The Montgomery County Council is slated to vote Thursday on a $6.7 billion operating budget built on a property tax increase for residential and commercial properties that galvanized debate over how best to meet the county’s growing needs and who should pay.
Fast, informative and written just for locals.
The draft increase, which would take the weighted average real property tax rate to roughly $1.02 per $100 in assessed value from about $0.98, is less than half of that proposed in March by County Executive Marc Elrich. The journey to consensus divided the leaders of Maryland’s most populous county, ultimately leading to a closed-door agreement and clashing visions for the future.
One council member opposed a tax increase altogether. Several voiced concerns that a 4.7 percent jump would not be enough and predicted that the funding gap would make future budget negotiations even more difficult.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Katie Shepherd over at The Washington Post
