Evening star., 1955-05-18
By CHARLES L. HOFFMAN


The Montgomery County
Council today has under consid-
Grafton an $18,071, 1886 operating
budget, which calls for the re-
tention or lowering of all present
county imposed tax rates.
County Manager M. L. Reese
submitted his budget proposals
to the Council yesterday and
recommended:
/. Retention Of the present
operating tax rate of $1.87 per
$100 assessed valuation on real
and personal property.
2. Retention of the present 10
cent tax rate for suburban dis
trict services.
3. Retention Of the Scent rate
for keeping the county on par
tial pay-as-you-go capital pro-
gram.
4. Lowering by l cent the 4
cent recreation tax.
SIS Million Cut
Departmental and School
Board budget requests were cut
nearly SIS million to hold the
line on the tax rate.
Hardest hit was the school
budget, which was slashed by
$1,O76,513 or more than 10 per
cent.
Mr.. Reese proposed increasing
present school allocations only
S164,594. That compares with
an average annual increase Of
$1.1 million over the last flve
years.
The manager computed his
school budget recommendations
on the basis of $250.81 a pupil
for 52,211 pupils, 500 less than
estimates on enrolment sub
mitted by the board. The board
had asked $26852 a pupil.
Teacher salaries alone were
slashed by more than 100000.
The cut appears to preclude the
hiring Of an additional 266
teachers requested and the
establishment of present teach
ers on q new and higher salary
schedule as proposed by the
school board.
Management Survey Asked
The manager suggested the
school board invest $4,000 for
an independent management
survey of the boards operations
Such a survey. he said. would
result in a tax saving to the
citizens"
Mr.. Reese asked for a major
reorganization of his own Office
which would increase its budget
from $186,261 to $533,70
All county housekeeping
functions" would come under 9
division Of facilities and services
These include, mail service
warehousing. motor pool. a type.
writer repair shop, furniture al
locations. centralized duplicating
janitorial service and building
maintenance.
Created would be a division
Of research and information
costing $11.723; a division o,
operations and methods. costins
$14,079. and a budget division
costing $11,540.
The reorganization also call!
for a clerical pool of clerks ane
typists to cost $15,500.
More for Council
The biggest percentage in
crease in the cost of government
is proposed for the Count,
Council. which jumps from $12,.
900 to 100000. The increase wa
brought on by removing tn,
$1,000 limitation on council
mems pay and increasing from
$40 to $50 the fee received PEI
meeting.
Despite the campaign attack.
leveled by the Democratic Coun.
Gil at the high cost of the county
attorneys Office under Repub.
licans the Office would gel
$53,880 under Mr.. Reese's pro-
posals Salary increases alone
account for nearly $500 more
than under the present budget
The budget calls for a 3.4 pei
cent increase in police and gen.
eral county employe salaries plu!
a cut in the police work weel
from 48 to A hours. Provision
is made for one new sergeant
one new detective corporal anc
-FOUR clerk-typists and stenog.
raphers.
In allocating $61o,193 for ths
Department of Public Works, Mr.
Reese cut road maintenance II
the Upper County by somt
$1O8.000.
The manager allowed $3.50, ,24s