Some perspective on those blaming Hogan for lack of education funding

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hogan won by a landslide and is doing a great job. I am a Dem and I like the tone he is taking with our idiotic elected county officials and board who have no clue how to run a company

Small businesses are failing, town centers are a disaster, condos turned into low rent apartments, so many big businessss won’t touch our land. The Rockville Town Center disaster. The White Flint Disaster. The Pike n Rose disaster.

I guess I missed those...?

White Flint ihas been a 5 year issue

Pike n Rose is closing up restaurants and businesses already. High rise condos are not selling. The ones across the street were in limbo for 7 years.

Yes, they both are failures.

Pike and Rose seems fine - though unnecessary - to me. How many more shops and restaurants do we need??
We should start calling our county the strip mall Capital if the US.

In case you didn't know, here is the formula for community building in MoCo:

(1) Find and tear down a mall or open area
(2) Build high rise condos and apartments
(3) Build "mixed-use" commercial spaces on the bottom floors for restaurants and cruddy retail
(4) Build some peripheral luxury town hosues
(5) OPTIONAL: Add a few single-family homes where you can shake hands with the neighbor through the windows without leaving your respective houses
(6) Build two fitness complexes

[Anonymous]

True PP

So short-sighted for MoCo to pave over every single open space of land.

People move to MoCo because they want to live in the suburbs. If they wanted an urban environment, they would move to DC.

People in the suburbs hate the parking garages. They hate having to pay for parking. They want green space. They want places for their kids and dogs to run around.

In theory, the developers would stop building if there is no demand, but it hasn’t worked that way. So much of the high density housing isn’t filling up, yet they keep adding more projects.

Anyone trying to sell a condo in Montgomery county understands that there is a huge oversupply of condos.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:True PP

So short-sighted for MoCo to pave over every single open space of land.

People move to MoCo because they want to live in the suburbs. If they wanted an urban environment, they would move to DC.

People in the suburbs hate the parking garages. They hate having to pay for parking. They want green space. They want places for their kids and dogs to run around.

In theory, the developers would stop building if there is no demand, but it hasn’t worked that way. So much of the high density housing isn’t filling up, yet they keep adding more projects.

Anyone trying to sell a condo in Montgomery county understands that there is a huge oversupply of condos.

How do you know this? And how are the developers staying in business if they can't sell what they're building?

Also, the developments you're objecting to are all on parts of Montgomery County that were/are already paved. Unless you think of the parking lots of Mid-Pike Plaza or Grosvenor Metro as open space? I don't.

[Anonymous]

How do you know this? And how are the developers staying in business if they can't sell what they're building?

I don't think they need to quickly sell 100% occupancy and they get very good deals from the county so they have less pressure to fill it up fast. Of course, they would love to fill it up fast and make more money but its a numbers game for them. Oddly, the developers keep an upper hand with the county if the occupancy isn't filled fast. They can pressure council members who want money for something that they need more incentives to build because they haven't cleared their inventory. If the demand was higher the developers would be in less of a strong position.

What makes zero sense is that MoCo will tax business that create a steady stream of tax revenue and jobs to death until they go under but they give away the store to the developers. The businesses are far more valuable and would have an indirect positive effect on the housing market creating demand. Greater demand would create more competition for developers and allow the county to give away fewer incentives.

Right now the county is completely controlled by the unions and the developers. They've squeezed out any business interests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

How do you know this? And how are the developers staying in business if they can't sell what they're building?

I don't think they need to quickly sell 100% occupancy and they get very good deals from the county so they have less pressure to fill it up fast. Of course, they would love to fill it up fast and make more money but its a numbers game for them. Oddly, the developers keep an upper hand with the county if the occupancy isn't filled fast. They can pressure council members who want money for something that they need more incentives to build because they haven't cleared their inventory. If the demand was higher the developers would be in less of a strong position.

What makes zero sense is that MoCo will tax business that create a steady stream of tax revenue and jobs to death until they go under but they give away the store to the developers. The businesses are far more valuable and would have an indirect positive effect on the housing market creating demand. Greater demand would create more competition for developers and allow the county to give away fewer incentives.

Right now the county is completely controlled by the unions and the developers. They've squeezed out any business interests.

Such as?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
How do you know this? And how are the developers staying in business if they can't sell what they're building?

