Boy is it ugly out there! Everyone is having budget issues and your county is no different.
To meet the needs of our approximately 965,000 residents, our county budget is about $4.2 billion. That comes out to about $4,350 per resident. It's getting hard to maintain the current level of services we're providing because a sagging economy means we're having problems generating as much revenue as we originally anticipated. Why, you may ask? Didn't the county know this would be a tough year?
Actually, we did know -- but until we actually see some of the revenues come in, we don’t really know exactly how big a problem we’re facing. Interestingly, most of our revenue sources are okay; the real problem is in the income tax.
In Montgomery County, a lot of our income tax revenue comes from people paying capital gains taxes, which is usually generated from investment income. Obviously, there aren’t many people making investments right now -- so our current calculations show we’re already off about $590 million from what we were originally anticipating.
We're running low on funding, and we've already agreed to not increase taxes during this difficult fiscal time. So, what do we do?
Well, our schools are getting some funds from the federal stimulus package. That'll help a bit. Additionly, the County Council will have to work with our employee organizations (unions) to re-negotiate the current contracts to eliminate cost of living allowances (COLAs), just as the school system had already done with its employee organizations. That'll save us about $125 million.
After that, we'll have to re-focus our county’s efforts, clarify our priorities and make reductions –- not necessarily fun, but necessary. Fortunately, our residents have already helped us by responding to a county-wide survey that was conducted last year. In that survey, you told as that your three most important areas of focus for the county are public safety, education, and a basic safety net of social services. Given this feedback, in my mind we have a good place to start.
Finally, in year’s past, it has been assumed by many organizations and individuals that once the County Executive’s budget proposal is submitted to the County Council, it provides a stone-carved blueprint, and that there will be few big changes in what is ultimately approved. That's not the case.
This year, the County Executive has made many assumptions in his budget proposal that may still require us to make additional reductions to close the deficit. So, everyone should be aware that we have a long way to go -- and we'd also love to have any feedback that you would like to provide during this process.
The budget public hearings are on April 14, 15 and 16 -- and if you want to sign up to testify, call 240-777-7931, or feel free to e-mail any thoughts that you may have.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
This Time, It's Personal...
I was pleased last week that we were able to open a brand new fire station – for the first time in nearly thirty years -- serving a new area in our County.
When the County opened Station 29 in downtown Germantown in 1981, it served a community of only about 20,000 people. Germantown now has about 86,000 residents -- and until last week, it still had just one fire station. With the opening of Station 22, we incorporated the history of the first Station 22 (which was on Bradley Blvd. before it closed in 1978) with the newness of our community, to increase the availability of critical public safety assets for that community.
This one is actually personal for me. While my home is only two miles from town center in Germantown, there are no hydrants in my neighborhood. And as I witnessed, there can be devastating consequences when the fire and rescue service does not have the right tools to do its job.
In February 2002, my neighbor’s home caught fire, and I stood with them on my front yard and watched their home burn to the ground. Now, there were lots of reasons that this happened on this particular day, but one of the most significant was lack of access to appropriate public safety resources. This should never be the case in our county.
Unfortunately, the story gets worse. Station 22 was initially approved by the County Council in 1999 and could have been in position to address community needs much sooner. But it wasn't -- and it wasn’t because of a lack of resources. We had the money, but we didn't have an efficient and effective process in place to get it spent and begin work. So I'm pleased that we've been able to get the logjam removed. In fact, we're now on track to have a second new station open next year in East Germantown, and in coming years, we're converting the interim station that we located in Clarksburg into a full station. We're also moving ahead with a critically needed new police station in Gaithersburg.
Public safety assets aren’t as high profile as some other projects, but I can’t think of anything that is more important for our residents. I’m glad we’re making some progress.
When the County opened Station 29 in downtown Germantown in 1981, it served a community of only about 20,000 people. Germantown now has about 86,000 residents -- and until last week, it still had just one fire station. With the opening of Station 22, we incorporated the history of the first Station 22 (which was on Bradley Blvd. before it closed in 1978) with the newness of our community, to increase the availability of critical public safety assets for that community.
