Elrich property tax increase

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Schools, schools, schools,......my arse.

They ALWAYS try to pawn off tax increases because "it is for the schools!". This is totally insane. Basically, 10% tax increases in only 2 years on top of reassessments that always go up every few years. They need double tax increases? Really?

Newsflash. The economy sucks. A lot of federal workers lost jobs. Prices for food, insurance, and utility bills are exploding. Now they want to crush your housing affordability even more.

Is everyone's salaries going up to cover all these rising costs? Of course not.

There isn't a single tax Dems have never not liked. It's never a spending problem to them, only a taxation problem. Cut the number of employees in MoCo govt. Make them pay more money for benefits. Slash their retirement and pensions. Stop all hiring for 5 years.

They will just have to work more efficiently, boo hoo.

We're spending less on schools now than 20 years ago. Computers and automation don't make schools cheaper to operate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools, schools, schools,......my arse.

They ALWAYS try to pawn off tax increases because "it is for the schools!". This is totally insane. Basically, 10% tax increases in only 2 years on top of reassessments that always go up every few years. They need double tax increases? Really?

Newsflash. The economy sucks. A lot of federal workers lost jobs. Prices for food, insurance, and utility bills are exploding. Now they want to crush your housing affordability even more.

Is everyone's salaries going up to cover all these rising costs? Of course not.

There isn't a single tax Dems have never not liked. It's never a spending problem to them, only a taxation problem. Cut the number of employees in MoCo govt. Make them pay more money for benefits. Slash their retirement and pensions. Stop all hiring for 5 years.

They will just have to work more efficiently, boo hoo.

We're spending less on schools now than 20 years ago. Computers and automation don't make schools cheaper to operate.

No. We are not

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools, schools, schools,......my arse.

They ALWAYS try to pawn off tax increases because "it is for the schools!". This is totally insane. Basically, 10% tax increases in only 2 years on top of reassessments that always go up every few years. They need double tax increases? Really?

Newsflash. The economy sucks. A lot of federal workers lost jobs. Prices for food, insurance, and utility bills are exploding. Now they want to crush your housing affordability even more.

Is everyone's salaries going up to cover all these rising costs? Of course not.

There isn't a single tax Dems have never not liked. It's never a spending problem to them, only a taxation problem. Cut the number of employees in MoCo govt. Make them pay more money for benefits. Slash their retirement and pensions. Stop all hiring for 5 years.

They will just have to work more efficiently, boo hoo.

We're spending less on schools now than 20 years ago. Computers and automation don't make schools cheaper to operate.

FY07 approved budget for MCPS was $1.8 billion
FY27 recommended budget for MCPS is $3.8 billion


Inflation during that time was 62%. https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/
A 62% increase would have been $2.9 billion for this year.

Instead, the proposed MCPS budget is a 111% increase from 20 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools, schools, schools,......my arse.

They ALWAYS try to pawn off tax increases because "it is for the schools!". This is totally insane. Basically, 10% tax increases in only 2 years on top of reassessments that always go up every few years. They need double tax increases? Really?

Newsflash. The economy sucks. A lot of federal workers lost jobs. Prices for food, insurance, and utility bills are exploding. Now they want to crush your housing affordability even more.

Is everyone's salaries going up to cover all these rising costs? Of course not.

There isn't a single tax Dems have never not liked. It's never a spending problem to them, only a taxation problem. Cut the number of employees in MoCo govt. Make them pay more money for benefits. Slash their retirement and pensions. Stop all hiring for 5 years.

They will just have to work more efficiently, boo hoo.

We're spending less on schools now than 20 years ago. Computers and automation don't make schools cheaper to operate.

FY07 approved budget for MCPS was $1.8 billion
FY27 recommended budget for MCPS is $3.8 billion


Inflation during that time was 62%. https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/
A 62% increase would have been $2.9 billion for this year.

Instead, the proposed MCPS budget is a 111% increase from 20 years ago.

Try it again with per pupil funding. We have more students.

[Anonymous]

County funding in 2007 was about $14,700 per pupil (in today's dollars), compared to $14,600 in FY2026.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools, schools, schools,......my arse.

