough to
[12:01]
join us for a few videos. So, be sure to
[12:04]
follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and
[12:06]
YouTube to join in on the fun. Uh last
[12:09]
month we unveiled our first ever county
[12:12]
housing blueprint which is our strategy
[12:15]
to expanding housing stability uh
[12:18]
increasing affordability and reducing
[12:20]
homelessness. Uh this board of
[12:22]
commissioners is committed to building a
[12:24]
stronger housing system uh for MCO
[12:27]
families and to make housing uh more
[12:30]
attainable. Our blueprint also aligns
[12:33]
with the housing action plan that the
[12:35]
state published earlier this year. So,
[12:38]
I'm pleased to pleased to share that the
[12:40]
Montgomery Montgomery County has been
[12:42]
awarded $900,000 in funding uh through
[12:46]
the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability
[12:48]
and Rehabilitation Enhancement Program.
[12:51]
That's a mouthful. So, I'm super excited
[12:53]
that uh we have close to a million
[12:55]
dollars of funding that's coming in to
[12:57]
support that work. So, can we just like
[12:59]
we can clap for that? That's good news.
[13:02]
Um, so this fund funding will go
[13:05]
directly to programs that provide both
[13:08]
immediate assistance and long-term
[13:09]
housing uh, stability, including your
[13:12]
way home programs for rapid rehousing
[13:15]
and emergency shelters, homelessness
[13:18]
prevention, case management, and
[13:19]
community development, and critical
[13:22]
repairs, uh, and enhancements to the
[13:24]
existing, uh, housing developments. This
[13:27]
funding will help more residents in need
[13:30]
to secure and remain safe in housing.
[13:33]
And it also allows the continue uh the
[13:35]
county to continue to do good work in
[13:38]
making safe and affordable housing a
[13:40]
reality for us all. Uh so next up I have
[13:46]
um I think there's only one way to go
[13:48]
winner here today. Uh but next I have
[13:50]
the honor of honoring our Way to Go MCO
[13:53]
winners for the month of June. These are
[13:56]
county employees uh whose colleagues
[13:59]
have recognized them for their
[14:00]
extraordinary service to our county. Um
[14:04]
so first I have uh Kirsten uh Bovin, a
[14:10]
paramedic program coordinator with our
[14:12]
department of public safety. Um she was
[14:16]
supposed to be here in attendance, but I
[14:18]
hear that she's expecting a little one.
[14:20]
So, uh, but Kirsten's, uh, colleagues
[14:23]
say she has been an invaluable asset to
[14:26]
Monaco's EMS training institute.
[14:29]
Paramedics are in high demand in our
[14:31]
region, and Kristen is helping to make
[14:34]
sure the workforce is well trained. She
[14:36]
has provided vaccinations to homebound
[14:39]
residents through our mobile integrated
[14:41]
health team. So, kudos to Kirsten and
[14:44]
thank you for the great work. Where's
[14:47]
Jim? Jim's here. Okay, you're hiding in
[14:50]
the back. Stand on up for me. So, Jim is
[14:52]
a help desk operator within our IT uh
[14:55]
department. Jim was actually nominated
[14:57]
by a county employee who had a great
[15:00]
experience when Jim responded to their
[15:03]
help desk ticket. The employee says that
[15:06]
Jim was patient and thorough as he
[15:08]
navigated some unexpected challenges,
[15:11]
but he saw it through and made sure the
[15:14]
issue was resolved. So Jim, thank you
[15:16]
for the work that you do and
[15:17]
congratulations. [applause]
[15:22]
Uh, next we have Brandon Craig who is a
[15:24]
technical operations coordinator at our
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correctional facility. Brandon's
[15:29]
colleagues say he's always friendly,
[15:31]
responsive, and willing to take on any
[15:33]
job, all with a smile on his face. He is
[15:36]
courteous and professional and always
[15:38]
goes the extra mile. So we are grateful
[15:41]
to you, Brandon. Uh, next up, Kim Hearn,
[15:44]
a technical operations coordinator with
[15:47]
our magisterial district court 38-1-05.
[15:52]
Kim's colleagues say uh she has packed
[15:55]
up a a a picked up a diverse skill set
[15:59]
since joining the county uh as a court
[16:02]
clerk in 1997. She's always training new
[16:06]
staff and fills in at several courts
[16:09]
when there are staffing shortages.
[16:11]
through it all. She is knowledgeable,
[16:13]
courteous, and keeps a positive mindset.
[16:16]
So, thank you, Kim, for 30 years of
[16:19]
dedicated service uh to Montgomery
[16:21]
County. And then last but not least, we
[16:23]
have Stephen Smith, a commercial
[16:26]
assessor with our board of assessments.
[16:28]
Uh Stephen was nominated for his strong
[16:31]
work ethic, attention to detail, and
[16:34]
ability to collaborate effectively
[16:36]
across teams. Thanks to Stephven's
[16:39]
motivation and dedication, the team is
[16:42]
able to achieve its goals. So, thank you
[16:44]
to Stephen. So, we are going to Let's
[16:47]
congratulate all of our way way to go
[16:48]
winners [applause]
[16:52]
and and I'm gonna have Jim come on up
[16:55]
for a picture.
[17:05]
Thank you.
[17:10]
» Thank you for having
[17:15]
» Certificate for you. Okay. All right.
[17:18]
Take a
[17:18]
» Right here.
[17:20]
» One, two, three.
[17:23]
» Thank you.
[17:24]
» Thank you. [applause]
[17:29]
» Okay. Uh and lastly, I want to share
[17:32]
that immediately following today's
[17:34]
meeting, we will be hosting our
[17:36]
immigrant heritage month black party
[17:38]
right here outside of the courthouse.
[17:40]
Our director of uh immigrant affairs,
[17:43]
Nelly, where is Nelly? Right there. Uh
[17:46]
we'll be speaking about this later in
[17:47]
our meeting and we'll also be
[17:49]
introducing some inspiring young
[17:52]
community members who are here today. Uh
[17:54]
June is immigrant heritage month and we
[17:58]
all know that immigrants make up the
[17:59]
fabric of this beautiful community that
[18:02]
we call home and this is a celebration
[18:04]
and a way for us to honor the cultural
[18:07]
contributions of immigrants uh
[18:09]
throughout Montgomery County. Everyone
[18:12]
is welcome to join us outside to enjoy
[18:14]
the festivities. Uh so we're going to
[18:16]
make sure to keep this meeting short so
[18:18]
we can get outside and have some fun.
[18:20]
I'll turn it over to my colleague,
[18:21]
Commissioner McKa.