This one is actually personal for me. While my home is only two miles from town center in Germantown, there are no hydrants in my neighborhood. And as I witnessed, there can be devastating consequences when the fire and rescue service does not have the right tools to do its job.
In February 2002, my neighbor’s home caught fire, and I stood with them on my front yard and watched their home burn to the ground. Now, there were lots of reasons that this happened on this particular day, but one of the most significant was lack of access to appropriate public safety resources. This should never be the case in our county.
Unfortunately, the story gets worse. Station 22 was initially approved by the County Council in 1999 and could have been in position to address community needs much sooner. But it wasn't -- and it wasn’t because of a lack of resources. We had the money, but we didn't have an efficient and effective process in place to get it spent and begin work. So I'm pleased that we've been able to get the logjam removed. In fact, we're now on track to have a second new station open next year in East Germantown, and in coming years, we're converting the interim station that we located in Clarksburg into a full station. We're also moving ahead with a critically needed new police station in Gaithersburg.
Public safety assets aren’t as high profile as some other projects, but I can’t think of anything that is more important for our residents. I’m glad we’re making some progress.
Monday, September 29, 2008
The Food Stamp Challenge: Reflections
Whew!
Well, I made it through the week and survived the Food Stamp Challenge. Interestingly, it was a very busy week and I don't know if that made it harder or easier - I was probably hungrier, but had actually had less time to think about food.
It was a little touch and go on Friday when I had an off-site staff meeting and afterwords everyone wanted to go Panera for lunch. I accompanied them and figured I would use my remaining $1.12 to buy a small soda. When I got to the front of the line during the lunch time rush and told the cashier that I only wanted a small soda, he looked at me quizzicially and just gave me a cup without charging me for it! Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.
I finished the week with a handful of spaghetti, some sauce, three eggs and a little bit of lettuce - not much to build on for the next week. The biggest lesson that became even clearer to me is the difficulty of eating well while trying to eat cheaply. It's easy to understand why someone would purchase something like "Sunny-D" to drink rather than real juice: it costs about half as much, but has little nutritional value.
The same is true for bread. You can spend $2.29 for whole wheat, or 99 cents for a larger loaf of white bread with less nutritional value. Fruits and vegetables are a story unto themsleves. Wow! You would be lucky to have one or two pieces of fresh fruit a day -- well below what is suggested to be healthy.
I found the experience to be very rewarding, and eye-opening. It was also a great educational tool for my daughters. I am blessed that I don't have to live this way every week, but right now -- and, unfortunately, even when the economy is good -- there are far too many for whom this is how they live. In a nation as prosperous as ours, we can and must do more make sure no one goes hungry.
On a lighter note, there was great concern at the soccer fields on Saturday that the whole family was undertaking the Food Stamp Challenge, and many of the parents of my daughters teammates were offering to take my girls home so they could have a good meal!
Well, I made it through the week and survived the Food Stamp Challenge. Interestingly, it was a very busy week and I don't know if that made it harder or easier - I was probably hungrier, but had actually had less time to think about food.
It was a little touch and go on Friday when I had an off-site staff meeting and afterwords everyone wanted to go Panera for lunch. I accompanied them and figured I would use my remaining $1.12 to buy a small soda. When I got to the front of the line during the lunch time rush and told the cashier that I only wanted a small soda, he looked at me quizzicially and just gave me a cup without charging me for it! Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.
I finished the week with a handful of spaghetti, some sauce, three eggs and a little bit of lettuce - not much to build on for the next week. The biggest lesson that became even clearer to me is the difficulty of eating well while trying to eat cheaply. It's easy to understand why someone would purchase something like "Sunny-D" to drink rather than real juice: it costs about half as much, but has little nutritional value.
The same is true for bread. You can spend $2.29 for whole wheat, or 99 cents for a larger loaf of white bread with less nutritional value. Fruits and vegetables are a story unto themsleves. Wow! You would be lucky to have one or two pieces of fresh fruit a day -- well below what is suggested to be healthy.
I found the experience to be very rewarding, and eye-opening. It was also a great educational tool for my daughters. I am blessed that I don't have to live this way every week, but right now -- and, unfortunately, even when the economy is good -- there are far too many for whom this is how they live. In a nation as prosperous as ours, we can and must do more make sure no one goes hungry.
