Times are so tight in Montgomery County that a council panel has voted to charge residents for parking near the Rockville library, upsetting city leaders and library fans alike because no other library in the county requires residents to pay to park.
Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett had budgeted $84,000 in next year’s operating budget to reimburse the city of Rockville for library patrons who utilize city-owned parking garages nearby. Patrons validate parking stubs at a machine in the library and are spared the $1 per hour fee. Last Friday, however, two council members on the County’s Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee voted to end the validation procedure and charge residents for parking to use the library.