I don't think they need to quickly sell 100% occupancy and they get very good deals from the county so they have less pressure to fill it up fast. Of course, they would love to fill it up fast and make more money but its a numbers game for them. Oddly, the developers keep an upper hand with the county if the occupancy isn't filled fast. They can pressure council members who want money for something that they need more incentives to build because they haven't cleared their inventory. If the demand was higher the developers would be in less of a strong position.

What makes zero sense is that MoCo will tax business that create a steady stream of tax revenue and jobs to death until they go under but they give away the store to the developers. The businesses are far more valuable and would have an indirect positive effect on the housing market creating demand. Greater demand would create more competition for developers and allow the county to give away fewer incentives.

Right now the county is completely controlled by the unions and the developers. They've squeezed out any business interests.

Such as?

Developers are supposed to pay taxes or fees to address infrastructure and school expansion in the areas they are building. This amount gets negotiated down, offset by other tax incentives or other mechanisms because the county wants some cash now. The county usually takes in far less than what the impact surveys would require. In addition, the county doesn't ear mark it for that area. The infrastructure and school construction projects that occur in areas with less development are being paid for by areas with more development. All the money being collected for the building going on in Bethesda is going to other areas. This is why there is never enough money to ever address the actual impacts of development. The county collected less money to get the developer to build and give them some money. The county then spent the money on something else.

MoCo can't take on more debt because the debt service is too high now for the operating budget. They are desperate for construction funding so they will give away more to developers, redirect the dollars more and end up even more short. This has been going on for years so the hole just keeps getting larger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Developers are supposed to pay taxes or fees to address infrastructure and school expansion in the areas they are building. This amount gets negotiated down, offset by other tax incentives or other mechanisms because the county wants some cash now. The county usually takes in far less than what the impact surveys would require. In addition, the county doesn't ear mark it for that area. The infrastructure and school construction projects that occur in areas with less development are being paid for by areas with more development. All the money being collected for the building going on in Bethesda is going to other areas. This is why there is never enough money to ever address the actual impacts of development. The county collected less money to get the developer to build and give them some money. The county then spent the money on something else.

MoCo can't take on more debt because the debt service is too high now for the operating budget. They are desperate for construction funding so they will give away more to developers, redirect the dollars more and end up even more short. This has been going on for years so the hole just keeps getting larger.

Where did you get this language from?

This isn't "developers get very good deals from the county", in any case. This is "developers don't pay as much in impact taxes as I think they should, and the county doesn't use the impact taxes as I think they should".

[Anonymous]

Yeah developers are getting sweet heart deals to pay far less than the impact surveys and county regulations claim to require. Its a game that MoCo is losing badly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:True PP

So short-sighted for MoCo to pave over every single open space of land.

People move to MoCo because they want to live in the suburbs. If they wanted an urban environment, they would move to DC.

People in the suburbs hate the parking garages. They hate having to pay for parking. They want green space. They want places for their kids and dogs to run around.

In theory, the developers would stop building if there is no demand, but it hasn’t worked that way. So much of the high density housing isn’t filling up, yet they keep adding more projects.

Anyone trying to sell a condo in Montgomery county understands that there is a huge oversupply of condos.

How do you know this? And how are the developers staying in business if they can't sell what they're building?

Also, the developments you're objecting to are all on parts of Montgomery County that were/are already paved. Unless you think of the parking lots of Mid-Pike Plaza or Grosvenor Metro as open space? I don't.

Maybe not Puke and Rose, but all the development near Shady grove has been on land that was undeveloped/unsaved. All those apartment complexes, near Shady Grove hospital. The entire area where Crown is, had zero buildings and was just grass and trees. Now, it’s high density housing.

The areas up 270 were not paved over. Now there is a crap ton of high density housing.

Also, Pike and Rose had some business, but not thousands of housing units.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah developers are getting sweet heart deals to pay far less than the impact surveys and county regulations claim to require. Its a game that MoCo is losing badly.

This exactly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Maybe not Puke and Rose, but all the development near Shady grove has been on land that was undeveloped/unsaved. All those apartment complexes, near Shady Grove hospital. The entire area where Crown is, had zero buildings and was just grass and trees. Now, it’s high density housing.

The areas up 270 were not paved over. Now there is a crap ton of high density housing.

Also, Pike and Rose had some business, but not thousands of housing units.