[18:23]
to you. Um,
[18:26]
uh, welcome everyone. We've got a great
[18:28]
crowd today. Excited to hear, uh, and
[18:30]
highlight some of the work that you're
[18:32]
doing. Uh, one of the things, uh, that I
[18:37]
just want to acknowledge at the top of
[18:38]
the meeting. Many of you may have seen
[18:40]
the news there's a devastating
[18:41]
earthquake in in Venezuela. And uh you
[18:45]
know our heart goes out to everyone
[18:47]
affecting it including members of the
[18:49]
Venezuelan American community here who
[18:51]
may have friends and family and if there
[18:53]
are any relief efforts we'll post those
[18:56]
online. Uh but [snorts] it's you know
[18:59]
really uh devastating and uh please you
[19:03]
know share whatever we're going to be
[19:05]
able to share so we can do our part and
[19:07]
help families affected by this. Um,
[19:12]
second thing that I want to note is,
[19:16]
uh, there have been a lot of, uh,
[19:19]
stories in the news about the postal
[19:21]
service and mail and ballots, uh,
[19:24]
including an executive order,
[19:28]
uh, that was recently enjoined in a
[19:31]
court, meaning it was stopped uh, by a
[19:33]
district court uh, that would have
[19:36]
prevented mail and voting from happening
[19:38]
in Pennsylvania. And I want everyone to
[19:41]
know that we continue to ensure that
[19:44]
your votes can be cast and counted in
[19:48]
our county, including by mail, in
[19:51]
person, through the dropbox.
[19:53]
And uh we have been able to sign on to
[19:58]
uh litigation or amicus briefs in
[20:01]
support of challenges to these executive
[20:03]
orders including u one that uh the one I
[20:08]
mentioned that was just inland court.
[20:10]
The commonwealth thanks to the governor
[20:12]
has stepped in has filed a case um and
[20:17]
uh we're going to continue to monitor
[20:18]
the outcome there. Uh but fundamentally
[20:21]
without getting into all the legal weeds
[20:24]
and and jargon uh this is about whether
[20:28]
we as localities can run our elections
[20:31]
and as states versus the federal
[20:33]
government nationalizing elections
[20:34]
through uh the postal service which is
[20:38]
not meant to administer or take part uh
[20:41]
in elections other than ensuring that
[20:42]
our ballots are received.
[20:45]
and we're going to continue to to to
[20:47]
fight to make sure everyone's vote is
[20:49]
counted and that we can go into November
[20:52]
uh knowing that that's the case. Um so
[20:55]
we'll keep you posted on that. There's
[20:57]
also a rule making that the postal
[20:58]
service is engaging in that the public
[21:01]
can provide comments on until July 2nd.
[21:04]
So I will post that information today
[21:09]
and we will make sure everyone has uh
[21:12]
the ability to make their voice heard on
[21:14]
that issue. Um the second thing very
[21:17]
similar note, Congress passed the law
[21:19]
actually yesterday
[21:21]
uh on housing which is great. I think
[21:25]
it's going to take private equity out
[21:26]
out of residential housing and actually
[21:29]
pilot the whole home repairs bill which
[21:32]
is very popular in Pennsylvania long
[21:34]
wait list in Montgomery County. Uh it's
[21:36]
unclear whether it will be signed by the
[21:38]
president because of the attempts to uh
[21:42]
nationalize elections and th that being
[21:46]
the priority that he wants to see. But I
[21:49]
would also encourage folks to uh write
[21:51]
to the members of Congress because
[21:53]
housing is an issue uh one that we've
[21:56]
all recognized in our county board that
[22:00]
uh we've got it tackled. The cost of
[22:01]
housing has risen uh significantly above
[22:04]
the cost above median wages and you know
[22:08]
we want to see our representatives
[22:10]
address the issue across the board.
[22:13]
So, speaking of civic participation and
[22:16]
asking folks to to speak out for our
[22:18]
residents, uh, want to recognize two
[22:22]
middle school students who could
[22:24]
probably teach us a few things. They
[22:26]
recently represented Montgomery County
[22:28]
at the National Civics Beat. Uh, it's a
[22:31]
regional contest that was held at the
[22:32]
National Constitution Center. There they
[22:34]
are, Gabriel and Sydney. Um and uh this
[22:39]
was a national contest to engage middle
[22:42]
student students with civic literacy.
[22:44]
And to enter it, they had to write
[22:46]
essays proposing solutions to community
[22:49]
issues and and in doing so showed off
[22:51]
some of their knowledge with an
[22:53]
in-person challenge. So let's welcome
[22:56]
Gabriel Ouran. Is Gabriel here? Where
[22:59]
are you? Uh please welcome Gabriel. He's
[23:02]
a middle school at Holy Rosary Regional
[23:04]
Catholic School right here in Plymouth
[23:06]
Township in Monco. Uh Gabe wrote an
[23:09]
essay about homelessness in Montgomery
[23:12]
County, which by the way, Gabe, you
[23:14]
don't know this, but it actually formed
[23:15]
the basis of the housing blueprint we
[23:17]
published last month. So, thank you for
[23:19]
doing that policy research for us. Uh
[23:22]
and Sydney, Sydney Bond, Upper Dublin,
[23:24]
are you here, Sydney? Uh thank you so
[23:27]
much for being here and congratulations.
[23:29]
So Cindy's at Sandy Run Middle School in
[23:31]
Upper Dublin. Cydney's focus on her
[23:34]
writing was on ways to encourage civic
[23:36]
engagement in our community. So thank
[23:39]
you for doing that and I hope our voter
[23:42]
service team will use that to uh see
[23:44]
what we can do to improve our voter
[23:46]
turnout and engagement this fall. Uh but
[23:50]
why don't we give a big round of
[23:52]
applause for these two middle schools,
[23:54]
Mr.
[23:57]
and um [applause]
[23:59]
come up and take photos.
[24:16]
Congratulations.
[24:27]
All right.
[24:30]
One, two. Turn.
[24:38]
» Ready. One, two, three.
[24:41]
Thank you.
[24:44]
[applause]
[24:52]
And
[24:54]
similar note, just following up on the
[24:56]
July 4th uh festivities, we should also
[25:00]
acknowledge this is the 50th anniversary
[25:02]
of Valley Forge Park being a national
[25:05]
park and it's only one of special
[25:08]
historic sites historic parks in
[25:10]
Pennsylvania. The other one being
[25:12]
Independence Hall. Valley Forge brings
[25:14]
in about two million people in
[25:15]
Montgomery County every year. Uh so if
[25:18]
you get a chance, Friday, July 3rd to
[25:20]
Sunday, July 5th, there's going to be a
[25:22]
celebration and
[25:25]
uh the three of us are taking part uh in
[25:28]
that hosted by Valley Forge Tourism
[25:31]
Bureau. It's free to attend. Uh
[25:33]
throughout the day, visitors can see
[25:35]
reenactments, living history, you might
[25:37]
run into George Washington, uh live
[25:40]
music, and it'll be a fun birthday party
[25:43]
or anniversary in this case, both
[25:46]
birthday anniversary. Um
[25:49]
so that's uh that's the weekend of July
[25:52]
4th. And then finally, just uh to
[25:55]
mention uh what some of you may be
[25:57]
participating in. How many people have
[25:58]
watched the World Cup? Anyone watching
[26:00]
the games? Raise your hand. All
[26:02]
right, growing. All right, the rest of
[26:04]
you need to watch the World Cup. Well,
[26:07]
the games will start to pick up and the
[26:09]
US is doing pretty well, but it's been
[26:12]
very exciting. Um, I'm a lifelong soccer
[26:14]
fan. I've played since I was a kid. I
[26:16]
was once a referee.
