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Montgomery County Budget

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Word Clouding Council President's Budget Reaction: County! Budget! Montgomery!

'People,' 'testified' and 'college' also were big in Nancy Navarro's budget statement.

When Montgomery County Council President Nancy Navarro summarized the fiscal 2014 county budget, naturally, the words "county," "budget" and "Montgomery" featured prominently in her statement. Council members tentatively approved the spending plan in a unanimous straw vote Thursday. Other words that Navarro was fond of in describing the $4.8 billion plan: "percent," "funding," "college," "testified," "people" and "providing."  See what else Navarro (D-Dist. 4) of Silver Spring thinks of the budget in the word cloud above. Read Navarro's statement here. What words would you use to describe the Montgomery County budget? What would be the big words in your word cloud?

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Montgomery County Council Set to Pass $4.8B Budget

The plan includes tax increase, more cops in schools and more food resources for the poor.

No one went hungry in the $4.8 billion budget Montgomery County Council members tentatively approved Thursday. Key county agencies, including police, fire and rescue, schools and health and human services will receive more aid and new positions, according to an outline of the tentative spending plan released by the council. The council is scheduled to hold a final vote on the budget May 23, the last council session before a three-week recess.  All nine council members voted to give tentative approval to the plan for fiscal 2014, which begins July 1. "Budgets are a reflection of our values. There are always more needs, and more wants, than there are resources available," Council President Nancy Navarro (D-Dist 4) of Silver Spring said in a …

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jag

12:47 am on Sunday, May 19, 2013

You cite the number of people leaving/dying yet ignore that MORE people than that are becoming millionaires/are millionaires who move into MD. The % of millionaires in MD has continued to increase, y/y. We're up to 7.31% at this point (if I recall correctly that's up from something like 6.7% 2 years back and 6.9% a year ago) - #1 in the nation. This could not be more simple. I certainly hope …   more ›

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Montgomery County Council Backs Pay Bump for County Employees

Councilman Philip Andrews, a vocal opponent of the raises, was the only dissenting vote.

All but one member of the Montgomery County Council voted to approve pay raises for county government, police and fire and rescue employees Tuesday. It will be the first raise for government employees in four years.  Councilman Philip M. Andrews (D-Dist 3) of Gaithersburg, was the only dissenting vote.  County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) negotiated the pay increases in his $4.8 billion budget proposal for fiscal 2014 as part of new two-year contracts with employees’ unions. Fiscal 2014 begins July 1.  Most county employees will receive two raises this summer: a cost-of-living increase and a step increase. A step is a pay raise for one year of service. Police officers will receive an increase equal to one-and-a-half steps and firefighters …

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jag

11:30 am on Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Well, at least you got the part about you being a dick right. All of those "parasit[ic]" police officers and fire fighters and teachers and domestic abuse counselors and code enforcement personnel and librarians and public defenders, etc. that you're *obviously* better and more important than are the ones who haven't seen an increase in several years (a period when incomes have in fact risen in …   more ›

Friday, April 26, 2013

Montgomery County Employees Could See First Pay Raises in 4 Years

County Council panels vote to back pay bumps for government and public safety workers.

A freeze in cost-of-living raises for Montgomery County government and public safety employees may be thawing out. The Montgomery County Council’s Government Operations and Fiscal Policy committees voted unanimously Thursday to back a proposal to raise county employees’ salaries by up to 3.25 percent. County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) negotiated the raises as part of new two-year contracts with employees’ unions and included them as part of his $4.8 billion budget proposal for fiscal 2014, which begins July 1.  If approved as part of the county budget, the 3.25 percent raise for county government workers would go into effect in September. Police officers would see a 2.1 percent bump in July. Fire and rescue personnel would see a 2.75 …

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Sean R. Sedam

2:49 pm on Monday, April 29, 2013

@CityRat2013: Thanks for the note. The original published version of the article mentioned that police had gone four years without a raise. That is true for fire and rescue and for county employees as well—a fact that was omitted due to an editing error (mine). It's there now, along with a note at the bottom to clarify.   more ›

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

5 Public Hearings for County Budget Scheduled in April

Find out how you may 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 …

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Montgomery County Council to Host Budget Forum

Challenges loom as state laws on school funding and teacher pensions add to fiscal burdens.

  For anyone who has ever taken a look at Montgomery County’s budget—or a tax bill—and wondered: “Where does all the money go?” or “What were they thinking?” Thursday is a chance to get your questions answered. The Montgomery County Council will host a forum on the next county operating budget at 7:30 p.m. in the third floor council hearing room of the Stella B. Werner County Council Building, at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. Can’t make it to the forum? It will be carried live by County Cable Montgomery (Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon) and streamed on the county website at http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov. The 90-minute-long forum will include a presentation on the challenges county officials face and time for …

Ddad99

10:19 am on Thursday, November 29, 2012

What's a "budget"? The County Council only understands two things: Spending and Taxes.   more ›

Thursday, May 3, 2012

County Employees Could Get Lump Sum Instead of Pay Raise

County Executive proposes one-time $2,000 payment.

Instead of pay raises, most Montgomery County employees could receive a one-time $2,000 payment next year, according to a compensation and benefits package reviewed by a County Council committee Tuesday. Analysts briefed the Government Operations Committee on County Executive Isiah Leggett’s recommendations. The briefing was needed because of the uncertainty of the economic outlook, council staff director Stephen B. Farber said Tuesday. According to county records, the lump-sum payouts to county government employees would cost $16.5 million, with $14.4 million coming from tax-supported funds. The payouts would include “longevity adjustments”—raises for certain employees who’ve worked for 20 years. Roughly 500 employees would be eligible …

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Leggett Outlines County Budget Recommendations

Leggett presented his fiscal year 2013 budget proposal in Rockville Thursday.

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett outlined his $4.56 billion fiscal year 2013 budget proposal at a press conference in Rockville at noon on Thursday. The proposal represents a 4.6 percent over the previous year. In dollars and cents, Leggett is proposing nearly $200 million more in expenditures for the upcoming fiscal year. His recommendations include: Last year, the county council approved a $4.4 billion budget for fiscal year 2012; it represented a 2.2 percent increase from the previous year. This year, Leggett proposes maintaining the current property tax revenue levels. Under the proposal, the water quality fund contributions would increase from $70 per household to $92. Leggett called his proposal both "prudent" and a "great …

Danila Sheveiko

8:08 pm on Thursday, March 15, 2012

The budget also contains the second $2 million to Westfield for the Costco Mall Addition project that includes the busiest gas station in the County shoehorned next to an outdoor swimming pool and single-family residences. Please see attached images.   more ›

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