...Council member Marc Elrich, who Leggett invited to speak toward the
end of the forum, said he’d vote for a property tax increase but that
getting all nine council members to support it is “virtually
impossible.”
He encouraged residents instead to get a referendum on the ballot to do away with the requirement for unanimous approval.
“We ought to have an honest debate and if people don’t like us
because we raised taxes, then they can elect us out of office,” Elrich
said.
Paul Geller, vice president of the Montgomery County Council of
Parent-Teacher Associations, told Leggett his organization is prepared
to advocate for a property tax increase so the county can move toward
reducing class sizes, adding more counselors in schools and making other
additions to the education budget, which takes up roughly half of the
county’s $5 billion annual budget...
http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/Web-2016/At-Budget-Forum-Leggett-Explains-Political-Difficulties-of-Raising-Taxes-to-Increase-Schools-Budget/
But, will these super-educated students remain in MoCo and contribute to its economy?
ReplyDeleteBefor Paul Geller decides that MCCPTA will support a property tax increase, he better make sure his membership supports him. I don't see anything about advocating for tax increases in the MCCPTA legislative priorities. Am I missing something? http://www.mccpta.org/uploads/MCCPTA_AdvocacyPriorities_201516.pdf
ReplyDeleteThere is no correlation between property tax increase and quality of education.
DeleteElrich lives in Takoma Park, as do almost all of the County Councilmembers. One thing the council can do is get rid of the subsidy to Takoma Park's private library. Why should taxpayers from all over the county contribute to their special, precious library? We have a good public library system that residents want to support. Why are we paying for Takoma Park's private library?
ReplyDelete