[26:18]
It was actually the hardest job. I've
[26:20]
had a lot of a lot of odd jobs in my in
[26:23]
my life, but being yelled at by the
[26:24]
parents of kids playing soccer is very
[26:27]
difficult. Um, I I think a lot of people
[26:31]
are starting to get to see uh just uh
[26:35]
what's exciting about uh the soccer
[26:37]
matches. For those of you who've
[26:39]
watched, uh there's been some really
[26:41]
great ones played here in Philadelphia,
[26:43]
including I think there's one tonight.
[26:46]
Um and people from around the world are
[26:48]
coming to celebrate. Uh I was at a cafe
[26:51]
or a staff member uh was there and a
[26:55]
number of uh Iraqis who were there to
[26:58]
who came from Iraq to watch the game um
[27:01]
brought in some drums and were
[27:03]
celebrating
[27:04]
um you know there's countries that have
[27:08]
made it. There's countries with uh a
[27:10]
billion people who didn't make it. So
[27:12]
it's kind of fascinating and props to uh
[27:15]
all of those who made the qualifying
[27:17]
rounds. Uh people from across the globe
[27:20]
are exploring
[27:22]
American cities and culture in ways
[27:24]
they've never experienced before. It's a
[27:26]
great opportunity for our country. A lot
[27:28]
of French supporters are in
[27:30]
Philadelphia's French Quarter. The
[27:31]
Algerian team is training in a small
[27:34]
city in Kansas. They're getting to
[27:37]
explore our finest cuisines including
[27:39]
ranch sauce, cheese steaks, Texas
[27:43]
Roadhouse bread, enjoying free soda
[27:46]
refills and waffle house. So, we've got
[27:49]
to show off everything that we have to
[27:51]
offer, even though the French think
[27:52]
that, you know, they've got the cuisine
[27:54]
and it's obviously Italy. Um, but I hope
[28:00]
uh you're getting a chance to enjoy. And
[28:01]
if you haven't seen the game, the best
[28:03]
place to go watch uh we think is going
[28:06]
to be at one of the Monco watch parties.
[28:09]
So, we're we've already got 5,000 people
[28:11]
signed up to watch in Kingdom Prussia at
[28:14]
the mall outside of Italy. And Valley
[28:17]
Forge Tourism is doing a great job
[28:18]
putting that together. June 30th to July
[28:21]
4th. Uh they're going to be hosting a
[28:24]
number of matches. So check that out
[28:26]
online. We'll post it. And there's a
[28:29]
free shuttle to get to the the watch
[28:32]
party. So you can go from the Kawaken
[28:35]
train station, which means you can sept
[28:36]
from anywhere to Ka Haken, get on the
[28:38]
shuttle, it'll take you to the mall. Uh
[28:40]
and uh it's all going to be right there.
[28:43]
So it' be a great great event. Lots of
[28:47]
um lots of fun. And if anyone hasn't
[28:50]
been to Lemon Hill in uh Philly, that's
[28:54]
actually the one free fanfest I think in
[28:57]
the whole country.
[28:59]
50,000 people were there. 75,000 people.
[29:02]
So it's Yeah, it's pretty amazing. But
[29:05]
all right, with that, I'll turn it over
[29:06]
to Ministry of Development.
[29:09]
» The big hit has been ranch dressing and
[29:11]
barbecue. right now.
[29:12]
» That's been the that's been the big
[29:14]
thing that they've been saying that the
[29:16]
people have just been going, you know,
[29:18]
travelers have come here. They've been
[29:20]
going crazy for ranch dressing and and
[29:22]
barbecue.
[29:23]
So, hey, that's exciting, right? And the
[29:27]
United States, I I think if they win
[29:29]
tonight, well, they're going to advance
[29:31]
no matter what, the way I understand it.
[29:33]
And it's when they advance into the uh
[29:36]
this will be the furthest they've gotten
[29:38]
in the World Cup matches,
[29:40]
» You know. So that's that's exciting. So
[29:41]
there's a lot a lot of a lot of good
[29:43]
things are happening. Uh so we want to
[29:45]
cheer on our team and hopefully see them
[29:48]
take it all all the way. Um but um
[29:52]
switching gears a little bit, last night
[29:53]
I was able to attend um another fire
[29:57]
firefighter
[30:00]
one graduation uh at our fire training
[30:03]
center. Uh there were 37 new volunteer
[30:05]
firefighters that graduated from the
[30:07]
McGomery County Fire Academy. Um, and as
[30:10]
as always, I was uh very happy to be
[30:13]
there and congratulate them and their
[30:15]
families. Um, and it it's was kind of
[30:18]
fitting because just the other night we
[30:20]
had a major for fire uh in West Norton.
[30:23]
Uh, and I'm sure everyone has seen or
[30:26]
heard about it. Um, and it was a
[30:28]
building that over 100 fire companies
[30:31]
from around the region responded. Um,
[30:33]
unfortunately it was a total loss of a
[30:36]
warehouse. It was the SE Superior play
[30:38]
systems. Um, but what was amazing and I
[30:42]
drove by it uh yesterday. Uh what was
[30:45]
amazing again is that our our volunteer
[30:48]
firefighters uh in McGomery County and
[30:50]
surrounding regions were able to um go
[30:54]
to that fire, fight that fire, and
[30:56]
ensure that a there was no injuries and
[31:00]
b that there was no secondary fires that
[31:03]
were result of the of the flames that
[31:05]
were coming off of that for that
[31:07]
building, which is incredible because
[31:08]
when I there's other buildings that were
[31:10]
like literally within 50 ft of uh of
[31:13]
where the fire was so they again it was
[31:15]
a great job and I like to always remind
[31:18]
everyone that um probably 90% of our
[31:22]
firefighters here in McGomery County are
[31:24]
are volunteers. So we really appreciate
[31:26]
all our volunteers. We appreciate those
[31:28]
that recently got their uh certification
[31:31]
last night. Um and we want to support
[31:33]
them uh every way we can. So, um, a
[31:37]
great, you know, McGomery County Fire
[31:39]
Academy is a is a it's a great asset to
[31:42]
McGomery County and surrounding region.
[31:44]
Uh, so I want to, you know, congratulate
[31:47]
and and, uh, thank our DPS team and the
[31:51]
firefighter, the fire program staff for
[31:53]
doing such an amazing job in McGomery
[31:55]
County.