On a lighter note, there was great concern at the soccer fields on Saturday that the whole family was undertaking the Food Stamp Challenge, and many of the parents of my daughters teammates were offering to take my girls home so they could have a good meal!
Friday, September 26, 2008
The Food Stamp Challenge, Day 5
As we close in on the end of the seven day challenge, here's my menu from yesterday:
Breakfast -- a bowl of cereal with milk, and a glass of concentrated orange juice.
Lunch -- a turkey sandwich (2 slices of wheat bread with a bit of turkey and gobs of lettuce) and a banana.
Dinner -- spaghetti with sauce, and a glass of milk.
As I mentioned yesterday, my supply of sliced turkey is running dangerously low, so my sandwiches have become thick with lettuce, thin on the meat.
Today I'm on the run, and . . . well, I didn't pack a lunch this morning, so I'm going to have to wing it. Perhaps the $1.12 I had left over from my grocery shopping can be put to use today. I'll let you know.
The final day of the Food Stamp Challenge is tomorrow. On Monday, I'll let you know what I ate, and give you some final thoughts on the challenge.
Have a good weekend.
Breakfast -- a bowl of cereal with milk, and a glass of concentrated orange juice.
Lunch -- a turkey sandwich (2 slices of wheat bread with a bit of turkey and gobs of lettuce) and a banana.
Dinner -- spaghetti with sauce, and a glass of milk.
As I mentioned yesterday, my supply of sliced turkey is running dangerously low, so my sandwiches have become thick with lettuce, thin on the meat.
Today I'm on the run, and . . . well, I didn't pack a lunch this morning, so I'm going to have to wing it. Perhaps the $1.12 I had left over from my grocery shopping can be put to use today. I'll let you know.
The final day of the Food Stamp Challenge is tomorrow. On Monday, I'll let you know what I ate, and give you some final thoughts on the challenge.
Have a good weekend.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
The Food Stamp Challenge, Day 4
Here's the menu for yesterday.
Breakfast -- a bowl of cereal with milk, and a glass of concentrated orange juice.
Lunch -- a turkey sandwich (2 slices of wheat bread with a few slices of turkey and lettuce) and a banana.
Dinner -- scrambled eggs and toast, with a glass of orange juice.
Because of last night's Town Hall meeting, I once again didn't make it home for dinner until after 10:00 p.m. Rather than eat an egg sandwich, as I had planned, I decided instead to have scrambled eggs with toast. Same ingredients, different format, I suppose.
Anyway, here's what's left in my pantry for the remaining three days (that's today, tomorrow, and Saturday): I've got seven eggs left, 2/3 of a box of spaghetti, half a can of sauce, and half a loaf of bread. I made my first can of frozen juice last until yesterday, and opened the second (and last) can for dinner last night.
That's not too bad, I suppose -- but my milk is almost gone, my remaining bananas are going brown, and I've only got a bit of sliced turkey left, which means my lunch sandwiches for the rest of the week will be heavy on the lettuce, light on the meat.
We'll see how I do. Stay tuned.
Breakfast -- a bowl of cereal with milk, and a glass of concentrated orange juice.
Lunch -- a turkey sandwich (2 slices of wheat bread with a few slices of turkey and lettuce) and a banana.
Dinner -- scrambled eggs and toast, with a glass of orange juice.
Because of last night's Town Hall meeting, I once again didn't make it home for dinner until after 10:00 p.m. Rather than eat an egg sandwich, as I had planned, I decided instead to have scrambled eggs with toast. Same ingredients, different format, I suppose.
Anyway, here's what's left in my pantry for the remaining three days (that's today, tomorrow, and Saturday): I've got seven eggs left, 2/3 of a box of spaghetti, half a can of sauce, and half a loaf of bread. I made my first can of frozen juice last until yesterday, and opened the second (and last) can for dinner last night.
That's not too bad, I suppose -- but my milk is almost gone, my remaining bananas are going brown, and I've only got a bit of sliced turkey left, which means my lunch sandwiches for the rest of the week will be heavy on the lettuce, light on the meat.
