Credit: Montgomery County Commissioners
Our series aims to educate the public on elected county officials, their role for the public
We have many layers of governmental officials when it comes to life in Montgomery County, Pa., and while you’ve likely learned about the federal and state governmental systems in school, the county you live in also has its own system of operations that impact your daily life.
Montgomery County, Pa. is led by three commissioners. You’ve likely seen the meeting coverage right here and in many other area publications. But how well do you understand the duties of the county-level officials? Over the coming days, we hope to shed a little bit of light on the duties of different county officials, letting you know the services they provide, the duties of their individual offices, and where you can find who and what you need should the occasion arise.
In our series, Managing Montco, we will review the role of those familiar-sounding commissioner folks, and dive into the nine “Row Officers” that make up the county’s department heads. Designed to educate and inform, the Managing Montco series should help you, the reader and resident, better understand just what these officials do, why they matter, and where you can turn when you need county assistance. First, let’s get to understand the precise place we call home, and what exactly it is our commissioners must oversee.
What is Montgomery County, Pa.?
Pennsylvania is made up of 67 total counties, and Montgomery County the third most-populated, listed only below Philadelphia County and Allegheny County (home to the city of Pittsburgh). According to the most recent 2023 population estimates, the county is made up of 868,742 people. Our neighbors in Bucks (fourth most populated at 645,982) and Delco (fifth, with 576,720) come next on the ranking list of counties by population.
When it comes to actual land size, however, we’re way down the list, ranked at 47 out of 67, encompassing only 483.04 square miles, according to USA.com rankings. That’s a small section of land, considering the state’s largest county, Lycoming, has 1,228.59 square miles (for its population of around 116,676).
Montgomery County includes 23 school districts within its borders (20 are considered “at large” while three are regional).
When someone asks you “where you live,” Americans have a somewhat unique response. At a single address, you are a resident of a country, state, county, and municipality all at once, (not to mention a particular school district, but that’s another story for another time). You can find each listed here.
What services does a county provide its people?
When it comes to services a county must, can, and cannot supply, the county level of government the state is “in charge.” The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP) provides services, trainings, direction, and assistance to commissioners, but it is the state’s legislature that, in essence, gives county government its “authority.”
According to the National Association of Counties (isn’t that a confusing mesh of names?), county government in Pennsylvania must provide the following to its residents:
Optionally, the county CAN offer:
By law, there are also a handful of two main operations a county CANNOT do, which include providing utilities (such as gas and electric) and create school districts.
Who are our County Commissioners?
In Montgomery County, three commissioners make up the panel of leadership for the county’s government. Presently, those commissioners are Chair Commissioner Jamila H. Winder, Vice Chair Commissioner Neil K. Makhija, and Commissioner Thomas DiBello. (You can get to know each one by clicking on the individual bio for each, linked in the name.) You can find a list of the county’s past commissioners here.
During an election year for the candidates, the “people” (organized via an electorate) vote for the commissioners they’d prefer. From there, the electorate votes for two of four possible candidates seeking three positions. To ensure minority and majority parties are represented, the top two vote-getters in the majority party wins the first two seats. The third is taken by the top-vote-getter from the opposing (or minority) party. This way, there are always both minority and majority party members represented at the county level.
Should a vacancy occur before the end of the four-year term, county judges select a replacement to carry out the remainder of the term. Currently, Makhija was elected in 2023 (the first Asian American county commissioner across all of the Commonwealth’s 67 counties!), as was DiBello. Both were sworn in on Jan. 2, 2024. The next election year for commissioners is not until 2027, for commissioners that will take their seats at the start of January 2028.
In Winder’s case, an appointment by the county’s court of common pleas was necessary to name a person for the role, as the elected Val Arkoosh was nominated to become the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (working under another former Montco Commish, Governor Josh Shapiro).
Each commissioner is elected by the county population to serve a four-year term. Once the three are named, they must decide amongst themselves who to name as chair. Among the current commissioners, Winder was unanimously chosen to lead the trio.
What do county commissioners do?
County commissioners are two of the three branches of government in one. If you recall from middle school civics classes, one branch of the government is the judicial. That’s an easy one to remember. Courts are the judicial arm. On a county level, the executive and legislative arms are both handled by commissioners.
According to the county’s website, the role of the commissioners includes several duties, often first of which includes naming all county department heads, as well as members for assorted boards, authorities, and committees. The commissioners also appoint all county employees (outside elected officials) and establish their salaries (along with the Salary Board and the County Controller).
Other duties of the commissioners include:
To conduct their business, the commissioners hold meetings, typically on select Thursdays of the month. Meetings begin at 10 a.m. and are held at One Montgomery Plaza, 425 Swede Street in Norristown. The meetings are typically held in the eighth-floor boardroom, unless otherwise noted. At times, the commissioners take their operations “on the road” visiting the communities it serves.
Up Next: Row Officers
In addition to commissioners, the county is led by nine county departments. These departments are headed by individuals elected directly by the people. Each day, we will explore just one of those departments and its designated Row Officer. While there are nine departments, there are actually ten heads, (as there are two jury commissioners).
Tune in tomorrow to meet our Clerk of Courts. Find out what that is, who serves in the role currently, and exactly what services he or she may provide.
