“Our departments have been great at controlling costs and anticipating challenges that will affect the bottom line,” Colbert said. “We’ve been able to maintain a balanced budget while continuing to offer exceptional programs to support our residents. It is a source of great pride for us, and our citizens can rest assured that their county is fiscally responsible with their taxpayer dollars.”
Total county revenue for 2025 is budgeted at $1.06 billion, up 5.5% — or $52.6 million — over 2024.
The county’s $233 million general fund, too, will see a boost from a 5.6% increase in property taxes, a 2.5% increase in sales tax revenue and a 15% increase in investment income, county officials said on Tuesday.
Expenses for the county are expected to total $1.08 billion, a 5.1% increase from this year. County officials pointed to a 7% increase in health insurance costs as a major challenge. Staff salaries and benefits represent the largest portion of the budget at $376.8 million, or 34.8% of the total budget, followed by professional services at $278 million (25.7%).
A portion of the county’s $310.6 million in reserves will cover the difference between expenses and revenue in the next year. That figure encompasses the reserves of numerous county funds or departments, which must enter the year with cash reserves — minimally 5% of their total budget.
Social Services
Social services funding for Montgomery County in 2025 will total $463.8 million, and 34.1% of this allocation funds the Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services. Another 34% goes to funding the Human Services Planning and Development department ($157.7 million).
Also under social services is the Montgomery County Department of Developmental Disabilities ($58.2 million), the Stillwater Center ($30.8 million) and Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS), which was allocated $28.9 million.
The social services budget is offset by the $137.9 million Human Services levies. These levies, combined with state and federal funding, provide services such as homeless solutions, food equity and elder care.
Law enforcement
Judicial and law enforcement funding makes up 22.2% ($240.7 million) of the county’s budget, coming in as the second-highest allocation.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office has the largest slice, with $77.1 million in funding allocated to the department.
The Montgomery County Juvenile Court was budgeted $30.4 million, or 12.6% of the judicial and law enforcement allocation.
This portion of the budget also funds the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court’s general division ($17.8 million); the prosecutor’s office ($14.9 million); the clerk of courts ($15.3 million) and the coroner’s office ($7.6 million).
Governance
The third largest allocation — $185.9 million, or 17.2% of the 2025 budget — goes to governance and debt. Nearly 61% of this funding goes to administrative services.
Other government offices receive county funding under this allocation. This includes $20.4 million for the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office, $6.4 million for the Montgomery County Treasurer’s Office, $5.1 million for the Montgomery County Board of Elections and $1.8 million for the Montgomery County Recorder’s Office.
Environmental services and public works
Environmental Services and Public Works represent 16.2% of the total county budget, or $175.3 million.
Montgomery County Environmental Services will have $154.5 million under this fund, while the Montgomery County Engineer’s Office will receive $19.1 million. Other funding will be used for Soil and Water Conservation ($1 million), as well as facilities and non-departmental costs ($800,000 total).
Funding covers Montgomery County Environmental Services projects (including water and sewer infrastructure, solid waste and recycling), as well as county engineer infrastructure projects like bridge replacements and road resurfacing.
Some Environmental Services projects will include $20.5 million for sewer collection system improvements, and another $15.4 million will cover water distribution, storage and lead mitigation. Facilities work will include renovations, elevator and electrical upgrades at the Reibold building ($10 million), among other projects.
Other highlights
Another $17.4 million, or 1.6% of the total budget, will fund services that fall under community and economic development. This includes facilities management, the management and budget office and more.
Roughly $14.7 million in funding will also go toward commissioner initiative projects.
This will include $4 million to Preschool Promise, a program that helps children get ready for kindergarten by helping their families find and pay for preschool education. Another $3.1 million will help adults and youth with job training and employment opportunities.
Another commissioner initiative is $2.5 million toward Economic Development Government (ED/GE) grants, and arts and culture projects have $1 million set aside.
“Our county has also done an exceptional job of attracting and retaining jobs by working with municipalities in providing Economic Development/Government Equity (ED/GE) grants,” said Commissioner Carolyn Rice. “This keeps our tax base growing and our community prosperous.”
Montgomery County’s Office of Management and Budget last month announced that it had won the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association for the 42nd consecutive year.
“It takes months of planning and meetings to establish our annual budget,” said John Parks, director of the Office of Management and Budget. “I’m proud of all the work our OMB team did with the elected officials as well as agency and department directors to ensure a balanced budget, low debt load and high credit ratings for Montgomery County.”
By the Numbers:
$1.06 billion: Total projected 2025 revenue
$1.08 billion: Total projected 2025 expenses
$233 million: The county’s 2025 general fund
About the Author