They ALWAYS try to pawn off tax increases because "it is for the schools!". This is totally insane. Basically, 10% tax increases in only 2 years on top of reassessments that always go up every few years. They need double tax increases? Really?

Newsflash. The economy sucks. A lot of federal workers lost jobs. Prices for food, insurance, and utility bills are exploding. Now they want to crush your housing affordability even more.

Is everyone's salaries going up to cover all these rising costs? Of course not.

There isn't a single tax Dems have never not liked. It's never a spending problem to them, only a taxation problem. Cut the number of employees in MoCo govt. Make them pay more money for benefits. Slash their retirement and pensions. Stop all hiring for 5 years.

They will just have to work more efficiently, boo hoo.

We're spending less on schools now than 20 years ago. Computers and automation don't make schools cheaper to operate.

FY07 approved budget for MCPS was $1.8 billion
FY27 recommended budget for MCPS is $3.8 billion


Inflation during that time was 62%. https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/
A 62% increase would have been $2.9 billion for this year.

Instead, the proposed MCPS budget is a 111% increase from 20 years ago.

Try it again with per pupil funding. We have more students.

so where's the additional property tax money? why does he need to increase? more pupils should mean more gov revenue, but....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools, schools, schools,......my arse.

They ALWAYS try to pawn off tax increases because "it is for the schools!". This is totally insane. Basically, 10% tax increases in only 2 years on top of reassessments that always go up every few years. They need double tax increases? Really?

Newsflash. The economy sucks. A lot of federal workers lost jobs. Prices for food, insurance, and utility bills are exploding. Now they want to crush your housing affordability even more.

Is everyone's salaries going up to cover all these rising costs? Of course not.

There isn't a single tax Dems have never not liked. It's never a spending problem to them, only a taxation problem. Cut the number of employees in MoCo govt. Make them pay more money for benefits. Slash their retirement and pensions. Stop all hiring for 5 years.

They will just have to work more efficiently, boo hoo.

We're spending less on schools now than 20 years ago. Computers and automation don't make schools cheaper to operate.

FY07 approved budget for MCPS was $1.8 billion
FY27 recommended budget for MCPS is $3.8 billion


Inflation during that time was 62%. https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/
A 62% increase would have been $2.9 billion for this year.

Instead, the proposed MCPS budget is a 111% increase from 20 years ago.

Try it again with per pupil funding. We have more students.

so where's the additional property tax money? why does he need to increase? more pupils should mean more gov revenue, but....

That's why we need to stop all the housing assistance/affordable housing nonsense. We attract moochers with lots of kids, who place heavy demands on county services.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools, schools, schools,......my arse.

They ALWAYS try to pawn off tax increases because "it is for the schools!". This is totally insane. Basically, 10% tax increases in only 2 years on top of reassessments that always go up every few years. They need double tax increases? Really?

Newsflash. The economy sucks. A lot of federal workers lost jobs. Prices for food, insurance, and utility bills are exploding. Now they want to crush your housing affordability even more.

Is everyone's salaries going up to cover all these rising costs? Of course not.

There isn't a single tax Dems have never not liked. It's never a spending problem to them, only a taxation problem. Cut the number of employees in MoCo govt. Make them pay more money for benefits. Slash their retirement and pensions. Stop all hiring for 5 years.

They will just have to work more efficiently, boo hoo.

We're spending less on schools now than 20 years ago. Computers and automation don't make schools cheaper to operate.

FY07 approved budget for MCPS was $1.8 billion
FY27 recommended budget for MCPS is $3.8 billion


Inflation during that time was 62%. https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/
A 62% increase would have been $2.9 billion for this year.

Instead, the proposed MCPS budget is a 111% increase from 20 years ago.

Try it again with per pupil funding. We have more students.

so where's the additional property tax money? why does he need to increase? more pupils should mean more gov revenue, but....

It’s a complicated answer. Part of the answer is that Andrew Friedson has kept eroding the tax base by sponsoring full property tax abatements for new construction. Evan Glass has gone along with this. The other part of the answer is that rental apartment buildings generate less tax revenue than comparable condos because the methodology for assessing for their value is different. The county’s growth was supposed to have it swimming in revenue, but unfortunately the budget picture has gotten worse the more the county has grown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools, schools, schools,......my arse.

