A Montgomery County Circuit Court judge on Tuesday reversed a ruling that County Executive Ike Leggett broke the law when he proposed cutting employee benefits in his budget plan for the coming year. Judge Ronald B. Rubin said the county executive did not have to fully fund the collective bargaining agreement with the county’s unionized workers, in effect reversing a decision by a labor relations administrator, because the county executive has the authority to craft a budget.
The Montgomery County Council, which has the final say on the budget, last month approved a plan that cuts health and pension benefits for county employees, though not as drastically as Leggett’s proposal. His budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 would have cost workers between $370 and $3,700 annually, officials said.
