Contact: David Weaver, Public Information Director, 240-777-6530
Robert Kendal, Management and Budget Director, 240-777-2789
For Immediate Release: March 13, 2000

Duncan's Operating Budget Invests in the Future:
Emphasizes Improving Residents' Quality of Life

Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan today presented his $2.6 billion fiscal year 2001 spending plan that focuses on improving the quality of life for residents. Duncan's sixth annual operating budget expands County efforts to reduce class sizes and enhance school safety, while protecting natural resources and significantly relieving traffic congestion.

"We are living in exciting times, filled with opportunities - and challenges - for us to improve our quality of life," said Duncan. "But, in order to successfully take advantage of the opportunities before us now and to meet the challenges of tomorrow, we must make investments today."

Education

A significant factor contributing to the quality of life in Montgomery County is the performance of the public schools. Duncan's budget includes a total of $1.3 billion in education funding for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and Montgomery College.

With nearly $100 million in new funding, the Montgomery County Public Schools budget is 8.9 percent higher than last year's appropriation, and it funds 99 percent of the Board of Education's request. More than 800 new teachers will be hired, and the size of grade K-2 classes in at-risk schools will be reduced to a student to teacher ratio of 17:1. This class size reduction effort builds upon the already successful reductions in first and second grade reading classes, as well as in the seventh grade math and ninth grade Algebra classes that began last year.

Expanded literacy efforts also include a $2 million partnership with Montgomery College to better prepare high school students for college level studies.

Other highlights of the new school funding include $2 million for a school resource officer program - consisting of 32 police officers who will serve as role models for students and be trained in youth violence prevention and other safety issues. Under the program, one officer will be assigned to each of the County's 23 school clusters, one will work with the alternative schools and eight others will work with the private schools.

Increased after-school programming in middle schools, expanded staffing to ensure coverage at all public schools by trained health room technicians, and expanded violence prevention and empowerment training for children and adults at seven additional elementary schools are also included.

Duncan's budget invests in the County's teachers by providing them with the training, knowledge and skills needed to educate children. An $11.1 million staff training, development and performance evaluation program will ensure optimum learning for every student, and $1.7 million will fund a new accountability system to measure student progress, equity and the instructional environment.

Despite an increase of nearly 4,000 students, spending per pupil increases by $483 to $8,922 - the highest level in at least 21 years, when adjusted for inflation.

Montgomery College receives $7 million in this budget - up 8.6 percent -- for additional information technology to expand learning opportunities for students and to promote economic development by providing employers with a well-trained workforce.

Traffic Congestion Relief

Offering residents relief from traffic congestion is another top priority in this budget. A total of $12.9 million in new funding for the Traffic Relief Investment Program (TRIP) will increase bus service on overcrowded routes, improve route scheduling and maximize ridership. The County is also participating with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to provide the convenient new, rechargeable SmarTrip farecards, which can be used on all forms of local mass transit and in Metro parking lots.

"Reducing traffic congestion will significantly improve the quality of life for our residents," said Duncan. "Through increased transit and additional road capacity, I am committed to making it easier over the next few years for people to travel around Montgomery County."

In his recent six-year Capital Improvements Program, Duncan included funds to plan, design and build new roads such as the Montrose Parkway, the extension of Father Hurley Blvd., and the extension of Woodfield Road. Additional efforts to mitigate traffic congestion include increasing the pace of intersection improvements, enhancing the automated traffic management program, and boosting road capacity on planned projects.

Public Safety

With nearly 200 new public safety workers in this budget, public safety also remains a high priority of the County Executive. Along with a new $50 million 800 MHz public safety radio communications system, the budget includes 70 new police officers - including the 32 school resource officers - 32 new fire and rescue workers, and 96 additional correctional officers to staff the new jail that is scheduled to open next year.

In addition, three new psychiatric nurses will address the growing population of mentally ill inmates at the Detention Center, and a more comprehensive continuum of services for mentally ill persons who become involved with the criminal justice system for non-violent offenses will help divert them from jail when incarceration is not necessary, and will provide them with better access to the addiction and other treatment services they need.

Nine new Sheriff's Deputies are also included in the budget, with three of those positions assigned to improve Domestic Violence services and four others to provide expanded court transport, hospital guard services and courtroom security. A new attorney in the State's Attorney's Office will increase the number of economic crimes that are prosecuted in order to gain restitution for victims.

Health and Human Services

Expanded emphasis on early childhood prevention and early intervention efforts is the cornerstone of the Health and Human Services portion of the budget. The Rewarding Work Initiative will continue into its second year with increased child care subsidies through the Working Parents Assistance Program, health care for adults, rental assistance, employment skills training and transportation.

