From the Washington Post of May 8, 2013:  

MONTGOMERY COUNTY’S government unions, which for decades amassed powers unique even in the pro-labor state of Maryland, had their wings clipped when the recession forced local officials to roll back privileges — and blatant abuses — that bilked taxpayers and tied the hands of public agencies. Now, in a fit of petulance, the unions are striking back at their paymasters — elected officeholders — by boycotting and picketing the local Democratic Party’s annual fundraiser this weekend.

Read the full story at the Washington Post.

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Are the taxpayers getting their money’s worth from the Montgomery County Public Schools?

 From the Washington Post of May 4, 2013:  

Recently released figures show failure rates of 62 percent for high school students taking the county’s geometry final and 57 percent for those taking the Algebra 2 exam. Among students taking the same courses on the honors level, 30 percent to 36 percent failed the end-of-semester tests in January, according to data from the school system.

The numbers have alarmed parents in the high-performing school system, where nearly 16,000 high school students in seven math courses did not pass their finals — a majority of the roughly 30,000 students taking those tests.  

Read the full story at the Washington Post.

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Ken Ulman, the County Executive for Howard County, will be on Political Pulse on:

Thursday, May 2nd at 9:00 p.m. and Friday – Sunday, May 3rd-5th, at 6:00 p.m.

Topics that will be discussed include speculation about whether County Executive Ulman will be Anthony Brown’s choice for Maryland Lieutenant Governor or whether the County Executive will otherwise run for statewide office in 2014.   Transportation, budget, education and other issues will also be discussed.  County Executive Ulman will also comment on Attorney General Doug Gansler’s recent criticism of the O’Malley-Brown Administration.

The interview will be available on-line after it airs (go to www.mmctv.org and click the Videos tab, then click Political Pulse).

Political Pulse is on Channel 16 TV in Montgomery County, MD

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From the Washington Post of April 25, 2013:

A Montgomery County Council committee voted unanimously Thursday morning to recommend approval of $31.6 million in pay raises for members of its police, fire and general employee unions for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

 Read the full story at the Washington Post.

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From the Washington Post of April 16, 2013:

School spending in Montgomery County will grow by at least $100 million over the next four years, an increase driven by state laws that tighten requirements for annual local funding and shift part of teacher pension costs to counties, officials said Tuesday.

Montgomery spends roughly half of its $4 billion operating budget on K-12 education. But a County Council staff analysis found that state mandates created by the General Assembly in 2012 could turn education funding into what one council member called “a runaway train.”

Read the full story at the Washington Post.

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On The evening of April 9, 2013, MCTL President Joan Fidler testified before the County Council on the FY2014 budget proposed by Conty Executive Leggett.  Here is her testimony:

Testimony before the Montgomery County Council on the FY 2014 Budget — April 9, 2013

 I am Joan Fidler, president of the Montgomery County Taxpayers League. Thank you for the opportunity to testify on the FY 2014 budget proposed by County Executive Leggett. You have an unenviable task before you. Overall it appears to be a fair budget, with 2 exceptions.

Mr. Leggett has funded the school system at the mandated Maintenance of Effort level. We applaud him for that. The recently amended and ill-conceived Maintenance of Effort state law guarantees the school system a certain level of funding and he has provided that level of guarantee. For FY 2014 this is 49.8% of the entire tax-supported budget for the county. We would suggest that since this law derives its funding formula from the number of students in the system that there be protections in place to guarantee that we are educating only those students who are residents of the county and that this be verified on a routine basis. We recommend that this be done every other year.

Moving to our 2 areas of concern, let’s take the first – the excessive pay raises proposed by Mr. Leggett for the next 2 years – 13.5% for county workers, 14.7% for police officers and 19.5% for our paid firefighters. While we believe that they are all deserving of a pay raise as they have received no COLAs for the last 4 years and no step increases for the last 3, we find the double digit increase totaling over $70 million in the next 2 years alone is not compatible with the rate of inflation and more important adds to our structural budget deficit. We question whether it is sustainable. Kudos to you, the County Council and the County Executive for withstanding much excoriation from the unions on pay raises over the last several years. We are not denying that county workers deserve a pay raise. We question the level and affordability.

