Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett has announced his recommended $4.8 billion operating budget for fiscal year (FY) 2014 that begins July 1. Leggett’s budget holds the line on property taxes at the County Charter level below the rate of inflation.
His recommendation includes a tax-supported County government budget of $1.3 billion, up 3.9 percent, which is half of last year’s increase. The budget increases County spending for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) to the level required by the State’s Maintenance of Effort law.
The budget continues Leggett’s three-year plan to add 120 sworn officers and 23 civilians to the Police Department and doubles the number of School Resource Officers assigned to County high schools. It provides a 10 percent increase in Public Libraries, staffing newly-renovated libraries in Gaithersburg and Olney, increasing materials and adding hours at several libraries.
Following up on commitments made in his February 20 “State of the County” speech, Leggett expands the popular “Excel Beyond the Bell” program in his Positive Youth Initiative and boosts County funding to expand English language programs for County adults by 14 percent. Leggett’s budget also expands the County’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) that assists the working poor.
The overall recommendations include:
- A total County budget (which includes debt service, grants, and enterprise funds) for FY14 of $4.8 billion, an increase of $190 million from the FY13 approved budget – or a 4.1 percent increase. This includes all agencies -- MCPS, Montgomery College, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) and County government
- An overall FY14 tax-supported portion of the budget of $4.188 billion (including debt service) that will increase by $168 million, or 4.2 percent, from the FY13 budget.
- A tax-supported County government budget of $1.31 billion, an increase of $49 million, or 3.9 percent – about half the increase approved by the County Council for FY13.
- Funding for MCPS will increase by $55.8 million – a 2.8 percent increase from FY13 and an increase of $28.7 million in County funding over last year. The budget provides a County contribution to MCPS that meets the requirements of the State’s Maintenance of Effort Law.
- The budget for Montgomery College increases by $9.2 million, a 4.2 percent increase. The budget funds 99 percent of the College’s tax-supported request.
- Funding for the M-NCPPC increases by $4 million, a 3.7 percent increase representing 100 percent of the agency’s tax-supported request.
See the Budget in Brief.
Read details in the news release.
See following budget charts:
- Budget Shortfalls Closed (pdf)
- County Government Spending (pdf)
- Holding Property Taxes at Charter Limit (pdf)
- Employee Cost Savings FY10 - FY13 (pdf)
View video of Budget Conference
Submit your budget ideas on engageMontgomery
