ROCKVILLE, Md. — The words might seem strange to residents who live in places such as Detroit, Dayton or Syracuse — raise taxes and spend more money.
“I’m going to say it … Raise our taxes. As a homeowner in Montgomery County myself, I am ready to pay for what I believe in,” Holly Levinson told the Montgomery County Council Tuesday night.
“Let’s have a nice, big juicy pie. We have great ingredients,” Levinson added, representing Jews United for Justice.
And she isn’t the only resident demanding that the county council raise taxes and spend more, especially on education and social services.
A parade of witnesses testified in favor of County Executive Ike Leggett’s $5.3 billion proposed operating budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. Leggett’s budget plan includes a property tax hike that exceeds the charter limit.
“That budget meets the standard set forth by the late, great Sen. Hubert Humphrey,” David Fishback told the council.
He reminded council members that Humphrey, a former vice president, said that the test of government was how it treats children, the elderly, the sick and handicapped.
Montgomery County, like Howard, Fairfax, Arlington and Loudoun counties, is among the wealthiest in the nation.
But not everybody agrees that Montgomery County’s fiscal 2017 budget should include higher taxes.
“Do not increase our property taxes. Do not bust the charter limit,” Paula Bienenfeld pleaded of the Montgomery County Civic Federation.
She argues that there are plenty of taxpayers living on fixed incomes, a point supported by at least one other witness who testified at the public hearing.
“We are concerned about the county executive’s proposal to increase real estate taxes by 8.7 percent for the next fiscal year. We have not been seeing any significant inflation in the last year. The Social Security Administration did not raise benefits to retirees,” said Jerry Garson, of the Seven Locks Civic Association.
Students, teachers and alumni of Montgomery College turned out at the meeting asking for increased funding. Parents representing various school districts also spoke out in favor of boosting the public school budget to limit class size.
The county council must take final action on the budget by June 1.