[31:57]
Commissioner McKe just was talking about
[31:59]
some of the American 250 events. Um,
[32:02]
it's amazing. I don't even I'm still
[32:04]
trying to figure out what happened to
[32:05]
April and we're already going through
[32:07]
June. Uh and it's July next week. I I
[32:10]
just don't know where it's going. Uh so
[32:12]
if anybody can find April and May, let
[32:13]
me know because it's [laughter]
[32:16]
it's just been crazy. Um but uh you
[32:19]
know, there's so many so many cool
[32:21]
events that are being planned, not only
[32:23]
here in McGomery County at the Valley
[32:24]
Forge Park, but a lot of our townships
[32:26]
and municipalities throughout McGomery
[32:28]
County are having different events. Um,
[32:31]
so I I if we're gonna show up on the
[32:33]
screen some of the
[32:35]
Oh, there we go. Um, so as mentioned,
[32:38]
there's there's so many events going on.
[32:40]
I mean, there we know that there's
[32:42]
several uh parades uh on July 4th. I I I
[32:46]
know my colleagues are going to be at
[32:48]
Pottstown parade. I'm going to be at
[32:51]
Skip Pack uh and I think we're meeting
[32:53]
up then at Glenside uh throughout the
[32:56]
day. So, we're going to be out uh in the
[32:58]
communities uh celebrating July 4th. Um
[33:02]
always look forward to um being together
[33:06]
uh in these in these parades. Uh we
[33:08]
always have a lot of fun. Uh on June
[33:10]
28th at the Peter Wentz Farmstead uh in
[33:14]
Worcester Lang in the Lansdale area is
[33:16]
hosting a happy birthday American party.
[33:20]
Um, so if you're in the area on on June
[33:23]
28th, you know, stop by on July 5th. If
[33:27]
you aren't too tired from the 4th, I
[33:29]
know we will be from the parades, but if
[33:31]
you're not too tired, come out to the
[33:32]
Potts Grove Manor in Pottstown for a
[33:35]
reenactment event that they're uh that
[33:37]
they're calling Independence uh Ignite.
[33:41]
Um, I was actually uh there yesterday
[33:44]
and to Potts Grove Manor. Um, and they
[33:47]
have so many amazing exhibits. The
[33:49]
history there, uh, is is amazing. Um,
[33:52]
and you know, I learned a lot about the
[33:54]
Potts family, uh, who eventually was the
[33:57]
founders of that whole area, the Potts
[33:59]
Grove Pottstown area. Um, and, uh, so if
[34:02]
you haven't been to the Potts Grove
[34:04]
manor up in Pots Potts Grove, it's right
[34:06]
on the edge of Pottstown. Um, you should
[34:09]
stop by it. It dated back to I believe
[34:11]
the house was 1782 was when the the
[34:14]
homestead was built. Um and the Potts
[34:17]
family had 12 kids. You mentioned that
[34:20]
12 kids.
[34:22]
Um and it was really a lot of history
[34:25]
there. So if you have an opportunity
[34:27]
definitely go there. On July 11th uh
[34:30]
there's two great events. The Upper
[34:32]
School Cool Valley Park has a special
[34:36]
event all about the bald eagle. That one
[34:39]
is a great for kids and animal lovers.
[34:42]
Um, and lastly, the Ben Franklin uh
[34:46]
porch performance will be coming to
[34:48]
Penny Packac Mills on uh on the 11th.
[34:52]
Um, Ben was one of the most interesting
[34:56]
founders and this is your chance to meet
[34:59]
him. Um, will be there and he'll be
[35:02]
signing, I guess, autographs. Uh while
[35:04]
you're out the Penny Packac Mills, Penny
[35:07]
Packer Mills, I also recommend uh their
[35:09]
exhibits about the Penny Packer family
[35:11]
and who was a major force behind
[35:13]
preserving Valley Forge as well. So, I
[35:16]
know there's a lot of great things that
[35:18]
going on. Um but if you missed some of
[35:20]
that or as it's scrolling by, you could
[35:23]
go to our our county website, uh www.
[35:27]
mcgomerycountpa.govame250,
[35:29]
gov/ame250
[35:33]
uh at any time and you can learn about
[35:35]
all the different events that are
[35:37]
occurring uh over the next two months or
[35:39]
so um and all throughout McGomery
[35:42]
County. And lastly, I really excited
[35:45]
about uh we're going to have our next uh
[35:48]
comm county commissioner meeting on the
[35:50]
road. It's going to be at Hatfield
[35:53]
um and uh it's going to be July 16th.
[35:57]
So, we're we're happy to to be able to
[35:59]
get out again. Uh they we've had several
[36:02]
of these um McGomery County Commissioner
[36:04]
meetings on the road. uh and they've
[36:06]
been successful and the community loves
[36:08]
that we get out there and and it gives
[36:10]
the the local communities uh not only in
[36:12]
Hatfield but some of the surrounding
[36:14]
communities to come to our meeting and
[36:16]
and talk about you know issues uh ideas,
[36:21]
concerns, thoughts, suggestions,
[36:24]
successes u that are most important to
[36:27]
their little regional area out there. Uh
[36:29]
so we're excited to be there and we're
[36:32]
really looking forward to seeing a great
[36:34]
turnout and hearing from the community
[36:36]
and that's all and I just want to wish
[36:37]
everyone a happy and safe uh July 4th
[36:40]
and hopefully we'll see you somewhere on
[36:41]
the parade routes.
[36:43]
» Great.
[36:43]
» Thank you.
[36:44]
» Thank you.
[36:45]
» All right. Next up uh we'll go to our
[36:48]
presentations. We'll give a financial
[36:50]
update for uh from our new chief
[36:52]
financial officer, Ryan Wilkinson.
[36:55]
Welcome.
[36:56]
» Morning commissioners. Uh so thrilled to
[37:00]
be here uh first uh first miss meeting
[37:02]
with commissioners uh in my second week
[37:04]
as a CFO. Uh so I'm going to give a
[37:07]
brief update uh on the current state of
[37:09]
finances uh of the county. Uh this is
[37:11]
primarily focused on the general fund uh
[37:13]
which is the largest portion of our
[37:15]
budget. Uh next slide please.
[37:18]
Uh so I'll review the uh the budget
[37:21]
performance for revenues and
[37:23]
expenditures first and then we'll do a
[37:24]
brief overview uh of the planning for
[37:27]
the 2027 budget uh which is underway. Uh
[37:30]
next slide. Uh so for uh on revenue
[37:35]
performance uh so far we have collected
[37:37]
roughly 24% of revenue for the general
[37:40]
fund. Uh typical uh for this point in
[37:43]
the year this is information through
[37:44]
April 30th. uh the bulk of uh tax
[37:48]
collections come in in May and June. Uh
[37:50]
so the real estate taxes will uh you
[37:53]
know normal activity we expect that to
[37:56]
be more than half of the total revenues.
[37:57]
Uh but at this point in the year it's
[37:59]
tax collections are on track for where
[38:01]
we normally are. Uh federal and state
[38:03]
grants uh the second largest portion of
[38:05]
our our budget. Uh they're on track uh
[38:09]
consistent with what we expected. Uh
[38:11]
this is an area of risk that we need to
[38:13]
continue monitoring. Uh but we're in in
[38:15]
decent shape at this point in the year.
[38:17]
Uh next slide.
