Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett, in making the case for the sweeping cuts in his proposed budget, emphasized that his office was not “spared” and would be reduced 26 percent.
But critics charge that Leggett’s message of shared sacrifice is undone by the fact that much of those reductions are actually fund shifts and cuts that have already been made. Take those items out, as well as a 33 percent reduction in contracts for outside auditors, and Leggett’s office only sees a reduction of about 11 percent in his proposed budget.
Leggett is looking to shift four staff members at a cost of nearly $300,000 from his office to a new 311 county information call center that comprises county employees from several departments. Two other shifts to other parts of the county’s budget would reduce more than $177,000 from Leggett’s own budget.
“If you’re showing a cut but it shows up someplace else, it’s not a cut,” said County Council Vice President Valerie Ervin, D-Silver Spring. “You can play all kinds of games with the budget.”
Leggett also counted the salary reduction of a retired aide, who was rehired as a contract worker using different funds, as a savings for his office. That budget move was approved in the fall as part of a midyear savings plan that Leggett includes as part of his 26 percent reduction for next year.
“I call it Ike math,” said Gino Renne, president of the Municipal & County Government Employees Organization.
Leggett’s spokesman, Patrick Lacefield, said the 26 percent figure accurately reflects the reduction in the county executive’s direct budget from $6.4 million approved for this fiscal year to $4.7 million proposed. Lacefield added that many of Leggett’s favorite programs, such as a pedestrian safety campaign and affordable housing, are being cut entirely or seeing their budgets slashed.
Leggett also proposed cutting $200,000 for outside contractors to conduct audits of county finances. Leggett already cut $187,000 from this watchdog function during an earlier round of cuts this year, leading the county more vulnerable to fraud, according to county staff.
Ervin said she is especially troubled by that cut and that the county needs more oversight of its $4.3 billion annual budget.
“If we’re going to operate in the sunshine … we cannot start cutting the very offices and agencies that keep county taxpayers protected from waste, fraud and abuse,” she said.
