The Montgomery County Council gave final approval Thursday to a $5.3 billion budget that includes the biggest property-tax hike in seven years, trims pay raises the county had promised to unionized workers and pours record funding into the school system.
Critics of the spending plan warned of a potential political backlash that could boost support in liberal Montgomery for Gov. Larry Hogan (R) or for putting term limits for county officials on the November ballot.
The budget, which takes effect July 1, includes a nearly 9 percent property-tax increase that will add $326 to the average residential tax bill. It is also supported by a rise in recordation taxes that will add $455, for example, to the cost of buying or selling a $500,000 home.
Council members say that in return for the added tax burden, the county’s 156,000-student school system will receive an infusion of money to help it meet myriad challenges, including overcrowded buildings and a widening gap separating the academic achievements of white and Asian students from Hispanic and black ones.
Click here to read the rest of the article over written by Bill Turque over at the Washington Post