[38:20]
Uh so trends to keep in mind as I
[38:23]
mentioned uh tax revenues primarily
[38:25]
collected. The heaviest uh collections
[38:27]
are usually May and June. Uh so next
[38:29]
update we'll have a much better much
[38:31]
clearer picture of where uh we end the
[38:33]
year. Uh other things to mention, our
[38:36]
investment income is trending ahead of
[38:38]
what we had in the budget. Uh so the the
[38:41]
short-term interest rates from the Fed
[38:43]
have remained flat which is uh favorably
[38:46]
impacting our investments. Uh and
[38:48]
another thing that I would point out is
[38:50]
that uh in the the budget for the last
[38:52]
year uh state gaming revenue was roughly
[38:54]
$6 million. Uh for the current year
[38:56]
we've increased that to eight and a
[38:57]
half. Uh and we are on track to make
[39:00]
that uh you know the first quarter is
[39:01]
usually the lowest of the four quarters
[39:03]
uh due to the timing of sporting events
[39:05]
etc. But uh we are on track to make our
[39:07]
budget of $8.5 million which is a pretty
[39:10]
significant increase. Uh next slide
[39:12]
please.
[39:14]
Uh on the expenditure side uh as I said
[39:16]
this is information through April 30th.
[39:18]
We're about a third of the way through
[39:19]
the year. Uh and we've expended about
[39:21]
32% uh of our budget which is ex you
[39:25]
know pretty consistent with what we were
[39:27]
expecting. uh personnel expenditures are
[39:30]
actually slightly lower uh which is a
[39:32]
good thing uh based on uh vacancy
[39:36]
savings year to date. Uh controllable
[39:38]
expenses make up 36% of our plan
[39:41]
spending. So the fact that we're at 36%
[39:44]
at this point in year is absolutely
[39:46]
consistent with what we were
[39:47]
anticipating. Uh next slide please.
[39:51]
Uh so again, the uh personnel expenses
[39:54]
are trending below budget through April,
[39:56]
which is a great place to be. Uh I will
[39:59]
point out that there is a $4 million uh
[40:02]
negative uh allocation in there. So plan
[40:05]
vacancy savings. Uh and with what we're
[40:08]
seeing so far, we'll we'll make that and
[40:10]
likely exceed it uh slightly. Uh another
[40:14]
thing that I would notice is that debt
[40:15]
service,
[40:18]
sorry. uh debt service is um uh it's
[40:22]
consistent with where we normally are.
[40:23]
Uh it's by annual payment, so it looks
[40:25]
like we're we're ahead on that service,
[40:28]
but it's actually six months of activity
[40:30]
uh that's been recorded. Uh another
[40:32]
thing to point out is that energy costs,
[40:34]
we we we locked in our electricity
[40:36]
pricing uh for 2025 and 26 previously.
[40:40]
Uh so 326, we have uh some consistency
[40:42]
with our spending there. Uh but fuel
[40:45]
costs are an area we'll need to monitor.
[40:47]
Uh in terms of debt service, are there
[40:50]
any uh significant changes that Sorry.
[40:53]
Are there any significant changes we're
[40:55]
expecting in terms of debt service? For
[40:57]
example, given uh the you know debt that
[41:01]
was originally taken on with the justice
[41:03]
center. When when does that
[41:05]
» So we're actually we're on track with
[41:07]
with that service. We do have a uh a new
[41:10]
uh funding opportunity this year. We may
[41:12]
have some uh a refunding opportunity.
[41:15]
So, we'll actually do better on debt
[41:16]
service. Uh, but yeah, to this point in
[41:19]
the year, I think that service is is
[41:21]
exactly where we expected it to be.
[41:23]
Okay. Uh, next slide, please.
[41:26]
Um, so this is a uh a list of our our
[41:29]
capital projects. Um, the top 15 and
[41:32]
where we are at this point in the year.
[41:34]
Um, that you know the top 15 represent
[41:36]
about 80% of our spending and many many
[41:39]
smaller projects after that. Uh, I would
[41:42]
point out two things. Number one, the
[41:44]
voter services uh election equipment. It
[41:46]
looks like it's it's slightly over
[41:47]
budget at this point. Uh we're actually
[41:49]
waiting on a rebate. Uh once we booked
[41:51]
that rebate, it'll be back under budget.
[41:53]
Uh and the other thing to mention is uh
[41:56]
the the Bergies Bridge project looks to
[41:58]
be significantly over budget. Uh in
[42:01]
total, uh that project is actually
[42:03]
expected to come in roughly $70,000
[42:05]
under budget. Uh the budget is over five
[42:08]
million, but it's just a it's a timing
[42:10]
issue. There were some 25 expenses that
[42:12]
were posted in 26. Um, next slide,
[42:14]
please.
[42:16]
Uh, so, uh, for financial planning for
[42:18]
FY27, uh, we're actively, uh, evaluating
[42:22]
the the 26 budget and the 27 preliminary
[42:25]
budget proposals, uh, for cost
[42:27]
containment opportunities and
[42:29]
operational efficiencies. Uh, so budget
[42:32]
meetings began in June. Uh, they'll
[42:33]
continue through early August. uh and it
[42:37]
includes a detailed review of operating
[42:39]
capital budget requests for 27 as well
[42:41]
as uh a forecast for FY26.
[42:45]
Uh the U board of commissioners info
[42:48]
sessions will be scheduled August
[42:50]
through October. Uh and then the
[42:52]
distributions planned for the November
[42:55]
uh board meeting on November 12th uh
[42:58]
followed by the the typical public
[43:00]
hearings. Next slide.
[43:04]
Questions?
[43:05]
Take a breath. Take it from your first
[43:08]
budget budget presentation. What
[43:10]
questions do we have?
[43:11]
» That that one slide where we collected
[43:13]
was 23. What was that slide?
[43:15]
» 24
[43:16]
» 24.8,
[43:17]
» Right?
[43:18]
» It should have actually been 24.801
[43:20]
because I recently paid mine.
[43:23]
[laughter]
[43:27]
» Thanks for your conservation.
[43:29]
» Just wanted to make sure we're accurate.
[43:31]
[laughter]
[43:33]
No, I mean it it thank you for, you
[43:35]
know, for the update. I know, you know,
[43:37]
with you coming on board. We're, you
[43:39]
know, happy that you're here and and uh
[43:41]
we got a work cut out for us as we start
[43:43]
to roll look at 2027 and continue to do
[43:46]
everything we can in 2026 to, you know,
[43:50]
control spending and and really look for
[43:53]
cost savings as as you know, we've been
[43:55]
doing. Um, so I look forward to working
[43:59]
with you and your team um, you know,
[44:02]
over the next several months as we are
[44:03]
preparing for uh, 2027.
[44:07]
» Excellent.
[44:08]
» Really excited that you're here. Um, I
[44:11]
just by seeing what you've been doing
[44:13]
the last couple of weeks. I I know
[44:15]
you're going to help us kind of navigate
[44:17]
a complex and difficult uh, financial en
[44:20]
environment for for for the county. And
[44:23]
uh I I know that this board remains
[44:25]
committed to um ensuring that given the
[44:30]
affordability crisis that exists, uh we
[44:33]
know people are are stretched. And so
[44:35]
we're going to do our part to to work to
[44:37]
control cost uh while still being being
[44:40]
able to deliver on our promises to
[44:42]
residents. So I'm excited for you to
[44:44]
help us help us do that. So thanks for
[44:46]
the update. Y thanks.
