There was little talk but a lot of money at stake: Montgomery County Council on Thursday approved a $6.3 billion operating budget, including $2.9 billion for schools in Maryland County .

Montgomery County Council Chairman Gabe Albornoz said the final unanimous vote was disappointing after months of budget deliberations. After the vote on the budget by a show of hands, he declared: “It all works in less than a minute and a half!

The work Albornoz referenced included budget decisions that dedicated nearly half of the county’s operating budget to education, with increases to mental health services and school safety.

Public safety funding included $296 million for the county police department, with an increase of more than 13% for most county sworn officers. Part of the budget will cover the cost of 24 new recruits, all but three of which will be staffed by civilians.

The fire and rescue services receive an operating budget of $251.8 million in the expenditure plan.

The budget for the Department of Health and Social Services was set at $421 million, an increase of almost 16% over the previous year. According to its budget statement, the board factored the expected reduction in federal COVID-19 funding into the agency’s budget increase.

Transportation project funding includes restoring Ride On and Call-n-Ride services to pre-pandemic levels with fares at $1 for most Ride-On trips. There is also $525,000 in the budget for the county’s Safe Routes to School program, which aims to “to improve the safety of students walking and cycling to school.”

The county’s recreation department will see $12.6 million for youth development programs, and Maryland’s National Capital Parks and Planning Commission is expected to get increased funding for trail renovations, maintenance sports fields and the renovation of tennis and basketball courts.

The county’s approved $5.3 billion capital budget — for brick-and-mortar projects — includes $1.7 billion for building schools and $26 million for wellness centers high schools.

The county’s economic development corporation, MCEDC, is receiving $6.2 million in the budget to continue efforts related to economic recovery from the pandemic.

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