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Politics & Government

County Council Hears Budget Pain At Town Hall

Issues with businesses and roads also were raised by residents on Wednesday.

Public employees and private businesses are both feeling the strain of the county’s stressed finances, county residents told Montgomery County Council members at a town hall meeting on Wednesday at Redland Middle School in Rockville.

About 40 people and six council members attended the meeting. Council members Valerie Ervin (D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring, Nancy Navarro (D-Dist. 4) of Silver Spring and Craig L. Rice (D-Dist. 2) of Germantown were absent.

Most residents came with critiques of the council's handling of a $300 million operating budget gap for fiscal 2012. Montgomery County Public Schools employees asked council members why the county reneged on pay increases and other negotiated benefits.

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"You have not bargained in good faith with your public servants," said Rachel Sinnett, a teacher from Derwood. "How in the world do you expect your teachers and firefighters and policemen to continue the jobs they do?"

Tough choices were necessary to avoid deeper cuts in services, further tax increases and layoffs, Councilman Philip M. Andrews (D-Dist. 3) of Gaithersburg said.

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The council nixed a proposal by the county executive to increase the share of pension and health care costs paid by county employees, Andrews said.

"It’s not about the worth of employees. But the fact is we have to balance the needs of all our constituencies," he said. "The council’s done its best to find the balance and it’s not something that everybody’s happy with. I understand that."

Small business owners are also feeling the pain. Chip Berman, owner of Outta the Way Café in Derwood, said licensing and permitting fees, security deposits for electrical service and taxes are too high and causing businesses and residents to leave both the county and the state.

"Have you no compassion for small businesses?" Berman said.

Council members agreed that electrical utilities need to be held accountable to users and provide more reliable service. Harsh economic realities necessitate both budget cuts and tax increases to balance the county’s books, they said.

"This is really tough," Councilman Marc B. Elrich (D-At large) of Takoma Park said. "Imagine where we’d be if we hadn’t raised the energy tax last year. That’s the dilemma we find ourselves in."

Residents also expressed safety concerns about Muncaster Mill Road, a dark, winding state road that has been the scene of numerous crashes over the years. The new , a toll road that eventually will connect Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, has not relieved traffic on Muncaster Mill Road and motorists drive too aggressively for the conditions, honking and swearing at residents as they turn into their driveways, residents said.

The road’s speed limit is too high for speed cameras to be installed and there are no shoulders for police to pull over motorists.

"Muncaster Mill is a busy road and it remains a busy road. It remains in many ways an unsafe road," Andrews said.

The road needs to be widened to four lanes and straightened in parts and sidewalks should be added, Andrews said, adding that those decisions must occur at the state level. Council members vowed to work on the issue with State Highway Administration officials.

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