Official sources
Sources Used By MoCo Budget Explained
The Sources page lists the official Montgomery County, Maryland budget pages, datasets, publications, and public records used by this site. It exists so readers can check the original material directly.
Last updated: May 19, 2026
Separate Sources Answer Separate Questions
Operating budget, revenue, capital budget, Council action, school budget details, contracts, and payments may live in different official places. This page lists the sources currently registered for use on the site.
The registry is a working list for this independent site. It is not an official Montgomery County index, and it is not a complete archive of every county budget document.
Current Source Registry
| Source | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County Operating Budget | Official Budget Page | Official Operating Budget and Public Services Program site. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| FY27 County Executive Recommended Operating Budget press release | Official Press Release | Use for County Executive proposal context. Do not treat as final adopted budget. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| dataMontgomery Open Data Portal | Official Data Portal | Official open data portal linking Open Budget, CIP, spendingMontgomery, CountyStat, and developer resources. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| FY27 Recommended Operating Expenditures Visual Budget Snapshot | Official Budget Page | Official FY27 Recommended operating expenditure snapshot by service area. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| FY27 Recommended Operating Revenues Visual Budget Snapshot | Official Budget Page | Official FY27 Recommended operating revenue snapshot by revenue category. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| FY27 Recommended Fiscal Plan | Official Budget Page | Official FY27 Recommended fiscal policy chapter. Use for tax-supported fund context and County Executive tax proposals. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| FY27 Operating Budget Process | Official Budget Page | Official FY27 Recommended operating budget process chapter explaining the fiscal year, budget submission deadlines, public hearings, Council review, and final approval timing. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| Montgomery County Operating Budget Glossary | Official Budget Page | Official operating budget glossary for county budget terms including operating budget, PSP, fund types, grants, FTE-related staffing terms, and spending affordability. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| FY27 Recommended Montgomery County Public Schools Operating Budget | Official Budget Page | Official county operating budget page for the FY27 Recommended Montgomery County Public Schools budget, including county contribution and Maintenance of Effort context. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| MCPS FY 2027 Operating Budget Home | Official Mcps Source | Official MCPS operating budget page with FY27 budget materials, Board budget links, and budget timeline. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| MCPS Board of Education FY 2027 Operating Budget News | Official Mcps Source | Official MCPS news item on the Board of Education's amended recommended FY27 operating budget and next review steps. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| Montgomery County Capital Budget and Capital Improvements Program | Official Budget Page | Official county Capital Budget and Capital Improvements Program publication site, including MCPS capital project category links. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| FY27 Recommended Debt Service Operating Budget | Official Budget Page | Official FY27 Recommended operating budget page for Debt Service, including GO bond, debt service, and CIP operating impact context. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| FY27 Capital Budget Process | Official Budget Page | Official capital budget process chapter explaining the CIP, capital budget, operating budget timing, and operating budget impacts. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| FY27 Capital Budget Fiscal Policy | Official Budget Page | Official capital budget fiscal policy chapter explaining debt funding, GO debt policy, current revenues, PAYGO, and operating budget impacts. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| Montgomery County Capital Budget Glossary | Official Budget Page | Official capital budget glossary defining CIP, capital budget, capital project, debt service, current revenue, and PAYGO. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| County Council Operating and Capital Budget Updates | Official Council Source | Official County Council budget update page with budget hearing, committee review, testimony, and budget contact links. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| County Council Live Testimony | Official Council Source | Official County Council page for live public hearing testimony registration, future public hearing links, and Council calendar embed. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| County Council Agenda | Official Council Source | Official County Council agenda and calendar page for sessions, committee meetings, and public hearings. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| Montgomery County OMB Publications | Official Budget Page | Official OMB publication list for recommended, amended, and approved budget documents by fiscal year. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| Maryland Education Article Section 5-235 | Official Reference | Official Maryland General Assembly statute text for local school funding and Maintenance of Effort requirements. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| Montgomery County Tax Information | Official Reference | Official Department of Finance page explaining property tax rates, assessments, credits, payment timing, and charges. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| Montgomery County Tax Rates | Official Reference | Official Department of Finance page listing real and personal property tax rate schedules by levy year. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| Maryland SDAT Real Property | Official Reference | Official Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation real property page for assessment and appeal context. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| FY26 OMB Recommended Expenditure CSV | Socrata Csv | FY26 recommended expenditure dataset. Use as a schema reference; discover the FY27 equivalent before publishing FY27 dataset-derived figures. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| FY26 OMB Recommended Revenue CSV | Socrata Csv | FY26 recommended revenue dataset. Use as a schema reference; discover the FY27 equivalent before publishing FY27 dataset-derived figures. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| Contracts-API | Socrata Dataset | Active county contracts, updated daily. Phase 2 only; avoid displaying personal addresses. Verified May 19, 2026. |
| Contract Spending | Socrata Dataset | Summary payments made to vendors with county contracts. Phase 2 only; aggregate and explain responsibly. Verified May 19, 2026. |
How These Sources Should Be Read
The FY26 recommended expenditure and revenue downloads are registered as schema references. They should not be used to make FY27 claims unless a page clearly says it is describing FY26 recommended data.
Contract sources are registered for later work. Public contract data can include individual names and addresses, so MVP pages should not display addresses or single out individuals.
When A Source Changes
Official pages can move, datasets can be revised, and adopted documents can replace recommended documents. If a source link breaks or the source record changes, the affected page should be reviewed before a public figure is updated.
If a source appears to contradict another official source, this site should pause the claim, use careful version labels, and avoid publishing a stronger conclusion than the official record supports.
What People Often Misunderstand
A link to an official source does not make this site official. It means the reader can check the original material. When an official source and this site disagree, the official source should be treated as the record to verify first.