By Adam Pagnucco.
Empower Montgomery, a business group founded and led by Washington Property Company President Charlie Nulsen, has set up a website and ad campaign to oppose County Executive Marc Elrich’s proposed ten percent property tax hike.
The home page of Empower’s new website.
The website is being promoted by these online ads on the Washington Post’s website.
The website begins:
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THE REALITY
THIS ALMOST QUARTER-BILLION-DOLLAR PROPERTY TAX HIKE ISN’T ABOUT SCHOOLS, IT’S ABOUT SUPERSIZING COUNTY GOVERNMENT.
Proponents of this property tax hike will say it’s about fully funding our schools in the County budget.
What they don’t say is this budget increases non-school related spending by $330 million and adds 1,300 new non-school related positions over three years, despite having over 1,500 current vacancies.
We don’t need a property tax hike. We need a better budget.
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The site goes on:
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THE FACTS
WHAT PROPERTY TAX ADVOCATES DONT WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT THE PROPERTY TAX HIKE…
There are already funds available in the current budget to fully fund MCPS that are instead being used to Supersize the County government.
- The County Executive’s budget supersizes county government by $330 million and 1,300 new positions over three years, despite having over 1,500 current VACANT jobs.
- The number of non-school tax-supported county employees in the budget is increasing by 5.2%, as opposed to just 3.8% for school employees.
- Over two years, nearly every department will get budget increases – many by a higher percentage than schools.
- No other county in the region, or D.C., is raising property taxes – even as they all significantly increase school funding.
The current budget & the almost quarter-billion dollar property tax hike sets the stage for future budget pressures and more tax hikes.
- All of this spending creates a $145 million structural deficit next year – even with a massive property tax hike.
- The budget provides millions of dollars in “makeup” pay raises from the Great Recession more than a decade ago – no other region in the area is asking their taxpayers to take on this burden.
- It hides a “budget bomb” by starting pay raises late in the year, which will cost $100 million more next year – creating pressure for future tax hikes.
The current budget is a shell game filled with gimmicks that bypass fiscal protections voted on by a majority of Montgomery County residents.
- After the Council passed a similar property tax hike in 2016, voters approved a charter amendment requiring a unanimous Council vote to increase property taxes (62%-38%).
- Elrich is using a loophole to get around this law and only requiring a simple majority to raise your property taxes by claiming his property tax hike is going to schools – while simultaneously supersizing county government.
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Empower is the second business group actively opposing the tax hike after the realtors launched a campaign last month. I am unaware of other business organizations launching communications campaigns against it. On the other side, the county employee unions actively support it.