• Release ID: 08-170
• Release Date: 12/2/2008
• Contact: Brian Jones 240-777-7955 or Neil H. Greenberger240-777-7939
• From: Office of Mike Knapp

Outgoing Council President Mike Knapp: ‘I’m Optimistic About Our Future’

On Final Day as Montgomery Council Leader, He
Expresses Confidence County Will Keep Moving Forward

ROCKVILLE, Md., December 2, 2008—Montgomery County Council President Mike Knapp, on the final day of his one-year term as leader of the Council, said today that he was optimistic about the County’s future despite budget problems that dominated his presidency and continue to persist due to the nation’s economic downtown.

Earlier today, Councilmember Phil Andrews, who served as vice president to Council President Knapp, was elected by the nine-member Council to a one-year term as the new president. Councilmember Roger Berliner was elected to a one-year term as vice president.

The regular terms of all Councilmembers do not expire until December 2010.

In the traditional remarks delivered by the outgoing president, Councilmember Knapp devoted attention to the difficult budget situation that became evident prior to the time he was elected president. However, he said the Council met challenges to reach a balanced operating budget, maintain services at a high level and pass legislation that will have a long-term impact.

“Since last December, we’ve faced some challenging issues,” Councilmember Knapp said in addressing the Council. “We wrestled with an economy that was sputtering and still managed to pass a responsible budget that controlled the rate of spending, as well as the rate of government growth. We continued to maintain the core services and programs our residents count on and expect—and we did so while living up to the promises made to our employees. Sure, it wasn’t always pretty—but even without a charter amendment that required us to play nice, we still worked together to pass a budget unanimously. And because we negotiated in good faith, we have a good foundation—both with our employees and with each other—for moving forward this coming year.”

Despite the financial pressures, the Council in May approved a $3.8 billion tax-supported portion of the Fiscal Year 2009 operating budget that was an increase of only 3.1 percent from the FY08 approved budget—the lowest annual increase since FY1997.

“When I came to the County Council six years ago, our budget was growing each year at double-digit rates,” Councilmember Knapp said. “This past year, for the first time in more than a decade, the budget grew at the rate of inflation—a little more than three percent.”

Councilmember Knapp said a number of factors will making the coming year a challenge with an even harder to predict outcome.

“As for this coming year . . . if I had a Magic 8 Ball to shake, it would likely come up ‘Outlook Uncertain,’” he said. “The State of Maryland has essentially turned its back on us. While we knew we had challenges ahead of us for the coming year, news we received last week [concerning lower-than-expected state revenues] just made our job a little bit tougher.

“But you know what? I’m still optimistic about our future—even a little bit excited. We’re at a crossroads in our County, and depending on the road we take, the decisions we make, we have an unprecedented opportunity to have a profoundly positive impact on the future of our County.”

Legislation or programs the Council approved during Councilmember Knapp’s term as president include passage of a package of bills to address climate change; bills that will further protect undeveloped land in the County’s Agricultural Reserve; a bill to pay prevailing wages to workers on County construction projects; a bill requiring sellers of homes to disclose to potential homebuyers the actual estimated property tax they would have to pay in their first year of home ownership; a bill to that will require contracts to protect domestic workers; a program that will help County employees who are first-time homebuyers with closing costs; and bills that will allow establishment of a Live Nation Fillmore Music Hall in downtown Silver Spring.
Legislation that moved ahead significantly over the past year included Councilmember Knapp’s proposal to limit parking of certain commercial vehicles on some County roads and a proposal that would protect forested properties.

During his term, Councilmember Knapp said the Council’s direction helped re-establish a better working foundation for the previously troubled County Planning Board.

Councilmember Knapp said he will return to a regular Council seat with continued energy and enthusiasm.
“I’m committed to investing in the people of this County. They’re worth it. They deserve it,” he said to his fellow Councilmembers. “And I’m very grateful to them—and to you—for allowing me the pleasure to have served as president for the last year.”

For the complete text of Councilmember Knapp’s outgoing remarks as Council president, go to www.montgomerycountymd.gov and click on “County Council.” The remarks also are pasted below.

Remarks of Outgoing County Council President Mike Knapp
December 2, 2008

Friends and colleagues, Councilmembers and Council staff, it has been my honor and pleasure to serve as Council President for the last year. Perhaps more than anything, I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to serve our county residents in this capacity. I also want to express my thanks to Councilmember Phil Andrews, who has served the past year as Council vice president. Phil is a member of great deliberation and principle, and it’s been my pleasure to have him by my side over the last year.

Since last December, we’ve faced some challenging issues. We wrestled with an economy that was sputtering and still managed to pass a responsible budget that controlled the rate of spending, as well as the rate of government growth. We continued to maintain the core services and programs our residents count on and expect – and we did so while living up to the promises made to our employees. Sure, it wasn’t always pretty – but even without a charter amendment that required us to play nice, we still worked together to pass a budget unanimously. And because we negotiated in good faith, we’ve got a good foundation – both with our employees and with each other -- for moving forward this coming year

As for this coming year . . . if I had a Magic 8 Ball to shake, it would likely come up “Outlook Uncertain.” The State of Maryland has essentially turned its back on us. While we knew we had challenges ahead of us for the coming year, news we received last week just made our job a little bit tougher.

But you know what? I’m still optimistic about our future—even a little bit excited. We’re at a crossroads in our county, and depending on the road we take, the decisions we make, we have an unprecedented opportunity to have a profoundly positive impact on the future of our county.

Are we up to it? I think so.

Forty years ago, leaders in our communities had the foresight to build a Metro to accommodate a booming population. They built an interstate to move people in and out of the region. That kind of foresight and planning got us the communities we have today. But we need to keep moving. We need to keep planning.

Fortunately, we have everything we need to determine where we go from here, and how we’re going to get there. We have planning and land management resources, financial resources, and, most important, great people. Now we must work together to answer a few critical questions. What kind of an economy do we want to have? What kind of transportation do we want? What kind of a community do we want to live in? We have the opportunity to lead the state, the country, the world in building a sustainable economy, environment, and community. But doing so requires us to do some serious work, make some serious decisions, and have some serious discussions.

Perhaps no discussion will be more serious than determining how we will shape our own local economy. When I came to the County Council six years ago, our budget was growing each year at double-digit rates. This past year, for the first time in more than a decade, the budget grew at the rate of inflation—a little more than three percent.

That’s the kind of fiscal discipline our residents are asked to engage in every day, and it’s the same discipline they expect of us. As I mentioned earlier, our fiscal challenges are enormous—but we’ve laid a good groundwork in our current budget for staring down shortfalls. We’re living in our means. We’re living in reality.

But living within our means doesn’t mean we stop aspiring toward greatness. Going forward, then, I’m going to continue to work on the issues that I’ve found matter the most to the people of our county – to making this county a great place. I’m committed to working on economic development issues – growing our own economy and our own assets. I want to continue our investments in education, and doing what we can not only to ensure our students have every opportunity to achieve their dreams, but also that we perhaps encourage them to stay here and share their dreams with us. I’m committed to better housing, and ending homelessness. I’m committed to maintaining a police force and fire and rescue service that is second to none. And I’m redoubling my efforts to make good roads and mass transit more than just lines on a map.

I’m committed to investing in the people of this county. They’re worth it. They deserve it. And I’m very grateful to them – and to you – for allowing me the pleasure to have served as president for the last year.

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