They ALWAYS try to pawn off tax increases because "it is for the schools!". This is totally insane. Basically, 10% tax increases in only 2 years on top of reassessments that always go up every few years. They need double tax increases? Really?

Newsflash. The economy sucks. A lot of federal workers lost jobs. Prices for food, insurance, and utility bills are exploding. Now they want to crush your housing affordability even more.

Is everyone's salaries going up to cover all these rising costs? Of course not.

There isn't a single tax Dems have never not liked. It's never a spending problem to them, only a taxation problem. Cut the number of employees in MoCo govt. Make them pay more money for benefits. Slash their retirement and pensions. Stop all hiring for 5 years.

They will just have to work more efficiently, boo hoo.

We're spending less on schools now than 20 years ago. Computers and automation don't make schools cheaper to operate.

FY07 approved budget for MCPS was $1.8 billion
FY27 recommended budget for MCPS is $3.8 billion


Inflation during that time was 62%. https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/
A 62% increase would have been $2.9 billion for this year.

Instead, the proposed MCPS budget is a 111% increase from 20 years ago.

Try it again with per pupil funding. We have more students.

so where's the additional property tax money? why does he need to increase? more pupils should mean more gov revenue, but....

That's why we need to stop all the housing assistance/affordable housing nonsense. We attract moochers with lots of kids, who place heavy demands on county services.

It’s why you can’t take a lot of the people on this site seriously. It’s moochers trying to convince the providers why they need more handouts. The people we work, socialize, and know as our neighbors are not reflective of how many mooches are living in the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools, schools, schools,......my arse.

They ALWAYS try to pawn off tax increases because "it is for the schools!". This is totally insane. Basically, 10% tax increases in only 2 years on top of reassessments that always go up every few years. They need double tax increases? Really?

Newsflash. The economy sucks. A lot of federal workers lost jobs. Prices for food, insurance, and utility bills are exploding. Now they want to crush your housing affordability even more.

Is everyone's salaries going up to cover all these rising costs? Of course not.

There isn't a single tax Dems have never not liked. It's never a spending problem to them, only a taxation problem. Cut the number of employees in MoCo govt. Make them pay more money for benefits. Slash their retirement and pensions. Stop all hiring for 5 years.

They will just have to work more efficiently, boo hoo.

We're spending less on schools now than 20 years ago. Computers and automation don't make schools cheaper to operate.

FY07 approved budget for MCPS was $1.8 billion
FY27 recommended budget for MCPS is $3.8 billion


Inflation during that time was 62%. https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/
A 62% increase would have been $2.9 billion for this year.

Instead, the proposed MCPS budget is a 111% increase from 20 years ago.

Try it again with per pupil funding. We have more students.

so where's the additional property tax money? why does he need to increase? more pupils should mean more gov revenue, but....

It’s a complicated answer. Part of the answer is that Andrew Friedson has kept eroding the tax base by sponsoring full property tax abatements for new construction. Evan Glass has gone along with this. The other part of the answer is that rental apartment buildings generate less tax revenue than comparable condos because the methodology for assessing for their value is different. The county’s growth was supposed to have it swimming in revenue, but unfortunately the budget picture has gotten worse the more the county has grown.

You didn't answer the question - you just spouted your anti Friedson diatribe.

According to the most recent fiscal plan update, there is a projected reduction of tax revenues because of "federal policies."

"Most of the decrease is due to softening in the county's property and income taxes in future fiscal years based on assumptions that the Federal Administration's policy decisions will result in reduced economic activity or a possible recession. The county's income tax collections lag economic indicators and revenue projections from the State."

"Property taxes are projected to be less than budgeted for FY26 by $24 million. This reduction is due to reductions in the assessable tax base from appeals and greater payments for the Income Tax Offset Credit than budgeted."

https://montgomerycountymd.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=169&clip_id=18433&meta_id=208644

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/03/15/montgomery-county-budget-tax-increase-schools/

10% increase in the property tax "to keep up with inflation"

What world does that guy live in?

