Friday, May 20, 2016

MoCo Council budget: So easy, a caveman could do it

As Paul Harvey used to say: "And now...the rest of the story." While the Montgomery County political cartel is congratulating itself on the biggest heist of County residents' money in history, it is indeed time for the rest of the story on the Montgomery County Council's FY-2017 budget disaster.

Being sold as an "Education First" budget, it is in fact exactly like every other budget this Council has passed, except costing you a lot more than ever before. Forget that the Council has just robbed your bank account, or is slamming the working family trying to refinance their mortgage with a recordation tax. The budget that pulls off the 100 Maryland Avenue equivalent of The Italian Job promises to flush $90 million more down the Montgomery County Public Schools toilet, where schools have been in decline since 2010 according to the report by the Office of Legislative Oversight.

Great. But how does that make any sense without a definitively new plan to spend it? The budget will reduce class sizes by 1 or 2 students at some schools. It will add more auxiliary personnel, not actual teachers. But that's it. There's no new strategy to tackle the achievement gap here, just more expensive deck chairs being added to the Titanic.

Where is the universal Pre-K? Where are the additional early education initiatives? Where are the new partnerships with high-wage employers? Hint, none of these sure-fire solutions to the achievement gap are in this massive tax hike budget.

We will only have standardized tests to gauge student results at this point. I agree that testing has been oversold in recent decades. But, ironically, by recently dumbing down its grading system and eliminating final exams, MCPS has only now increased the importance of standardized test scores. If all of the classroom work is going to be graded with the new powder puff grading scale, grades are almost certain to rise across the board. That's not improvement, nor is it how education works. Outside of MCPS, such tactics are correctly termed, "cheating."

As far as school construction funds generated, note that the Council is raising those funds from you, not from the developers who are creating the need for more classrooms and schools. They didn't have the guts to go after the developers who provide 80% of their campaign funds, but they were eager and ready to pick your pocket.

Moreover, the Council has just dug us deeper into the structural deficit hole that we already had no immediate ability to climb out of. By going so far over the Maintenance of Effort requirement, we will now be required to match or exceed that level of spending next year, and in perpetuity. This was not leadership. It was a reckless, irresponsible vote passed to cover the Council's fiscal irresponsibility over the last two decades.

Did the Council make "history," as they claimed? Yes, in two regards: They have finally triggered the ultimate tax revolt, by unanimously voting to exceed the charter limit. The brilliance of the Ficker Amendment that created that cap is that each councilmember becomes the deciding vote when all 9 agree to exceed the cap.

And secondly, Council President Nancy Floreen made history by giving the longest speech regarding the passage of a budget I've ever heard. Ms. Floreen and her colleagues should probably save their "emotional" speeches for the 2018 election, when they have to actually face the voters.

Most disgustingly, the Council is the only player in this budget that slithers away with no skin in the game. They didn't give up any of their pet projects or spending that goes towards their political patrons. They sure as heck didn't give up any of the money they funnel to their developer puppet masters.

All they did was pick the pocket of the taxpayer, rob your bank account, and kneecap County employees by breaking signed labor contracts the Council had agreed to pay. Even a caveman could do that. I've heard complaints from individual teachers, first responders and other County employees. But where are the comments from union leaders in the County? Where's the outrage? This was a horrible deal, and a horrible precedent for labor. If you want to limit wages, that's something you proactively do when you negotiate and approve labor contracts. Breaking contracts is beyond the pale.

Being an incompetent councilmember, and then robbing the taxpayer and County employees to make up for it, is not leadership. It is not ingenious. It is not wise. It is cowardice. It is impotence. It is contempt for your constituents. It is a firing offense.

The term limit petition proposed for the ballot this fall may give voters the chance to give at least a few of the pink slips this Council so richly deserves.


27 comments:

Anonymous said...

This morning's Verbal Dump, brought to you by Meth and DMX.

Anonymous said...

Not that we should be surprised by the council, we all know they make more and more decisions to keep the years and years of "deals" from unraveling.

Remember when the Redskins would trade away their early round draft picks? Sounds good until it catches up & your first pick is in 12th round. Not the best analogy but you get the idea.

Robert Dyer said...

6:05: That's a pretty nasty way to describe President Floreen's speech, Pee Wee.

Robert Dyer said...

6:44: Correct - what happens when you eventually have to boost employee pay, and you are now locked in at this outrageous level of spending for MCPS? As Thatcher so correctly said, "eventually you run out of other people's money."

Anonymous said...

If they keep raising taxes, the residents will stop wanting to live in this County and it really will become MORIBUND. I'm actually starting to agree with Dyer that these jerk-offs need to be voted out of office. I don't give two craps about Westbard, but this tax hike is absurd.

Anonymous said...

6:55am (1 of 2) Don't you delete comments against you from your blog? Oh, wait. You don't have one. You just waste other people's money posting on someone else's blog instead of working like you are being paid to do.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Please 7:44 go elsewhere.