Second, we are disappointed with the energy tax that continues to rise like a phoenix from the ashes. As you know, in FY 10, county residents had their energy taxes increased by 155%, businesses by 60% with the assurance of a sunset date of 2012. This is now 2014 and the tax lives on. We suggest you ratchet back the taxes by 10-15% every year until you fulfill your promise. A promise made should be a promise kept.

With the various proposals for increased spending for FY 2014, we hope that the County Council will not make decisions at the expense of the most vulnerable among us – the homeless and the developmentally disabled. The measure of our worth as residents of Montgomery County is not to give to those to whom much is given while taking away from those who have little.

And finally, a concern of the Taxpayers League regarding our delegates to Annapolis and their support for bills that continue to favor more taxes for Montgomery County while usurping the authority of local governments such as ours. The Maintenance of Effort bill with its punitive powers, the proposed “Maintenance of Everything Else” bill and the shift of teacher pensions to the county while giving you no control over teacher pay raises highlight an urgent need to educate our state politicians as to fiscal reality at the county level. We stand ready to help in any way we can.

Thank you.

• Joan Fidler

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From the Gazette of April 1, 2013:

Joan Fidler, president of the Montgomery County Taxpayers League, commended Leggett for the years he kept tax increases below the charter’s allowed maximum.  But she questioned why, now that the economy is showing signs of recovery, Leggett has proposed a higher increase….

Fidler said the overall concern taxpayers have with raising taxes is the effect on Montgomery’s ability to attract businesses, which, in the long term, increases the revenue base and provides additional employment.

“Note that the welcome signs to the Virginia exit ramps say ‘Virginia — Open for Business’; in Maryland, the signs read:   ‘Maryland — Please Drive Gently,’” she said.

 Read the full story at the Gazette.

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Questions sent to Jennifer Hughes, Director, Office of Management and Budget, Montgomery County, in advance of the meeting of March 28, 2013:

1. Is the proposed salary increase of 13.5% over 2 years sustainable in light of revenue projections and new program needs?  What will this pay increase cost the county over the next 10 years including pension liabilities?

2. What is the single largest increase to the FY 2014 budget from FY 2013?  What is the single largest reduction to the budget?

3. What are your thoughts on the increases to property and energy taxes and their effect on attracting  businesses to the county?  Is there a plan to match Fairfax County’s successes in economic development?

4. Can the MCPS budget appropriation be tied to a requirement that MCPS conduct an independent review of management, cost and governance practices that will close the achievement gap

5. The Montgomery County delegation to Annapolis has recently supported or proposed bills such as Maintenance of Effort for the school system and what appears to be a “Maintenance of Everything” bill that can have dire effects on the county’s budget.  What are some of the ways in which the county executive can educate and influence the delegation from proposing and supporting such actions that seem to usurp the authority of our locally elected officials. 

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From the Washington Post of March 7, 2013:

The effect of the bill would be to force local governments to maintain spending levels on jails, libraries, roads, police, sheriffs and fire departments. The measure would allow no exceptions, even as priorities shift, populations shrink or emergencies arise. To comply with the legislation in such circumstances, local officials would have no choice but to raise taxes, since cutting spending would be off the table.

The four sponsors of the bill include three Democratic senators from Montgomery County, Richard S. Madaleno Jr., Roger Manno and Nancy J. King, and one from Prince George’s County, Douglas J.J. Peters. Their legislation is a sop to public employee unions — particularly those representing law enforcement officers and firefighters — who would like to inoculate themselves from the pain of future downturns. It is heedless of the interest of taxpayers, who expect local officials to make government lean and efficient.

Read the full story at the Washington Post.

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From the Gazette of March 6, 2013:

“Only a handful of people from outside the school system take part as schools superintendent Joshua Starr draws up his budget.

“Montgomery County Taxpayers League President Joan Fidler thinks more leaders of civic groups could be included to ensure efficiencies.

“It could be us,” Fidler said. “But it doesn’t have to be.”

Read the full story at the Gazette.

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