Thursday, March 28, 2013
Find out ways you can comment on the budget proposals.
The Montgomery County Council will hold five public hearings in April on the county's operating budget for fiscal year 2014, which begins July 1. County Executive Isiah Leggett's $4.8 billion budget proposal, which he unveiled on March 15, would add more than 100 new jobs in public safety and libraries. Leggett also proposed a slight increase in aid for Montgomery County Public Schools to meet Maryland's maintenance of effort law, which requires that counties fund schools at the same level or greater from year-to-year or face a fine. The County Council will analyze these recommendations and adopt the budget in late May. Read more about the budget: The public hearings will be held in the Third Floor Hearing Room of the Council Office …
Friday, March 15, 2013
The plan holds the line on property taxes and schools aid and boosts aid for public safety.
A $4.8 billion county operating budget plan unveiled by Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett on Friday holds the line on property taxes and schools spending and adds more than 100 new jobs in public safety and libraries. Leggett (D) presented his budget plan for fiscal 2014, which begins July 1, at a news conference in Rockville. The plan would keep property taxes within the limit allowed by the county charter and below the rate of inflation. Average monthly property taxes would increase by $6.67. Tax-supported government spending would increase by 3.9 percent—less than half the increase in fiscal 2013—to $1.3 billion. Leggett also proposed a slight increase in aid for Montgomery County Public Schools to meet Maryland's maintenance of…
The Montgomery County Executive explained his proposal to increase spending on public safety and hold the line on property taxes.
Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) on Friday unveiled his budget proposal for fiscal 2014, which begins July 1. Related Content:
Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Joshua Starr said he is disappointed in the County Executive's budget plan.
The amount of aid for county schools proposed by Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett in his fiscal 2014 county budget plan falls short of what's needed, Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Joshua Starr said Friday. Leggett's plan calls for a schools budget of $2.23 billion—an increase of $65.8 million, or 3 percent more than the budget approved for the current school year. "The County Executive's recommendation would fund 100 percent of the [school board]'s request," according to Leggett's budget proposal. Click here to read more on Leggett's fiscal 2014 budget plan and here to hear the County Executive discuss the proposal. The proposal is a slight increase in spending for MCPS, to the level required by the state's …
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
The County Executive is expected to reflect on the county's accomplishments, challenges and opportunities in the speech Wednesday night.
Whether or not you gleaned a clear sense of where the nation is headed from President Barack Obama's State of the Union last week, County Executive Isiah Leggett is offering a chance to get up to speed on the road ahead for Montgomery County at his State of the County address this evening. All are invited to the Silver Spring Civic Building at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20 for Leggett's speech, which will "reflect on the county's accomplishments and on challenges and opportunities ahead in the coming year and beyond," according to a statement from the executive's office. If you won't be in Silver Spring tonight, the address will be broadcast live to County Cable Montgomery, channel 6 for Comcast and RCN customers and channel 30 …
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Fiscal year 2014 budget would delay some planned projects in the 2013-2018 Capital Improvements Program.
Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett released his fiscal year 2014 capital budget this past week, and recommended that a number of planned projects in the six-year, $4.37 billion Capital Improvements Program be delayed. Leggett's proposal was released by the county's community relations department. Leggett spoke on the issue of the CIP, stating that "reducing CIP growth and debt service payments is an essential part of my ongoing strategy to ensure that our fiscal house is in order." Regarding the debt service, Leggett explained his recommendations as being limited to "previously established guidelines of $295 million a year in each of the six years in this CIP." Transportation-related projects that would be affected by the amended …
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Capital improvements needed to provide access for people with disabilities will put strain on an already tight budget over the next six years.
- GOVERNMENT
- Holly Nunn
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Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Montgomery County is the newest jurisdiction to enter into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to bring its facilities into compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, an undertaking with an uncertain, but hefty, price tag. County attorney Marc Hansen briefed Montgomery County Council members on the agreement, bringing up questions of funding and capital improvement priorities. The agreement with the Department of Justice is the result of a five-year process, beginning with a DOJ audit of how well the county is meeting accessibility requirements for its residents with disabilities. Since 2000, DOJ has entered into similar agreements with other 180 local governments. "Montgomery County has been a leader …
Sunday, September 18, 2011
As debate continues, we ought to think about what happens to kids who will be cited for these violations.
The Montgomery County Council will be holding work sessions in its Public Safety Committee on the new curfew legislation proposed by County Executive Isiah Leggett. This may doom any hopes for speedy action by the council, but it also allows more opportunity to examine the specifics of the legislation and how it fits into the bigger picture. The proposal itself seems to be gaining support as it moves forward, and will likely see some compromises to address concerns that have been expressed in recent weeks. The curfew would take effect from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weeknights and from midnight to five on weekends, and applies to youth 17 and under. Exceptions to the curfew appear to be expanding as residents have weighed in. Youth who are out …
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Council to continue the investigation, though executive thinks purchasing Pepco 'not feasible.'
- GOVERNMENT
- Holly Nunn
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Wednesday, September 14, 2011
County Executive Isiah Leggett dug in his heels Tuesday at a meeting with the Montgomery County Council, calling the idea to condemn Pepco and municipalize the utility "not feasible." The meeting comes just days after county attorney Marc Hansen told council members that to acquire the utility would mean going through the Maryland General Assembly and the Maryland Public Service Commission, as well as paying Pepco fair market value for its infrastructure. "It was appropriate to ask the question, but now we have the answer, an answer that I think in many ways suggests that this is not a viable option," Leggett (D) said. "Now and for the foreseeable future, they will still be the utility. So we need to find a way to fight them, push them, …
Andrews wants 'data-driven' approach.
- GOVERNMENT
- Holly Nunn
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Wednesday, September 14, 2011
County Executive Isiah Leggett said Tuesday that a decision to impose a curfew on teenagers is too complex to rely on studies conducted in other jurisdictions. "Any study you bring to me, I could debunk it," Leggett said, because variables like population density, income and geography vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. But a key opponent to the curfew, Councilmember Phil Andrews, called on a "data-driven, evidence-based" approach to fighting juvenile crime. Andrews (D-Dist. 3) chairs the Montgomery County Council's Public Safety Committee, which begins work on Leggett's curfew proposal this week. After a July gang fight in Silver Spring, Leggett proposed a curfew of 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and midnight Friday and Saturday. The…
Fred Foo
10:27 pm on Sunday, March 17, 2013
It's not as simple as you say. It's important to recognize that while good schools attract people, high taxes repel people. And the people who can most easily afford the taxes can also afford to send children to private schools. more ›