Robert Dyer said...

7:56: The guy is such a moron that he posted a spam link to kneepads magazine without even reading my article to find that I explained in great detail what the money is being spent on. "What a dumass!" The difference between this and other reports, is that they didn't provide "the rest of the story," that shows why this budget is a fraud and a colossal mistake by incompetent, impotent elected officials.

Robert Dyer said...

Trust me, this is one analysis of the budget that won't be shared on Facebook by the County Council! No attaboys headed my way from the Council. Just the facts, ma'am.

Anonymous said...

Dyer, you're such a blithering idiot. There is only a single number - "$90 million" - in your entire 800-word rant.

Anonymous said...

Refreshing to see analysis of the tax plan without the Council talking points or spin.

Anonymous said...

How can you have "analysis" with no actual numbers provided?

Anonymous said...

I am really disappointed that all of these self proclaimed progressives decided to break the contracts of county employees. County employees agreed to give backs years ago and to break the agreement now is outrageous. I am waiting for an impassioned speech about true progressive values from the same people who used "progressive values" to justify overdevelopment.

Anonymous said...

Here's a number for you:

"The County Charter does not specify that Councilmembers are full-time. Some Councilmembers have other part-time employment. Beginning on Dec. 7, 2015, the annual salary of each Councilmember will be $120,675. The Council president receives an additional 10 percent ($132,742). The salaries are set by a law which takes effect after the next Council election." - per the council's webpage.

I could make bad decisions for $120,675. Maybe I'll run in 2018.

Anonymous said...

9:35 AM All that compensation, and they never have to make a tough decision. They just rubber stamp what their donors want them to do. Totally bought and paid for.

Anonymous said...

One of my favorite quotes:
Another difference between death and taxes is that death doesn't get worse every time the legislature meets.
~Robert Quillen, Paragraphs, Lincoln Star (Nebraska), 1931 April 6th

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know if the council members actually live in Montgomery county? Or are they imposing taxes that aren't even affecting their families?

Elm said...

Leventhal has been praising Northern VA restaurants. Says he can't get a good meal in MoCo. (I'm sure Bethesda, Silver Spring and other MoCo restaurant owners loved that comment.)

Did he finally go all the way and move to VA?

Anonymous said...

Heavy Taxation with No Representation in Montgomery County. These pathetic elected officials are the worst forms of a human being, total scum of the earth. They have a far left wing progressive agenda which will soon be overturned with a Donald Trump 2016 presidency. Trump 2016 the Wall will be Huuugggeee !!!

Anonymous said...

8:32 PM Trolling at it's finest.

Anonymous said...

Well laid out coverage of the mess that "governance" in MoCo has become. The only thing I disagree with is the expression of any concern for unions. Maryland won't truly be able to right this fiscal ship until we become a right-to-work state. I can't wait for TERM LIMITS to be passed this November and throw out the trash. What will replace it is a shole OTHER story.

Anonymous said...

No mention by anyone of the imnpending staging subdivision plan (formerly known, before council language initiative, as the Growth Plan) before Planning Board, which will reduce school impact fees paid by developers from 25 percent (single family attached) to 59 percent (multi-family, low to mid-rise buildings).

Their response to an education budget crisis is to raise taxes on homeowners, while reducing impact taxes on developers. You can't make this stuff up.

Anonymous said...

This analysis needs more detail with respect to:
1)Proposed changes in impact fees paid by developers
2)Proposed changes in educational spending *and* uses, as well as a discussion of which entities control budget vs. uses. (My understanding is that Council appropriates the funds and MCPS determines how funds are spent.)
3)Changes in contracts with public employees, and why/how Council has the authority to break previously negotiated contracts.

Would appreciate more reporting on these issues.

Anonymous said...

This issue definitely requires reporting.

Anonymous said...

8:55 & 8:56 No one is stopping you from researching and reporting it. An in-depth analysis, quite different than a "story," will be a terrific project for you. Good luck! When you're done, let us know where to read it.

Robert Dyer said...

I have not only a "story" but also the "in-depth analysis" on the proposed tax cut for developers:

http://robertdyer.blogspot.com/2016/05/montgomery-county-planning-massive-tax.html

8:55: It's quite true that MCPS won't be forced to spend on certain things just because the Council demands it - the Council has zero authority in that respect. Even more troubling - as I outlined above, even if they did follow the Council's instructions in this case, the measures represent no new direction in tackling the achievement gap. So it's $90 million that could have gone to new policies, Pre-K, early education, hands-on internships at high-wage firms for kids at worst-performing schools, etc. flushed down the MCPS toilet instead.

As far as labor, I would expect the unions to contest this action, as contracts are being broken. Ultimately, the Council does not have the power to break a contract, and this could be decided by an arbitrator or the courts. Why I'm not hearing that from union leaders at the moment is surprising.