We'll see how I do. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The Food Stamp Challenge, Day 3
Here's my menu from yesterday. And I hope you notice it looks quite a bit like my menu from the past two days.
Breakfast -- a bowl of cereal with milk, and a glass of concentrated orange juice.
Lunch -- a turkey sandwich (2 slices of wheat bread with a few slices of turkey and lettuce) and a banana. Water to drink.
Dinner -- A bowl of bean soup and a glass of milk
Once again, given my schedule, I didn't eat dinner until after 10:00 p.m. While breakfast and lunch have been the same, I'm trying to mix things up a bit for dinner, rotating between spaghetti, soup, and egg sandwiches. But my meals have become incredibly utilitarian -- they're all purpose, and no pleasure. As such, you don't necessarily look forward to dinner in the way you might anticipate a pot roast that's been cooking all day, or savor a steaming plate of Mexican food. It's simply A Meal, doing its job.
Oh, and thanks, I did manage to land a larger water cup.
For more stories, vist the Manna Food Stamp Challenge Blog here. There was also a story in the Gazette, which you can read by clicking here.
Breakfast -- a bowl of cereal with milk, and a glass of concentrated orange juice.
Lunch -- a turkey sandwich (2 slices of wheat bread with a few slices of turkey and lettuce) and a banana. Water to drink.
Dinner -- A bowl of bean soup and a glass of milk
Once again, given my schedule, I didn't eat dinner until after 10:00 p.m. While breakfast and lunch have been the same, I'm trying to mix things up a bit for dinner, rotating between spaghetti, soup, and egg sandwiches. But my meals have become incredibly utilitarian -- they're all purpose, and no pleasure. As such, you don't necessarily look forward to dinner in the way you might anticipate a pot roast that's been cooking all day, or savor a steaming plate of Mexican food. It's simply A Meal, doing its job.
Oh, and thanks, I did manage to land a larger water cup.
For more stories, vist the Manna Food Stamp Challenge Blog here. There was also a story in the Gazette, which you can read by clicking here.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
The Food Stamp Challenge, Day 2
As I noted yesterday, variety is not an option when you're living within a tight budget. My meals yesterday consisted of the following:
Breakfast -- a bowl of cereal with milk, and a glass of concentrated orange juice.
Lunch -- a turkey sandwich (2 slices of wheat bread with a few slices of turkey and some lettuce) and a banana.
Dinner -- a fried egg sandwich on wheat bread, and a banana
The main question I'm getting is: are you hungry? And the answer is: Not yet. That's probably because I've been busy during the day, running from one meeting to another, and I had to work late enough last night that I didn't eat until I got home at 10 p.m. That sort of schedule tends to take your mind off food -- but only until I get home and settle down.
At that point, the mind tends to drift, and temptation starts to tap you on the shoulder. But when you're on a budget, there's really no such thing as leftovers. I can't afford to snack on what I've got left in the fridge, or I might run out before the end of the week, leaving me with an empty fridge and empty stomach by Saturday morning.
To the surprise of my staff, giving up my regular Mountain Dew habit hasn't been difficult. I'm drinking more and more water now, which is probably a good thing. My main quest now is for a bigger cup.
Breakfast -- a bowl of cereal with milk, and a glass of concentrated orange juice.
Lunch -- a turkey sandwich (2 slices of wheat bread with a few slices of turkey and some lettuce) and a banana.
Dinner -- a fried egg sandwich on wheat bread, and a banana
The main question I'm getting is: are you hungry? And the answer is: Not yet. That's probably because I've been busy during the day, running from one meeting to another, and I had to work late enough last night that I didn't eat until I got home at 10 p.m. That sort of schedule tends to take your mind off food -- but only until I get home and settle down.
At that point, the mind tends to drift, and temptation starts to tap you on the shoulder. But when you're on a budget, there's really no such thing as leftovers. I can't afford to snack on what I've got left in the fridge, or I might run out before the end of the week, leaving me with an empty fridge and empty stomach by Saturday morning.
To the surprise of my staff, giving up my regular Mountain Dew habit hasn't been difficult. I'm drinking more and more water now, which is probably a good thing. My main quest now is for a bigger cup.
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