“We don’t have the money,” according to MoCo Exec Marc Elrich and Council President Natali Fani-González. They promise us they will talk about how to get more money, and they do not rule out increasing our taxes. In fact they warn us to expect taxes to be increased. Targeted tax increases. We all know who that target is.
As of FY2024 AVERAGE taxes paid per each and every MoCo person regardless of age or income were $3,971 for Maryland, $4,000 for MoCo, and $14,080 for Uncle Sam. Will we all be more than happy to come up with some more tax money for the greater good? MoCo leaders say schools are the primary cause for the budget shortfall. Presumably the feel every single county program is essential and cannot be cut, and funding those programs now requires a tax increase. Only seven council members need to vote yes on a tax increase, and we must comply or go to jail. To increase property taxes beyond certain boundaries requires approval from all 11 council members, but that’s easier than getting yes votes from a majority of voters.
Dr. Thomas Taylor, Superintendent of Schools in MoCo, is quoted thus, “we are facing challenges that have been building for decades” because of deferred (neglected) maintenance.
Any economics text book will tell you that all of us live in a world of scarce resources with alternative uses. Our politicians get a salary and lifetime benefits to make tough decisions, but do they really earn our trust? We have too many schools that are closed, leased for non school purposes, or demolished because of prior poor decisions. This affirms Dr Taylor’s admission: “challenges that have been building for decades.” The use of the word “building” has a tinge of irony or double-entendre: he needs to “build” schools because the underlying problems have been “building.” Schools are built for us, the community, with our money, and we deserve for these schools to be maintained properly. I have heard that some Sherwood High School parents and teachers have been complaining about mold.
I could go on but let me conclude with this example: Kensington Junior High School was built in 1939 of solid brick. The architects probably expected its useful life to be many generations with just ordinary careful maintenance, but it was bulldozed into nothingness in 1987. It is said people go bankrupt when they no longer are able to live within their means, but when elected leaders cannot evaluate economic realities they bankrupt entire communities and limit the opportunities of many. What can we do to get more practical and productive leadership from our elected leaders?
