The Montgomery County Council approved a $4.4 billion operating budget Thursday that doesn’t raise property tax rates or reduce essential county services.
Instead, the county’s final budget bridged a gap of about $600 million by freezing planned cost-of-living increases for county employees, cutting recreational and other nonessential programs, and raising parking fees in Bethesda — one of the county’s more affluent areas.
Montgomery County Council’s changes to County Executive Ike Leggett’s proposed budget:
Rejects ambulance fees.
Restores bus service to 18 Ride-on bus routes.
Raises parking fees in Bethesda and North Bethesda.
Increases funding for community grants by $1.8 million.
Adds five police recruits and 12 firefighter recruits.
Restores $50,000 for anti-gang support services.
Delays purchase of 16 new ambulances.Who gets the money?
$2.2 billion: Public schools
$246.6 million: Police department
$193.6 million: Fire department
$189 million: Department of Transportation
$57.8 million: Affordable housing programs
$269.5 million: Department of Health and Human Services
$37.9 million: Libraries
$135 million: Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
$5 million: Arts and humanities
The county also dipped into its reserves and put off funding the health care costs of future county retirees to help bridge the budget gap.
The County Council touted the fact that it reduced the county’s tax-supported budget by 1.1 percent — the first decrease in 18 years — while maintaining services for the county’s low-income and disabled citizens.
“Our county’s vulnerable population … were in our minds when we made many of our ultimate decisions,” said Duchy Trachtenberg, D-at large.
Though more than 400 county jobs were eliminated, layoffs aren’t anticipated because the county was able to shift most the affected employees to other jobs.
The recession and a sizable reduction in state aid contributed to the county’s budget hole this year, with elected officials saying to expect more of the same next year. The county already is projecting a $370 million budget gap in fiscal 2011.
County Council President Phil Andrews, D-Gaithersburg/Rockville, said the council would continue to look at ways to shrink the size of county government.
“We’re downsizing,” he said.
The council hewed closely to County Executive Ike Leggett’s proposed budget, but with some exceptions.
The council refused to consider adding an ambulance fee that Leggett supports and would have generated a profit of $12.5 million a year.
Leggett said it was “neither prudent nor justifiable” not to include the fee, which he said would be paid largely by insurance companies. Council members who opposed the fee said it may deter some residents from seeking emergency help.
The council also restored bus service on 18 Ride On bus routes that were slated for elimination or reductions and would have saved about $2 million a year.
The council increased parking and car pool permit fees in Bethesda parking lots and in North Bethesda to help pay for the restored bus routes.
The new budget goes into effect July 1.
