(a)    Subject to § 3–403.1 of this subtitle, the Secretary shall enter into a grant agreement with the Montgomery County government for the administration in Montgomery County of programs administered in other counties by local departments.

(b)    The grant agreement shall:

(1)    provide for payment to Montgomery County for the costs of administering State programs at State funding rates as provided in § 3-202 of this title:

(i)    including salaries, overhead, general liability coverage, workers’ compensation, and employee benefits; but

(ii)    excluding amounts attributable to county salaries or benefits that exceed comparable State salaries or benefits;

(2)    require the State to pay for State accrued leave; and

(3)    utilize the same budget categories as appropriations in the State budget for local departments in other counties.

(c)    (1)    Notwithstanding any other law, the proportion of State and federal funds paid in fiscal year 1997 to the Montgomery County government under this section relative to the funds provided by the Secretary to all local departments may not be less than the proportion of funds disbursed in fiscal year 1996 to the Montgomery County Department of Social Services.

(2)    After fiscal year 1997, the amount of the grant to the Montgomery County government shall be proportionally adjusted each year to:

(i)    reflect changes in case loads, the number of children in poverty, and any other relevant cost factors the parties agree to; and

(ii)    ensure that the grant is equitable in relation to the funds provided to all local departments.