Montgomery County Taxpayers League

The Voice of Taxpayers of Montgomery County, Maryland

Maryland

Proposed FY15 Budget Has $166 Million Gap

 

From the County Executive’s proposed FY2015 Budget (p. 16):

“However, expenditures are estimated to grow by specific major known commitments of $132 million, illustrating the costs and challenges that exist in the budget, producing a budget gap of $166 million that must be closed by March 15th.

“Because of State law requiring a certain level of funding for MCPS and Montgomery College, County Government and Park and Planning could sustain reductions of nearly 3%.”

The required “level of funding” is the Mainenance of Effort law. When the bill was proposed in Annapolis, our County Council and County Executive strongly opposed it, warning of the financial burden it would place on our county. However, all 24 county Delegates and 7 of our 8 Senators (except for Sen. Brian Frosh) voted for the proposal.

Read the full document.

 

January 11, 2014 Budget, Maryland, Public Schools, Taxes, Uncategorized Read more >

“Montgomery council member: State lawmakers answer to Annapolis ‘masters’”

From the The Washington Post of November 13, 2013:

“But at a council discussion Tuesday on state legislative strategy, council member Valerie Ervin said it would be a struggle to keep legislators focused on Montgomery’s needs when they are too often beholden to Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D) and House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D).

“They’re different animals,” Ervin (D-Silver Spring) said of the delegation. “When they get to Annapolis, the people they listen to are not us. They have other masters. … Let’s not be naive.”

Read the full story at The Post.

November 16, 2013 Budget, Maryland, Taxes Read more >