[44:48]
» Anything? Okay. Great. Thanks for
[44:50]
» Thank you.
[44:51]
We can't go home.
[44:56]
All right. Um, next up we have uh
[44:58]
Immigrant Heritage Month's Rising Youth
[45:01]
Award, Nelly. [cough]
[45:09]
» Good morning, commissioners and other
[45:11]
attendees,
[45:12]
um, students and family members,
[45:17]
nonprofit leaders.
[45:19]
Today we come together to celebrate
[45:21]
National Immigrant Heritage Month. A
[45:24]
time to honor the courage, resilience,
[45:27]
and contributions of immigrants who
[45:29]
continue to shape our communities, our
[45:32]
county, and our country. My name is
[45:35]
Nelli Himenezo and I'm Venezuelan
[45:38]
American and the director of the office
[45:41]
of immigrant affairs for the county. As
[45:44]
we approach and celebrate the 250th
[45:47]
anniversary of our nation, we are
[45:50]
reminded that the story of the United
[45:52]
States has always been a stories of
[45:55]
immigrants,
[45:57]
a of hope, opportunity, and the belief
[46:00]
in a better future. Here in Montgomery
[46:03]
County, we are proud to be home to a
[46:06]
vibrant and diverse community reflecting
[46:09]
generations of individuals and families
[46:12]
who contribute to the strength, culture,
[46:14]
and prosperity of our county and our
[46:17]
nation. Today, that story continues
[46:20]
through the remarkable young people we
[46:23]
are here to recognize. We are honored to
[46:26]
celebrate eight outstanding students who
[46:30]
achievements in leadership, community
[46:33]
service, academics, and or athletics
[46:37]
represent the very best of Montgomery
[46:39]
County. They are not only excelling in
[46:43]
their own path, but they're also
[46:45]
uplifting others, serving their
[46:47]
communities, and showing us what is
[46:50]
possible when talent meets opportunity.
[46:54]
Their accomplishments reflect the high
[46:56]
level of skill, determination, and
[47:00]
potential we see across our immigrant
[47:02]
and second generation communities every
[47:05]
single day.
[47:07]
We also take this moment to recognize
[47:10]
those who have stood besides them. Their
[47:13]
parents, grandparents, teachers,
[47:16]
leaders, mentors, and community members
[47:18]
whose guidance, encouragement, and
[47:21]
waving support have helped shape these
[47:24]
joint leaders. Their success is a share
[47:27]
achievement rooted in community, care,
[47:31]
and collective effort.
[47:33]
If you are one of the students
[47:35]
supporters, parents, nonprofits,
[47:38]
leaders, siblings, or mentors, please
[47:41]
stand and be recognized.
[47:45]
Come on, don't be [applause]
[47:54]
[applause]
[47:56]
to our students. You are the pride of
[47:59]
our county and our country and an
[48:02]
inspiration for everybody else. You
[48:06]
remind us that when we invest in people
[48:09]
and create spaces where everyone
[48:12]
belongs, we all thrive. Let us continue
[48:16]
to build a safer community in Montgomery
[48:19]
County and a nation that honors dignity,
[48:22]
celebrates diversity, and supports the
[48:24]
dreams of every single generation.
[48:28]
Congratulations to each of you. I know
[48:31]
you're shy. There you go.
[48:34]
Um, at this time, we will recognize each
[48:38]
student individually. As your name is
[48:41]
called, please stand so that we can
[48:43]
acknowledge your achievements. And at
[48:46]
the end, we will invite you to come
[48:48]
forward to receive your commendation.
[48:51]
After all of the students have been
[48:53]
recognized, we will invite you to join
[48:54]
the commissioners for a group photo.
[48:58]
Now, I would like to call on two amazing
[49:01]
examples of Americas whose immigration
[49:04]
story is similar to those being
[49:06]
recognized today. my amazing interns,
[49:10]
Ashley and Cassandra. Come forward.
[49:14]
[applause]
[49:17]
So, you know, Ashley just graduated from
[49:20]
Penn State and Cassandra is a junior in
[49:24]
NYU and they both wants to be attorneys.
[49:29]
So, they're going to make the best
[49:31]
attorneys ever. So, thank you.
[49:33]
Congratulation, ladies. And now they're
[49:36]
going to introduce the students.
[49:41]
» Thank you, Molly. Good morning,
[49:44]
everyone. First, we have Ai Sapara from
[49:47]
Saddton School District with Indian
[49:50]
roots. Anne is an exemplary trailblazer
[49:53]
whose longtime engagement with academia
[49:56]
and community service reflects her
[49:58]
steady determination and alter.
[50:03]
» [applause]
[50:08]
» Next we have Case Young from Whistant
[50:11]
Pickin Height School District with
[50:12]
Chinese roots. Case is a champion for
[50:14]
immigrant rights whose civic engagement,
[50:16]
advocacy, and cultural pride reflect her
[50:19]
courage and resilience. Unfortunately,
[50:21]
she cannot be here right now, but she
[50:22]
will be outside joining us later.
[50:26]
[applause]
[50:30]
Next we have Sabal Durang from Upper
[50:33]
Marian School District with Nepali
[50:35]
roots. Sabal is a committed youth mentor
[50:37]
whose dedication to athleticism and
[50:39]
community service reflects his
[50:41]
consistent discipline and
[50:42]
responsibility.
[50:50]
Next we have Helen Lima from Nortown
[50:53]
Area School District with Latino roots.
[50:55]
Helen is a resilient and compassionate
[50:57]
leader whose support for young children
[50:59]
reflects her sense of belonging and
[51:00]
community.
[51:04]
[applause]
[51:06]
Geor Joy Khan from North Penn school
[51:08]
district with Bangladeshi roots. Gejoy
[51:11]
is an inspiring leader whose willingness
[51:13]
to support the others reflects his
[51:16]
family traditions of respect,
[51:17]
compassion, and service.
[51:23]
[applause]
[51:24]
Matthew Sia from the Upper Dublin School
[51:27]
District with Chinese roots. Matthew is
[51:29]
an academic and cultural p pioneer whose
[51:31]
collaborative student initiatives
[51:33]
reflect his proactive efforts to build
[51:35]
bridges.
[51:37]
[applause]
[51:40]
Joshua Cho from North Penn School
[51:42]
District with Korean roots. Joshua is an
[51:45]
innovative change maker whose youth
[51:47]
mentorship and personal ambition reflect
[51:49]
his devotion to advancing communities.
[51:55]
» [applause]
[51:56]
» And lastly, Musa Herszy from North Penn
[51:59]
School District with Somalian roots.
[52:01]
Musa is a positive role model whose
[52:03]
commitment to his faith and performance
[52:05]
in athletics reflects his sense of
[52:06]
belonging and commitment.
