Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:CM Friedson was the author of the charter amendment change on property tax increased. He promoted it as still requiring a majority vote. If this passes on only a majority vote, then he’s accountable. This is why you don’t put nepotism children in important jobs.

I dont know the nepo story about Friedsen, but it would be something if he personally voted against it, knowing full welll it would pass anyway but give him some modest cover in his wealthy district. Sick of his games.

It has to be unanimous. There’s nothing in the (not really relevant) state law that says a county can’t require a unanimous vote to raise the property tax rate. The other counties that used the state law to raise property taxes had not established special procedures for raising taxes so a majority vote was enough for them to raise taxes. Those county councils also lacked the authority to raise taxes at all absent the state law preempting the charter. The Montgomery county council has the authority to raise taxes and is bound by the charter to a unanimous vote.

It was established at the county council meeting that it was simple majority. Call your councilmembers to let them know your feelings, if enough people call maybe they will feel a trend.

Anonymous wrote:We really do need to get the Takoma Park crowd out.

The funny thing is that the only reason why this might not pass is because property taxes in Takoma Park are already crazy high to the point that residents constantly complain about them.

We really do need to get the Takoma Park crowd out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:CM Friedson was the author of the charter amendment change on property tax increased. He promoted it as still requiring a majority vote. If this passes on only a majority vote, then he’s accountable. This is why you don’t put nepotism children in important jobs.

I dont know the nepo story about Friedsen, but it would be something if he personally voted against it, knowing full welll it would pass anyway but give him some modest cover in his wealthy district. Sick of his games.

It has to be unanimous. There’s nothing in the (not really relevant) state law that says a county can’t require a unanimous vote to raise the property tax rate. The other counties that used the state law to raise property taxes had not established special procedures for raising taxes so a majority vote was enough for them to raise taxes. Those county councils also lacked the authority to raise taxes at all absent the state law preempting the charter. The Montgomery county council has the authority to raise taxes and is bound by the charter to a unanimous vote.

If the council votes for El Rich's tax increases, they need to go. Recall all of them!

Anonymous wrote:CM Friedson was the author of the charter amendment change on property tax increased. He promoted it as still requiring a majority vote. If this passes on only a majority vote, then he’s accountable. This is why you don’t put nepotism children in important jobs.

I dont know the nepo story about Friedsen, but it would be something if he personally voted against it, knowing full welll it would pass anyway but give him some modest cover in his wealthy district. Sick of his games.

Anonymous wrote:This county is nuts. I can’t believe that with all the $$$ already available, they still need more. I can look at their spending and tell them where they are being ridiculously wasteful. It’s infuriating.

So do.
https://www.mymcmedia.org/county-council-to-hold-public-hearings-over-2024-budget/

This county is nuts. I can’t believe that with all the $$$ already available, they still need more. I can look at their spending and tell them where they are being ridiculously wasteful. It’s infuriating.

The biggest chunk is supposed to be for MCPS, since few will argue about cutting funding for schools. But when you flip the rocks on what MC is spending money on, I believe it's the classic tale of financial mismanagement.

There were a series of Kid Museum payments that adds up to several million dollars, but it's not clear how many kids even went, yet the money could have paid for annual memberships for every child in MCPS. Millions of Federal ESSER covid grant money was requested to build special needs bocce ball uniforms, refs, courts (when the MCPS videos clearly showed they played indoors in the gym using PVC tubes and traffic cones). There was a weird incident where the Superintendent submitted a request to pay millions for electric buses in the middle of a contract and had to withdraw the request. There are some schools rumored to have asbestos, while others are way past due renovation, yet other schools have renovations progressing no problem.

You think giving that hot mess hundreds of millions is a good idea? I would expect Washington Post articles about it, but given this is Elrich's last term, not sure he really cares?

Welcome to the land of pork...

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/OMB/Resources/Files/omb/pdfs/fy24/FY24_Operating_Budget_Presentation.pdf

Largest budget ever for Montgomery County Public Schools if approved - $3.2 billion
 Largest increase EVER - $223 million Increase in County funds from FY23
 $264 million ABOVE the State’s Maintenance of Effort requirement
$730,000 for the Children’s Opportunity Alliance
 A Total Budget of $1.9 million for the KID Museum

 Significant funding increases for the African American Health Program ($800,000) Latino Health Initiative ($950,000), and Asian American Health Initiative ($775,000)
 $735,000 increase for the third year of the Guaranteed Income Pilot
Program

Allocates almost $124 million to expand the preservation and production of affordable housing
 $57.7 million for the Montgomery Housing Initiative operating budget
 $32.0 million for the affordable housing acquisition and preservation
capital budget project
 $4.1 million in federal grants
 $30.2 million for the Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH) capital project
 Nearly $35 million in rental assistance funding
 $18.6 million in the Department of Health and Human Services  $16.3 million in the Montgomery Housing Initiative fund
 $3 million in funding to continue providing overflow sheltering in hotels

 $1.1 million to fund Office of Food Systems Resilience
 $2 million increase to Montgomery Cares reimbursement rates to
begin to right-size the County’s share of the total cost of care
 Significant funding increases for the African American Health Program ($800,000) Latino Health Initiative ($950,000), and Asian American Health Initiative ($775,000)
 $735,000 increase for the third year of the Guaranteed Income Pilot
Program

$6.4millionintotalfundingforMontgomeryCountyEconomicDevelopment Corporation
 $4millionintotalfundingfortheEconomicDevelopmentFund
 $2.2millionintotalfundingforWorkSourceMontgomery
Twoadditionalbusinessliaisonpositionstoproactivelyassistandengagesmall businesses throughout the County
$100,000 in additional funds to increase world languages collection (Spanish and Chinese)
Continues “Free in 23” Initiative that provides free recreation fitness passes to individuals
$500,000allocatedtofundrebatesforpurchasingsecuritycameras

CM Friedson was the author of the charter amendment change on property tax increased. He promoted it as still requiring a majority vote. If this passes on only a majority vote, then he’s accountable. This is why you don’t put nepotism children in important jobs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Welcome to Californication.

Like Proposition 13? I'm really glad that Montgomery County isn't shackled with a law like Proposition 13.

Proposition 13 is what happens when people lose confidence that their elected officials will act reasonably.

What an astonishingly unhistorical assertion.

That’s your opinion. Proposition 13 has several origin theories, most consistent with PP’s assertion. Which theory do you think is best?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Welcome to Californication.

Like Proposition 13? I'm really glad that Montgomery County isn't shackled with a law like Proposition 13.

Proposition 13 is what happens when people lose confidence that their elected officials will act reasonably.

What an astonishingly unhistorical assertion.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Welcome to Californication.

Like Proposition 13? I'm really glad that Montgomery County isn't shackled with a law like Proposition 13.

Proposition 13 is what happens when people lose confidence that their elected officials will act reasonably.

Anonymous wrote:Doesn’t most of the money go to MCPS and MCPD?

Half goes to MCPS. Don't know about police.