Montgomery County officials are clarifying the county’s role, and lack of oversight following scrutiny over international travel spending by the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit (MCIU).
In a social media post with Commissioner Tom Dibello, county officials stated that MCIU operates independently from county government, stressing that its finances and governance are controlled by its own 22-member board of directors.
“The MCIU is not a County agency,” the statement said. “The County does not oversee the MCIU’s governance or finances.”
He noted that while the county’s Department of Health and Human Services has contracted with the MCIU for services, any concerns about potential misuse of funds would be taken seriously.
“We would be concerned by reports of alleged misappropriation of funds by any contracted provider,” the post said, adding that the county’s controller would take appropriate steps to determine whether any county funding was improperly used.
The response comes after reporting highlighted roughly $40,000 in international travel expenses incurred by MCIU administrators since 2023.
According to the report, the spending included trips across multiple continents tied to leadership and professional development programs, but raised concerns due to limited documentation and oversight. In some cases, expense reports lacked receipts, detailed descriptions, or required approvals.
Records reviewed showed thousands of dollars in charges, including more than $9,000 tied to a 2023 Africa trip, without detailed supporting documentation. Some expenses were reportedly backed only by a screenshot of a credit card charge, while a later visa purchase was one of the few clear references to the trip in official records.
Additional concerns were raised about a later trip connected to a leadership program in South Korea and Singapore, where a five-figure registration fee was charged to an agency credit card, with at least one payment missing required approval signatures.
The expenses were approved during the tenure of Juliane Ramić, who told the newspaper she does not recall specific details about the charges at the time and noted that board members typically focus on broader operations rather than day-to-day expense oversight. She also acknowledged limited formal training for board members.
While MCIU leadership has maintained the travel was legitimate professional development, critics, including a former board member, questioned the transparency and value of trips that included leisure activities. Public finance experts also emphasized that even allowable expenses must be carefully justified when taxpayer funds are involved.
Board members have since acknowledged gaps in oversight and are calling for increased transparency, additional training, and potential policy changes to strengthen accountability.
The MCIU, which operates with a budget of about $198 million and serves more than 200 schools, continues to face scrutiny as discussions around governance and public spending move forward.