[52:16]
Please join us in giving them a round of
[52:17]
applause for their outstanding
[52:19]
achievements. [applause]
[52:28]
Now we invite all of the students to
[52:30]
remain at the front and join the
[52:31]
commissioners for a group photo.
[52:58]
All right.
[53:00]
» All right. Let's uh have you guys in the
[53:02]
middle?
[53:04]
» Let's take two lines.
[53:05]
» Two lines. Yeah.
[53:08]
» Anybody, please move to the front.
[53:10]
» Front. There you go.
[53:16]
Can we shift everybody?
[53:25]
» Okay. Yeah. Make sure you can see the
[53:27]
camera.
[53:28]
» All right. Ready? One, two, three.
[53:33]
Thank you.
[53:36]
» All right. Congratulations.
[53:38]
[applause]
[53:44]
Thank you, Nelly.
[53:47]
All right. Uh, first up, we'll do public
[53:49]
comments. Uh, comment section. This is
[53:52]
for today's pending votes. Uh, limit is
[53:54]
3 minutes. [clears throat]
[53:55]
» We do not have any agenda items.
[53:58]
» Okay. All right. Next, we'll move to
[54:00]
approval of the minutes. I'd like to
[54:02]
make a motion to approve the June 11th,
[54:04]
2026 minutes of the Montgomery County
[54:07]
Board of Commissioners. Is there a
[54:09]
second? Second.
[54:09]
» Second by Commissioner McKesia. Any
[54:11]
board comment hearing? None. All in
[54:13]
favor?
[54:14]
» I. Motion carries.
[54:16]
» Next up, resolutions. Authorization
[54:20]
uh to sell 10 acres of property in Lower
[54:23]
Frederick to be used as farmland. Ann.
[54:28]
» Hi. Good morning, commissioners.
[54:30]
Uh about a year ago, we came to a
[54:34]
commissioner's meeting to uh present you
[54:36]
with a little bit of an interesting
[54:38]
situation. that the county was being uh
[54:42]
bequeafed a farm in lower Frederick that
[54:45]
the uh deceased owner had intended to be
[54:48]
preserved. So at that time you accepted
[54:51]
this property and and since then uh we
[54:54]
have successfully transferred it to
[54:56]
county ownership. We have preserved it
[54:59]
and at this point we would like to sell
[55:02]
it which was always the intention to uh
[55:04]
an interested property owner. There have
[55:06]
been several people who have approached
[55:08]
us with interest in taking over
[55:09]
ownership of this property so that it
[55:11]
could be farmed in perpetuity. Um, we're
[55:14]
really good at preserving farms, but
[55:15]
we're not necessarily prepared to farm
[55:18]
this property ourselves. Uh, so today I
[55:20]
am here to request the approval of sale
[55:23]
of this property through Govde deals,
[55:25]
which is a property disposition website
[55:28]
the county uses for other assets it is
[55:30]
looking to sell. Uh we have appraised
[55:33]
this property and look to sell it for
[55:36]
the appraised value of 12,500 an acre.
[55:40]
So a minimum sale price of $116,875.
[55:43]
[clears throat]
[55:47]
» All right. I'd like to make a motion to
[55:48]
approve resolution number one as
[55:50]
described by an Leviter.
[55:54]
Uh is there a second?
[55:56]
» Second.
[55:56]
» Second by Commissioner McKesha. Any
[55:58]
board comment hearing? None. All in
[56:00]
favor?
[56:01]
» I
[56:01]
» I. Motion carries. Thank you.
[56:02]
» Great. Thank you.
[56:03]
» Um, next up, commissioner's appointment
[56:05]
to the prison board of inspectors. I'd
[56:08]
like to make a motion to approve the
[56:09]
board appointment as described in
[56:11]
resolution G-2. Is there a second?
[56:14]
» Second.
[56:14]
» Second by Commissioner Deello. Any board
[56:16]
comment? Hearing none. All in favor?
[56:18]
[snorts]
[56:19]
» I. Motion carries. Next up,
[56:22]
commissioners appointments and
[56:24]
reappoints to the mental health and
[56:26]
developmental development disabilities
[56:28]
board. I'd like to make a motion to
[56:30]
approve the board appointments and
[56:32]
reappoints as described in resolution
[56:34]
G-3. Is there a second?
[56:37]
» Second by Commissioner Deello. Any board
[56:39]
comment hearing? None. All in favor? I.
[56:42]
Motion carries. Next up, personnel list.
[56:48]
» Morning commissioners. [clears throat]
[56:53]
There's in front of you a final copy of
[56:55]
the commission department's personnel
[56:56]
list. It is a three-page document dated
[56:59]
[clears throat] June 24th, 2026 with a
[57:01]
time stamp of 11, I'm sorry, 1:17 p.m.
[57:04]
All positions have been reviewed and and
[57:06]
are presented for your consideration.
[57:08]
» Great. I'd like to make a motion to
[57:10]
approve the June 25th, 2026 personnel
[57:13]
presentation as given by Mr. Anthony
[57:15]
Brew. Is there a second?
[57:17]
» Second by Commissioner McKesia. Any
[57:19]
board comment hearing? None. All in
[57:21]
favor?
[57:22]
» I
[57:22]
» I motion carries. Thank you.
[57:25]
» Next up, advertisement of bids and RFPs
[57:27]
Montgomery County uh exhibit A. I'd like
[57:30]
to make a motion to approve the
[57:31]
advertisement of bids and RFPs for
[57:34]
Montgomery County on attached exhibit A.
[57:36]
Is there a second?
[57:37]
» Second.
[57:38]
» Second by Commissioner Deello. Any board
[57:39]
comment? Hearing none. All in favor?
[57:42]
» I. Motion carries. Next up, awards of
[57:45]
contract Montgomery County uh exhibit B.
[57:48]
like to make a motion to approve the
[57:50]
contracts, awards, amendments, and
[57:51]
renewals for Montgomery County on
[57:52]
attached exhibit B. Is there a second?
[57:56]
» Second by Commissioner McKesia. Any
[57:58]
board comment? Hearing none. All in
[58:00]
favor? I. Motion carries. Uh, next up,
[58:04]
awards of contract Southeast PA Regional
[58:06]
Task Force Exhibit C. I'd like to make a
[58:09]
motion to approve the contracts, awards,
[58:11]
amendments, and renewals for Southeast
[58:12]
PA Regional Task Force attached to
[58:15]
exhibit C. Is there a second?
[58:17]
» Second. Second by Commissioner Dello.
[58:19]
Any board comment hearing? None. All in
[58:21]
favor? I. Motion carries. General public
[58:24]
comment.
[58:26]
» Uh, first we have Elizabeth Ozer.
[58:35]
» Hi, Elizabeth.
[58:37]
» Hi. Good morning. Uh, my name is
[58:39]
Elizabeth Ozer and I work with First Up,
[58:41]
an early childhood nonprofit serving the
[58:43]
southeast of PA. And I just wanted to
[58:45]
share um a snapshot of the Montgomery
[58:47]
County childare and prek um landscape.
