Montgomery County agencies submitted plans Friday afternoon for how they can help head off a looming $401 million potential budget shortfall forthe next fiscal year.
County Executive Ike Leggett asked department heads to propose cuts totaling 2 percent of their overall budget for the current year. Police and fire officials declined to specifically outline their proposals, though they hinted at what sorts of cuts might be on the table.
Spokesmen from both agencies picked targets such as overtime pay while insisting their department heads’ plans would not put community safety at risk. Fire spokesman Pete Piringer also mentioned community outreach and education.
Neither spokesman would confirm rumors circulating since Wednesday that the departments would need to reduce the size of their recruitment classes. Currently, the county budget includes funding for 58 additional positions at the fire department, and 43 within the police department.
Fire Chief Tom Carr looked at all options “with an emphasis on not affecting emergency service or delivery,” Piringer said.
“For any consideration, we have to look at how that impacts quality service delivery. We need to keep the community safe and we need to keep the officers safe,” police spokesman Lt. Paul Sparks said.
Sparks said to expect no surprises from the proposals. “These considerations are just and would be considered normal and appropriate,” he said.
Police Chief Thomas Manger‘s department operates on a budget more than $220 million. The department’s cuts need to total about $4.4 million.
Montgomery County’s woes, attributed to higher spending and a slack housing market, could mean higher county property taxes in addition to budget cuts next year. Officials have also hinted that a local gasoline tax may be considered to pay for planned infrastructure improvements. The announcement of Montgomery‘s budget crunch came on the heels of a special session of the Maryland legislature that was given the task of finding new revenues for covering a state budget shortfall of $1.7 billion.
Along with a proposal for slot machines in locations around the state, new taxes on high-income households were also included in the proposed solutions. Several Montgomery County lawmakers protested the tax increase on the grounds their constituents earn more than most Marylanders but also experience a higher cost of living.