"Revenues have been unable to keep up with inflation"

OK but assessment increases alone have dramatically increased the property tax amount for most people.

And since inflation is so high, why do we have to reach into our pocket that is already stretched?

Maybe dont hire Craig Rice to a no show job- there is 200k right there.

This is a 2023 article. N/A today. Keep up people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools, schools, schools,......my arse.

They ALWAYS try to pawn off tax increases because "it is for the schools!". This is totally insane. Basically, 10% tax increases in only 2 years on top of reassessments that always go up every few years. They need double tax increases? Really?

Newsflash. The economy sucks. A lot of federal workers lost jobs. Prices for food, insurance, and utility bills are exploding. Now they want to crush your housing affordability even more.

Is everyone's salaries going up to cover all these rising costs? Of course not.

There isn't a single tax Dems have never not liked. It's never a spending problem to them, only a taxation problem. Cut the number of employees in MoCo govt. Make them pay more money for benefits. Slash their retirement and pensions. Stop all hiring for 5 years.

They will just have to work more efficiently, boo hoo.

I'm a county employee and I agree that compensation and benefits need to be re-examined. It's 80%-90% of the budget. Because local government is a service provider. Unlike federal government which is much more a funding provider.

However, the efficiency thing is a red herring in terms of employees. Everyone is already short staffed. I've worked in various governments across the DMV and this county actually has good processes. Doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement. But we are generally better than most in my experience.

You will have to cut services to get the efficiency you desire. Close libraries more days, cut transfer station days, cut bus routes, cut inspections. Cut pot hole repair, cut trash pick up. Cut fire stations. That will result in fewer staff. And a less inviting Montgomery County.


I haven't looked into this deeply yet but it looks like the Elrich budget proposes raising the county contribution to our retirement from 8% to 9% of our salaries. I obviously would benefit from this. But is it necessary? Now? Does it merit a tax increase that will cost us all more? That's just one thing. But how many of those little things exist in the proposed budget? How do they add up?

Has anyone looked at pooling our health coverage with other local governments to leverage having a larger covered life population and access lower rates? Can we create a health insurance consortium with Frederick and Howard and Prince George's? The unions probably wouldn't allow it. But the council could order it through legislation. When we go out to bid for health plans, do we ask about cost savings if employee copays and deductibles were set at different levels? Would we get better pricing if we only offered one health plan? Or does having 3 or 4 build in better competition?

I don't know if that type of thing is happening already, but if someone ordered a comprehensive review of benefits and compensation, we would find out.


Oh and procurement sucks. We have to order from local vendors and stuff can cost twice as much than if I could order from Staples or Amazon. It's a policy decision to keep business local. There are a ton of those policy decisions that cost us extra. We may all agree on some of those policies. Or not. But those are worth examining too.

There are quite a few things to cut before we get to libraries and the transfer station.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools, schools, schools,......my arse.

They ALWAYS try to pawn off tax increases because "it is for the schools!". This is totally insane. Basically, 10% tax increases in only 2 years on top of reassessments that always go up every few years. They need double tax increases? Really?

Newsflash. The economy sucks. A lot of federal workers lost jobs. Prices for food, insurance, and utility bills are exploding. Now they want to crush your housing affordability even more.

Is everyone's salaries going up to cover all these rising costs? Of course not.

There isn't a single tax Dems have never not liked. It's never a spending problem to them, only a taxation problem. Cut the number of employees in MoCo govt. Make them pay more money for benefits. Slash their retirement and pensions. Stop all hiring for 5 years.

They will just have to work more efficiently, boo hoo.

We're spending less on schools now than 20 years ago. Computers and automation don't make schools cheaper to operate.

FY07 approved budget for MCPS was $1.8 billion
FY27 recommended budget for MCPS is $3.8 billion


Inflation during that time was 62%. https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/
A 62% increase would have been $2.9 billion for this year.

Instead, the proposed MCPS budget is a 111% increase from 20 years ago.

Try it again with per pupil funding. We have more students.

so where's the additional property tax money? why does he need to increase? more pupils should mean more gov revenue, but....

