MoCo Budget Explained Budget status labels tell you where a number sits in the public process. In Montgomery County, a recommended budget is a proposal. An adopted budget is the final budget after official action.
That difference is not a technical detail. It changes how a resident should read the number.
Recommended
Recommended means the County Executive has proposed the figure. It can be the right source for explaining what the Executive asked for, but it should not be described as final.
When this site uses a recommended figure, the page should say which fiscal year it belongs to and link the source.
Approved And Adopted
Approved and adopted are not filler words. They should be used only when the official source supports that status.
Adopted is the label to use after final budget adoption is verified. If final adoption has not been checked, this site should keep the figure labeled Recommended, Council Straw Vote, Draft, or another sourced status.
Amended And Actual
Amended figures reflect later changes after an earlier budget action. Actual figures describe what happened after the money was spent or received.
Those labels matter for year-to-year comparisons. A recommended figure for one fiscal year should not be compared with an actual figure from another year without saying so clearly.
What People Often Misunderstand
A county press release about a recommended budget is not the final adopted budget. A Council preliminary decision is not automatically the adopted budget. A dataset can also lag behind a later official action.
Before repeating a number, check the label, fiscal year, source, and last checked date.