A proposed charter amendment that would cap Montgomery County's budget growth fell 2,001 signatures short of qualifying for the November ballot after the Board of Elections completed its first round of verification on Tuesday, Aug. 11.

The board validated 7,999 of the 11,408 petition signatures submitted by the Committee to Control Montgomery County Spending on July 21. The initiative needs 10,000 valid signatures to reach voters. A second batch of 2,524 signatures, submitted July 27, is still under review.

For Potomac residents, who carry some of the county's highest property tax bills, the outcome will determine whether they get a direct vote on how the council spends their money.

What the amendment would do

The "Stop the Spend" measure would require a unanimous vote of all 11 County Council members to increase the operating budget beyond the regional rate of inflation. Under the current charter, seven votes are enough to pass a budget that exceeds inflation.

The math problem

The odds are not good.

The first batch validated at roughly 70.8%, according to an analysis by Moderately MoCo. To reach 10,000, at least 2,001 of the remaining 2,524 signatures must clear review, a rate of about 79.3%.

If the second batch validates at the same rate as the first, roughly 1,787 signatures would be accepted, bringing the total to about 9,786. That would leave the campaign approximately 214 short.

The Board of Elections must finish its review by Monday, Aug. 17. Board of Elections president David Naimon previously confirmed to Bethesda Today that the deadline cannot be extended under Maryland election law.

Both sides have weighed in

Mark Lautman, chair of the Committee to Control Montgomery County Spending, said on July 25 that the measure "simply requires the County Council to establish priorities, make responsible budget decisions, and control the overall growth of spending."

County Executive Marc Elrich pushed back at his July 23 media briefing, arguing that tying budget growth to general inflation would force the county to shortchange services. "This is a serious problem because schools don't cost less, roads don't cost less, nothing we build costs less," Elrich said.

The committee was founded by Reardon Sullivan, who recently won the District 1 Republican primary for County Council.

What's next

The Board of Elections will announce its final decision on the second batch by Aug. 17. Signatures can be rejected for inconsistencies between printed and signed names or missing contact information.

A separate dispute over the ballot language that would describe the amendment to voters could become moot if the petition falls short. Lautman objected on July 30 that the County Attorney's proposed wording was "confusing and contradicts the spirit of our referendum."

The board's Aug. 17 announcement will determine whether the spending cap reaches the November ballot.