Duncan is also recommending additional assistance for the developmentally disabled, funds to ensure the availability of housing for lower-income families; and technology training opportunities for senior citizens. The second-year implementation of the Linkages to Learning six-year plan will continue to improve school performance for students in low-income, high-need communities by providing them and their families with on-site health and mental health care, along with other human services.

This budget will match state funding to expand and renovate the Chelsea School which serves students with dyslexia; establish a youth center in Germantown; rehabilitate Ivymount School, which serves persons with disabilities; and co-locate the Victory Youth Center and Conservation Corps in Glenmont.

Initiatives to improve the health status of the African-American and Latino communities and to help reduce health disparities are included in the budget. Also included is a new computerized geographic mapping system to collect, analyze and report critical data on issues affecting children and families, along with efforts to link health and human services programs with automated systems that facilitate data sharing and better tracking of client progress.

Funding to help maintain the County's affordable housing stock by providing loans to non-profit organizations for the purchase and rehabilitation of multi-family units is an investment that will help to improve neighborhoods.

Diversity

A Center for Cultural Diversity is funded in this budget in response to the increasing ethnic diversity of the County's population. The facility will serve as a focal point for information referral and exchange, delivery of services and community gatherings for various groups. A New Americans Welcoming Center is a major component of the new center.

Environmental Protection

In order to improve water quality in local streams, regional rivers and the Chesapeake Bay, Duncan is proposing significant new funding to upgrade and eventually assume responsibility for stormwater management facilities, including some presently owned by private Homeowner's Associations. Funds to fully implement mixed paper recycling Countywide by August 2000 and other efforts to support the County's 50 percent recycling goal are also included. There is also a new Countywide Forest Preservation Strategy that links fragmented forest habitat areas, increases tree cover and improves trees along streets. Expanded monitoring of streams in Special Protection Areas and testing for the presence of toxins in streams are also included.

Parks, Recreation, Arts and Libraries

First-year operating costs are included for the new Soccerplex in South Germantown Park and for the new community centers in Rosemary Hills and Fairland. Funding for the second year of the County's ball field renovation program, two new spray parks and a bankshot basketball playground is also included, along with a new summer playground for at-risk children at New Hampshire Avenue Estates.

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will return for a second annual concert in the County, and community grants will be funded for concerts in Wheaton and Olney. The Strathmore Concert Hall and Arts Education Center project - offering a full range of arts education classes for all ages in a new concert hall - is included in the County Executive's recent capital budget to further improve arts amenities for residents. The 2,000-seat concert hall will host major musical productions, including Baltimore Symphony Orchestra concerts, along with local musical ensembles.

More than $3 million in grants is allocated to theater, dance, music and writing organizations and support for the Germantown Oktoberfest and Latino and Irish Festivals to provide a wide range of cultural experiences to residents.

Four libraries - Gaithersburg, Germantown and Rockville and Wheaton -- will begin to significantly reprogram their activities, tailoring services to their specific communities. A family learning center will be added to the Gaithersburg Library; preschool, homework and adult service programs will be added to the Germantown Library; and a language learning program, expanded job/career center and customized collection will be added to the Rockville Library. The Wheaton Library will be remodeled, with additions made to its special collection. Library outreach to language minorities will also be expanded.

Economic Development

The first phase of the long-awaited downtown Silver Spring redevelopment project is expected to be complete this year with the opening of Strosnider's Hardware in July and Fresh Fields in September. The second phase begins in the spring with an 18-screen Edwards Cinema complex and two major parking garages with more than 3,000 spaces. Renovation of the Silver Theatre by the American Film Institute and construction of a new Round House Theatre will begin this summer.

The Germantown Town Center complex under construction at Rte. 118 and Middlebrook Rd. is expected to see its first occupant this summer when a new Safeway store opens. Future occupants will include a new library, the Black Rock Center for the Arts, restaurants and retail outlets.

Revitalization of the Wheaton Central Business District will move forward as a new action team is formed to consider possible redevelopment scenarios. Funds to open, staff and operate a redevelopment office are included in the budget.

Taxes

For the sixth year in a row, Duncan is proposing no increase in tax rates. Water and sewer fees are unchanged and solid waste disposal fees are reduced from $208 to $196 for single family homes. At $2.6 billion, his recommended total budget is up 8.2 percent, or 6.9 percent, excluding one-time funding.

The Budget Process

County Executive Duncan's FY01 operating budget now goes to the County Council for its consideration. The Council, which will hold public hearings and work sessions on the budget, must appropriate funding by June 1.

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