Montgomery County faces 5 percent budget hole for next fiscal year

Montgomery County faces a $71 million — or 5.2 percent — budget hole next fiscal year, assuming no county employees get raises and county revenues see slight growth, the county Office of Management and Budget warned county department heads this week.

Several factors could increase the budget gap. For example, the projections do not account for storm cleanup or response, increases in the county’s pension and health insurance costs — both of which are expected to grow, according to county OMB Director Jennifer Hughes — or changes to state or federal programs that would reduce county funding.