That is Clarksburg. Clarksburg is not high-density housing; it's Montgomery County's last big greenfields suburb. Also, the plan for Clarksburg was approved in 1994. If you don't like suburban development on farm fields a long way away from everywhere else (I don't either), then you should support infill development like Pike and Rose, the apartment buildings around Shady Grove, and yes, Crown Farm (which is under the development control of the City of Gaithersburg, not Montgomery County). Also, the apartment buildings around Shady Grove, in particular, are near lots of jobs. Housing near jobs is a good thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
First off, he has always increased the amount he gives each year, never decreased. He just doesn't give as much as MCPS says he should, so the wording of decreased always comes into play.

Student enrollment has also increased. Has state funding increased as much as student enrollment increased? What is the yearly per-student funding from the state? Has that increased, decreased, or stayed the same?

BINGO!!!! Hogan didn't even want to pay to fix the heat in Baltimore schools!

Hogan does a brilliant job with PR. He selects actual facts and makes them seem like they represent the entire truth. He conveniently leaves out relevant details of the story (and no - not all politicians do this).

He has convinced Maryland voters who don't check their own facts that he is a moderate when in fact, he is restrained by Maryland Democrats who will not support his right wing initiatives.

Funding for schools almost always goes up when enrollment goes up so let's not pat the guy on the back for doing that, OK? All Maryland governors have done that.

Teachers despise him not just for the awful school calendar but for lack of funding and his cozying up to Betsy DeVoss (who is a national disgrace).

Mostly I have no respect for him because when swastikas were spray painted on elementary schools, he didn't comment for a really, really long time and gave a lukewarm condemnation when forced to comment.

And he lost the ACLU lawsuit over him banning Maryland residents from posting on his public page (which they are allowed to do by law - he does not own the page).


So a guy who won't condemn hate crimes but who bans free speech is no asset for the state of Maryland.

OP - you sound very young ("First off" is a dead giveaway that you haven't finished college yet.) Read a bit more, look at the big picture, think about questioning what he says rather than swallowing it whole. You'll get there but this comment about Hogan reads like someone with an agenda who doesn't realize how transparent they look.


OP - here is the article you should have read before posting.

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-0910-hogan-education-20180905-story.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
First off, he has always increased the amount he gives each year, never decreased. He just doesn't give as much as MCPS says he should, so the wording of decreased always comes into play.

Student enrollment has also increased. Has state funding increased as much as student enrollment increased? What is the yearly per-student funding from the state? Has that increased, decreased, or stayed the same?

BINGO!!!! Hogan didn't even want to pay to fix the heat in Baltimore schools!

Hogan does a brilliant job with PR. He selects actual facts and makes them seem like they represent the entire truth. He conveniently leaves out relevant details of the story (and no - not all politicians do this).

He has convinced Maryland voters who don't check their own facts that he is a moderate when in fact, he is restrained by Maryland Democrats who will not support his right wing initiatives.

Funding for schools almost always goes up when enrollment goes up so let's not pat the guy on the back for doing that, OK? All Maryland governors have done that.

Teachers despise him not just for the awful school calendar but for lack of funding and his cozying up to Betsy DeVoss (who is a national disgrace).

Mostly I have no respect for him because when swastikas were spray painted on elementary schools, he didn't comment for a really, really long time and gave a lukewarm condemnation when forced to comment.

And he lost the ACLU lawsuit over him banning Maryland residents from posting on his public page (which they are allowed to do by law - he does not own the page).


So a guy who won't condemn hate crimes but who bans free speech is no asset for the state of Maryland.

OP - you sound very young ("First off" is a dead giveaway that you haven't finished college yet.) Read a bit more, look at the big picture, think about questioning what he says rather than swallowing it whole. You'll get there but this comment about Hogan reads like someone with an agenda who doesn't realize how transparent they look.


OP - here is the article you should have read before posting.

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-0910-hogan-education-20180905-story.html

Why would anyone read an article from the opinion section? Are you actually taking this as real news?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Second, the state is only responsible for 22% of the entire budget. The county is responsible for 67% of the budget. Why doesn't the board make a stink to the county about funds?

It does. Every year. I guess you haven't been paying attention?

Can you post all the articles that the school board complains about lack of funding from the county? I can't find one single news article. I can find about 10 with them complaining about the state though.

[Anonymous]

STFU with the whining about development. Crown has been a home run. Pike & Rose is doing just fine. RTC is mediocre, but it's a lot healthier than what existed in downtown Rockville before.

The new apartments along Shady Grove Rd are needed and filling up well.

I've lived in Rockville for 20 years, and things are a lot better today than they were when I moved here. The county is developing in the right direction.

Let's get back to talking about Hogan and education funding...