April 11, 2016

Leggett to Council: Reduce Proposed Property Tax Increase

County Executive Ike Leggett amended his 2017 budget to the County Council to reduce his proposed property tax increase by 46 percent following the announcement by Governor Hogan that he will allow to become law a Maryland General Assembly bill that extends the repayment schedule for counties to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court’s Wynne decision.

The legislation, Senate Bill 766, saves Montgomery County $33 million for the upcoming year, reducing the Wynne costs to $17 million. Reducing the property tax increase from 3.9 cents per $100 assessed valuation to 2.1 cents – a 46 percent reduction - brings the County Executive’s proposed average monthly property tax increase down from $27 to $20.17.

Leggett’s initial proposed operating budget included $50 million to cover Wynne case costs. With the State Delegation extension of back payments, the proposed budget has been revised to reflect the savings from the legislation. Click here to see the memo from the County Executive to the County Council.