It’s a complicated answer. Part of the answer is that Andrew Friedson has kept eroding the tax base by sponsoring full property tax abatements for new construction. Evan Glass has gone along with this. The other part of the answer is that rental apartment buildings generate less tax revenue than comparable condos because the methodology for assessing for their value is different. The county’s growth was supposed to have it swimming in revenue, but unfortunately the budget picture has gotten worse the more the county has grown.

You didn't answer the question - you just spouted your anti Friedson diatribe.

According to the most recent fiscal plan update, there is a projected reduction of tax revenues because of "federal policies."

"Most of the decrease is due to softening in the county's property and income taxes in future fiscal years based on assumptions that the Federal Administration's policy decisions will result in reduced economic activity or a possible recession. The county's income tax collections lag economic indicators and revenue projections from the State."

"Property taxes are projected to be less than budgeted for FY26 by $24 million. This reduction is due to reductions in the assessable tax base from appeals and greater payments for the Income Tax Offset Credit than budgeted."

https://montgomerycountymd.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=169&clip_id=18433&meta_id=208644

blaming the Fed Government and citizens for budget issues is crazy.

fact is the state is losing the tax base to other states way before trump came into office. high taxes across the board is an issue.

https://www.mdchamber.org/2025/12/18/maryland-is-losing-people-to-other-states/

then overestimating budgets and then increasing the already heavily burdened citizen makes it worse.

this county has done absolutely nothing to recruit major businesses to help the tax base but instead looks to add more social programs

elrich constantly going back to the citizens to make up deficiets that he creates, creates more negative migration out of the county

[Anonymous]

The county has a ton of $$$. Our government does a terrible job using it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools, schools, schools,......my arse.

They ALWAYS try to pawn off tax increases because "it is for the schools!". This is totally insane. Basically, 10% tax increases in only 2 years on top of reassessments that always go up every few years. They need double tax increases? Really?

Newsflash. The economy sucks. A lot of federal workers lost jobs. Prices for food, insurance, and utility bills are exploding. Now they want to crush your housing affordability even more.

Is everyone's salaries going up to cover all these rising costs? Of course not.

There isn't a single tax Dems have never not liked. It's never a spending problem to them, only a taxation problem. Cut the number of employees in MoCo govt. Make them pay more money for benefits. Slash their retirement and pensions. Stop all hiring for 5 years.

They will just have to work more efficiently, boo hoo.

I'm a county employee and I agree that compensation and benefits need to be re-examined. It's 80%-90% of the budget. Because local government is a service provider. Unlike federal government which is much more a funding provider.

However, the efficiency thing is a red herring in terms of employees. Everyone is already short staffed. I've worked in various governments across the DMV and this county actually has good processes. Doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement. But we are generally better than most in my experience.

You will have to cut services to get the efficiency you desire. Close libraries more days, cut transfer station days, cut bus routes, cut inspections. Cut pot hole repair, cut trash pick up. Cut fire stations. That will result in fewer staff. And a less inviting Montgomery County.


I haven't looked into this deeply yet but it looks like the Elrich budget proposes raising the county contribution to our retirement from 8% to 9% of our salaries. I obviously would benefit from this. But is it necessary? Now? Does it merit a tax increase that will cost us all more? That's just one thing. But how many of those little things exist in the proposed budget? How do they add up?

Has anyone looked at pooling our health coverage with other local governments to leverage having a larger covered life population and access lower rates? Can we create a health insurance consortium with Frederick and Howard and Prince George's? The unions probably wouldn't allow it. But the council could order it through legislation. When we go out to bid for health plans, do we ask about cost savings if employee copays and deductibles were set at different levels? Would we get better pricing if we only offered one health plan? Or does having 3 or 4 build in better competition?

I don't know if that type of thing is happening already, but if someone ordered a comprehensive review of benefits and compensation, we would find out.


Oh and procurement sucks. We have to order from local vendors and stuff can cost twice as much than if I could order from Staples or Amazon. It's a policy decision to keep business local. There are a ton of those policy decisions that cost us extra. We may all agree on some of those policies. Or not. But those are worth examining too.

There are quite a few things to cut before we get to libraries and the transfer station.

Like what? It's so easy to say -- harder to do.