Montgomery County, Maryland (population 977,888) is a full-service local government, with an FY12 approved budget of $4.37 billion. The Director of the Office of Legislative Oversight is a full-time, non-merit position appointed by the nine-member County Council.

The Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) is an independent Legislative Branch office that conducts program evaluations, fiscal analyses, audits, and policy research projects assigned by the Council.  Completed OLO reports include evidenced-based findings and recommendations to the Council for action; reports are presented and reviewed in public sessions of Council Committees and the full Council.

By law, a majority of Councilmembers in office appoints the OLO Director to a four-year term.  There is no legal limit to the number of terms the Director may serve. Since OLO was established in 1976, there have been two Directors.

The Director works with Councilmembers to develop a recommended annual work program of projects that reflects the Council’s priorities for public policy and budget-related research, evaluation, analysis, comparative data, and other information.  Once the Council has approved the work program, the Director must manage the office’s resources to accomplish the work assigned.

At present, the OLO staff consists of the Director, six full-time analysts, and one part-time administrative position.  The Council expects the Director to serve as a “working director,” meaning that he or she actively participates in the design, conduct, writing, and presentation of OLO reports. Specifically, the OLO Director’s major duties include:

• Proactively provide office leadership, which includes strong project management skills and the ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with elected and appointed officials, local government staff, and the public;
• Ensure that OLO’s reports are well-written, delivered on schedule, and provide the Council with fact-driven findings and constructive recommendations;
• Effectively use full Council, Council Committee, and individual Councilmembers’ time for review of OLO-related work;
• Coordinate OLO’s work with that of other offices, with special attention to coordination with the central Council staff and the Office of the Inspector General; and
• Successfully complete his or her own share of project work.

The Director also supervises the day-to-day operations of the OLO office. (OLO’s FY12 approved budget is $1.2 million.)  The Director’s duties include managing the recruitment, selection, hiring, and training of OLO staff, and ensuring that routine office activities comply with the County’s procurement and budget procedures, personnel regulations, and other County laws and policies.

Go to http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/olo for more information about the Office of Legislative Oversight, including the current annual work program and examples of OLO’s reports.