[58:51]
Uh right now there are a lot of children
[58:54]
who are not served which means their
[58:56]
families cannot work which means the
[58:58]
businesses are underst staffed and our
[58:59]
economy is sort of stifled. So right now
[59:02]
in Montgomery County there are around uh
[59:06]
5,750
[59:07]
children under the age of five who are
[59:09]
eligible for childare works and about
[59:12]
3,500 are not served. So that's 3,500
[59:17]
children who are not in child care
[59:19]
meaning their families need to most of
[59:22]
their families are probably at home
[59:23]
watching them. So I know from our
[59:25]
organization that we have thousands of
[59:27]
child care programs who are
[59:28]
understaffed. they cannot find anyone
[59:30]
qualified um to watch the children who
[59:33]
are willing to make the um salary
[59:35]
they're able to offer. So there is some
[59:37]
money in the state budget to improve
[59:39]
that. But I would just urge the business
[59:41]
leaders and residents of Montgomery
[59:43]
County to support your childare
[59:44]
workforce. Um and as you're doing
[59:47]
planning, try to think about child care.
[59:49]
Where can you put it? Where can you um
[59:50]
include it in housing planning? Things
[59:52]
like that. Um also mention that our prek
[59:56]
snapshot is similar. There's about 5,000
[59:58]
eligible children ages four, three, and
[1:00:00]
four who could receive uh publicly
[1:00:02]
funded prek. Only about 1,900 are
[1:00:06]
served. So that's about 3,000 kids not
[1:00:09]
in school, not in care, and families
[1:00:11]
probably looking for work. So I would uh
[1:00:14]
urge some thought around that,
[1:00:16]
especially in looking at the contracts
[1:00:18]
budget. I see 16 contracts for juvenile
[1:00:20]
services and a lot of that could
[1:00:22]
probably be um supported earlier on by
[1:00:27]
ensuring the children receive
[1:00:28]
developmentally appropriate um education
[1:00:31]
that early intervention services are
[1:00:33]
available to identify the children early
[1:00:34]
on before they stem into behavior
[1:00:37]
problems which become quite costly in
[1:00:38]
K12. Um so this would improve a lot of
[1:00:41]
the spending in general because we
[1:00:44]
immediately have a workforce boost. we
[1:00:47]
later on reduce our uh K12 spending
[1:00:49]
which is big especially special ed and
[1:00:52]
later down the line we have a huge
[1:00:53]
reduction in uh crime especially violent
[1:00:56]
crime from all the kids that received
[1:00:57]
high quality early learning. So I would
[1:01:00]
just share all that to say as you're
[1:01:02]
thinking about how to make things great
[1:01:03]
in Montgomery County keep childare and
[1:01:06]
early learning in mind because it
[1:01:07]
impacts quite a lot of Thank you so much
[1:01:09]
for your time.
[1:01:10]
» Thank you.
[1:01:10]
» Um I also had a question for the
[1:01:12]
commission around child care. I know
[1:01:13]
there was a tri share program that was
[1:01:15]
created for businesses, childare and
[1:01:18]
families to sort of all contribute to
[1:01:20]
and I was wondering if um the business
[1:01:22]
community has sort of taken that
[1:01:23]
opportunity.
[1:01:25]
» Um I'd have to get the details on how
[1:01:27]
the program is running. I know we we
[1:01:29]
launched that that's been about about a
[1:01:31]
year with our ARPA dollars, but we can
[1:01:33]
get you some more information.
[1:01:34]
» Okay, that would be great because we'd
[1:01:35]
love to make sure families have the
[1:01:37]
ability to go to work.
[1:01:38]
» Abs. Absolutely. Um, could you just make
[1:01:40]
sure our our board secretary uh has your
[1:01:43]
contact information?
[1:01:44]
» I will and I can send those uh fact
[1:01:46]
sheets later also.
[1:01:47]
» Thank you. Thank you so much.
[1:01:50]
» Any
[1:01:51]
» No, that's all for
[1:01:52]
» That's it. Okay. Any closing
[1:01:54]
commissioner comments?
[1:01:57]
» You said that very said that very
[1:01:59]
quickly. All right. Um
[1:02:01]
» Trying to make up three minutes.
[1:02:02]
» I know. Uh, the next board of
[1:02:04]
commissioners meeting, uh, my colleague
[1:02:05]
shared it, will be Thursday, July 16th
[1:02:07]
at 6 PM at the Hfield Township admin
[1:02:10]
building. Um, I'd like to make a motion
[1:02:12]
to adjourn the June 25th, 2026 meeting
[1:02:15]
of the Montgomery County Board of
[1:02:16]
Commissioners. Is there a second?
[1:02:18]
» Second.
[1:02:18]
» Second by Commissioner Dello. Any board
[1:02:20]
comment? Hearing none. All in favor?
[1:02:23]
» I. Motion carries. Next up, salary
[1:02:25]
board. Light our controller up.
[1:02:29]
Any public comment for salary board? No
[1:02:32]
public comment.
[1:02:33]
» Okay. Give them a chance to sit down.
[1:02:37]
» All right.
[1:02:39]
» All right. Good morning, members of the
[1:02:40]
salary board. You should have in front
[1:02:42]
of you a final copy of the salary board
[1:02:43]
list. It is a forage document dated June
[1:02:46]
24, 2026 for the time of 1:17 p.m. All
[1:02:50]
positions have been reviewed and are
[1:02:52]
present for consideration.
[1:02:54]
» I'd like to make a motion to approve the
[1:02:56]
June 25th, 2026 salary board
[1:02:58]
presentation as given by Mr. Anthony B.
[1:03:01]
Brew, chief human resource officer. Is
[1:03:03]
there a second?
[1:03:04]
» Second.
[1:03:04]
» Second by controller Hart. Uh, any board
[1:03:07]
comment? All in favor?
[1:03:09]
» I.
[1:03:09]
» I.
[1:03:10]
» Motion carries.
[1:03:11]
» Thank you.
[1:03:11]
» Uh, I'd like to make a motion to adjourn
[1:03:14]
the June 25th, 2026 meeting of the
[1:03:16]
Montgomery County Salary Board. Is there
[1:03:18]
a second?
[1:03:19]
» Second by Controller Hart. Any board
[1:03:20]
comment? Hearing none. All in favor? I.
[1:03:24]
Motion carries.
[1:03:25]
» Thank you.
[1:03:26]
» Thanks everyone. We'll see you outside.
[1:03:55]
There's um a block party out downstairs.
[1:04:10]
» Oh,
[1:04:16]
you don't want to have
[1:04:20]
that
[1:04:23]
question.
[1:04:38]
Get
[1:04:48]
it hey.
[1:05:05]
Hey,
[1:05:16]
hey, hey.
[1:05:29]
I'm
[1:05:34]
ready.
[1:05:47]
Heat. Heat. N.
[1:05:57]
Heat. Heat. N.
[1:06:07]
Heat. Heat.