Elrich blasts Stop the Spend charter proposal as petition drive advances

County executive says proposed spending cap would hinder funding for schools, infrastructure

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July 22, 2026 4:19 p.m.

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Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) voiced strong opposition Wednesday to a proposed charter amendment that would cap county spending growth, arguing the measure could lead to chronic underinvestment in public services and infrastructure.

“If you want Montgomery County to sink, this is what you would do to sink us,” Elrich said during his weekly virtual media briefing.

His comments come a day after the Committee to Control Montgomery County Spending submitted more than 11,000 petition signatures to the Montgomery County Board of Elections in an effort to place the amendment on the November ballot.

The Board of Elections is expected to determine in the coming weeks whether at least 10,000 of the submitted signatures are valid — the threshold required for the measure to qualify for the ballot.

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If certified, voters will decide this fall whether to approve a charter amendment that would cap annual county spending increases at the rate of inflation unless the County Council unanimously votes to exceed the limit. Supporters say the measure would promote fiscal accountability and curb government spending growth, while critics, including Elrich, argue it could constrain funding for public services, schools and infrastructure projects.

Elrich said the proposal fails to account for the rising costs of building and maintaining public infrastructure.

“Their proposal ignores the basic economic reality: the cost of building and maintaining comprehensive public services and infrastructure has nothing to do with general inflation,” Elrich said.

He cited rising construction costs as one example, noting they have increased faster than the Consumer Price Index, a key measure of inflation. Elrich attributed some recent increases to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration while adding that construction costs have outpaced inflation for years.

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“To have the same purchasing power for infrastructure that we had back in FY 2009, the county would need to issue more than $550 million in bonds annually,” Elrich said. “We’re currently capped at around $300 million.”

Elrich also warned that the proposed spending cap could affect public education. He pointed to Montgomery County Public Schools’ proposed $3.72 billion fiscal year 2027 budget, saying it already falls short of meeting the district’s needs.

“The most immediate victims of this kind of cap are going to be our kids,” Elrich said.

In an advisory sent to the press ahead of the briefing, Elrich’s office said he would address an “ill-advised budget-limiting measure.” Reardon Sullivan, the Republican candidate for the Montgomery County Council’s District 1 seat who previously chaired the Stop the Spend committee before stepping down to run for office, dismissed Elrich’s criticism of the effort.

“His dislike of the proposal shows that he’s really out of touch with the average citizen of Montgomery County,” Sullivan told Bethesda Today in a Wednesday morning interview ahead of Elrich’s briefing. “The concept of constantly raising taxes and not controlling spending resonates with voters, and Marc wants to continue to increase spending.”

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine