Evening star., 1951-02-07
Council Weighs Plan
To Boost Pay Of 633
County Employees

Inc montgomery county COun-
Gil is considering cost-of Living
pay increases of from S100 to $500
annually for 633 county employees,
including members of the police
department.
The Personnel Board recon-
mended the new wage schedule to
the council at it's weekly meeting
in the Rockville Courthouse yes
terday afternoon. The council
took the proposals under study,
saying it hopes to announce its
decision at next Tuesdays meet
ing.
Under the boards proposals,
policemen would receive $500 more
a year. general employees would
be raised 5000 and workers on an
hourly basis. mostly laborers,
would receive a hour
boost. The scent increase would
average a little over $100 a year
in most cases.
$1O5,135 Extra.
The pay boosts would cost the
county an estimated $105,135 an
nually. They would be effective
February /.
Council approval of the new
wage schedule may set off cost
of-living increases for the some
1,500 county employees not under
the jurisdiction of the Personnel
Board. These include school
teachers. employees Of the Boards
of Education and Public Welfare,
clerks in the trial magistrate s
courts and assessors in the finance
department.
Lewis B. Sims, chairman of the
county Personnel Board, told the
council its recommendations are
based on general increase in the
cost Of living Of 61a per cent dur
ing the past year.
The council yesterday also held
a public hearing on who should
pay for sidewalks along Georgia
avenue in Silver Spring, where
the Maryland State Roads Com
mission is converting the avenue
into a dual highway.
Assessment Protested.
About 100 people showed up
most of them residents of the
Georgia avenue area in question
and most of them to protest any
plan which would involve any as
sessment against their own prop
critics.
County Manager Irving G. Nc
Nayr has recommended that the
affected property owners pay halt
the cost Of installing the sidewalks
which he estimates would be at
a rate of $1.36 per assessable foot
with the county paying the other
half.
Most Of the property owners
who spoke at the hearing pro-
tested it was unfair for them to
have to pay even half of the cost,
since the county had completely
financed construction Of sidewalks
on a similar project along Wiscon-
sin avenue, in Bethesda, last year
Mr.. McNayr countered that the
precedent on the Wisconsin ave-
nue. project cannot be defended" "
He added that the county paid for
the sidewalks because "it was q
way to get the job DONE"
Buscher Joins Protest.
One Of the witnesses who op-
posed any assessment against the
Georgia avenue residents was Jo-
seph Buscher, assistant attorney
general for Maryland and admin
istrative director of the right-of-
way division of the State Roads
Commission.
He spoke at the hearing as an
individual and not as a repre-
sentative of the commission.
The council will announce its
decision on who shall pay for the
new sidewalks at a later date.
In other actions the council:
Appointed Dwite Harold Armen-
trout of 1889 A street Sc. to be
inspector with the engineering
division of the Department of
Public Works at salary OF 5000,
effective today.
Recommended to Gov. Nc
Keldin that one of the following
persons be appointed Magistrate
for Juvenile Causes in the coun-
ty: Alfred D. Noyes, Archie F.
Meatyard, jr., Thomas M. Ander-