Councilmember Fani-González’s Statement on the FY24 Budget
I have said this before, and will say it again, I believe we must increase our tax base to bring in more jobs, attract new businesses, and that way, increase more revenue for the county. Revenue we need to afford all the social needs we have. The decision we make today on this historic operating budget alongside the decisions we make as County Council on legislative proposals, affect our county’s budget. Are we going to be a county that raises taxes in order to fund the things we need and want while passing policies that move investment away. Policies that move away the need of building more housing, policies that do not attract businesses?
What kind of County government are we going to be? Are we going to be reckless, or are we going to lead with fiscal responsibility while upholding our values?
Knowing clearly that I want my County to prosper for everyone regardless of income level or where they were born, or how they look or sound, since day 1, my focus for this budget has been on ensuring we deliver outstanding services for our county residents while holding all departments and agencies accountable, and in a fiscally responsible manner.
I am happy that this budget fully funds contracts with first responders, county staff, teachers, and administrators. I have said it before, and I will say it again, I believe in the right to organize at the workplace and fully support our unions to fund their contracts. Period. So I am happy that this operating budget fully funds all union contracts. From MCGEO, to SEIU 500, the teachers union, to the Fraternal Order of Police, and all the others. Their contracts are fully funded with this operating budget.
On the Montgomery County Public School budget, the budget we are approving today provides sufficient resources to fully fund the teacher, administrator, and paraeducator contracts AND continue critical programs to address the achievement gap. Full stop. Indeed, this MCPS budget is an 8.5% increase in County funding over last year; and a 13.8% increase in County funding alone over the last two years combined.
I am also happy that this budget minimizes as much as possible the increase of the tax burden on residents, particularly those who are struggling to make ends meet at home. Cutting things down from both the priority and high priority list was very hard. It was also hard not to see some budget items that I personally really wanted for my district, not to get funded. I was successful in getting several things, but not everything. And that’s part of working on this budget alongside 10 other Councilmembers.
Rising costs across the board are putting tremendous pressure on working families. And I say that to respond to those who think that a 10 percent property tax increase is not a big deal. It is a HUGE deal when we are facing a housing shortage and stagnant wages. Just yesterday, we received the 4th Quarter of the Montgomery County Economic Indicators – I already scheduled a meeting for the Economic Development Committee to go over this latest report, this meeting will take place on June 12th. Meanwhile, I took a quick look at these latest set of Economic Indicators for the County, I noticed:
- Total employment in Maryland and the DC metro area remains below the numbers before the pandemic
- The office vacancy rate in Montgomery County is above the DC metro
- Multi-Family rent has been increasing at a higher rate in Maryland and Montgomery County compared to the DC metro
Numbers don’t lie.
The budget we received from the County Executive presented significant challenges. In addition to the highest proposed tax increase in recent memory (maybe ever!), it added new positions and new programs without finding offsetting reductions. If approved as is, it would have led the County down a dangerous path forcing deep cuts, new tax increases, and potentially jeopardizing our Triple A bond rating as soon as next year.
Faced with these challenges, the Council dug deeply into each and every department budget to identify efficiencies and more properly align resources with our priorities and values.
As chair of the Economic Development Committee, I led the committee in making strategic decisions to support the highest performing and most effective economic development programs at the Montgomery County Economic Development Committee, the Urban Districts, Alcohol Beverage Services, and more.
I’m confident that we have set up the departments under the committee’s jurisdiction for success as they seek to grow the county’s economy. I appreciate my colleagues on the committee, Council President Glass and Councilmembers Sayles and Balcombe in undertaking this difficult task with me.
I’d like to highlight a few key priorities for District 6 in this budget.
- The Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center is funded for construction, as part of a joint affordable housing development with the Montgomery Housing Partnership. Thank you to County Executive Elrich, Director Dise, and MHP for making this happen!
- The Randolph Road Corridor Study to understand community needs in relation to traffic safety, regional connectivity, environmental sustainability, and economic development
- Vital health programs that support residents of my district
- As well as the working families income supplement that also impacts my district residents
Finally, I’d like to thank Council President Glass for his tireless efforts to bring this incredibly difficult budget across the finish line. And one of the best things about Council President Glass: His excellent chief of staff. Thank you, Valeria! I’d also like to thank my colleagues for their many valuable contributions to this budget and council staff for their rigorous and always excellent analysis. This is my first Council budget, and I have learned so much from all of you.
I want to share my love and appreciation for my entire team; they work none-stop on this budget while working on key priorities that my office is moving forward for our residents, from my Chief of Staff Tommy to the rest of the team: José, Sylvia and Kathia!
I look forward to supporting this budget when it comes for a final vote next week.