Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-03-24
.Monfgonlery's
Budget Faces
Triple Scrutiny

| Montgomery County Manager
M. L. Reese's proposed 1923 mil
lion budget will be in the spot
light this week in a series of
three public hearings in Rock
willie.
The big march to the county
seat will come Thursday night
when school partisans turn out
in force to press for Increased
school spending.
They will be doing so with a
belief already expressed by their
leaders that county residents can
bear a much greater tax burden
for schools than they are now
carrying.
The school budget hearings
will be at 1880 pm. at the Rich
ard Montgomery High School.
On Wednesday night the County
Council will hold hearings on
budgets for public works, civil
defense, health and welfare
Civic Groups to Be Vocal
! On Friday night budgets fol
police, fire services, libraries, rec
reation and all other departments
not previously discussed will be
considered.
Both the Friday and Wednes-
day meetings will be held in the
County Building Auditorium.
Even before the public hear
ingS get underway attention will
be focused on the budget.
Monday night the Allied Civic
Group will take its position on
the budget at a meeting at the
Silver Spring library.
Tuesday night the powerful
County Council of PTA will meet
at Leland Junior High School.
The PTA councils legislative
committee. headed by Pat Holt,
Will urge the council to support
full restoration of cuts made by
the manager in the school boards
requested S20.5 million operating
budget. The committee. however
Will so along with the Reese pro-
posal to spend S8.2 million for
school construction.
Opposition Temperate
The manager cut only about 6
per cent of the school boards
request. a lighter slash than In
previous years.
One result has been that feel
ings concerning the budget are
not running as high this year
as they have in the past. PTA
and civic leaders privately ad-
init their groups are not as
aroused over budget cuts this
year as has been the case in the
past.
The Reese proposals, which
represent substantial increases
in both the costs of operating
schools and other Government
agencies over the last two years.
would require a i5-cent increase
in the present general county tax
rate OF S2.03 per 500 of assessed
valuation. The total budget is
up about IS million over the
present budget.
Full restoration of the SD
million the manager cut from
the school boards request would
require an estimated additional
l3-cent increase in the tax rate.
Full restoration is being urged
not only by the PTA committee
but also by the school board and
the Montgomery County Educa-
ton Association.
Pay-as-yOu-go Method Hit
The threat of further increased
taxes may result in a counter
move to have the County Council
abandon its partial pay-as-you-
go method of financing school
construction. This would free IL
cents of the present tax rate
that would help alleviate the i'm
mediate tax problem.
PTA Council President Paul
Howard last week told a Silver
Spring group he felt county resi-
dents could bear a much heavier
tax burden to finance schools.
At present S1.72 of the S2.O3 tax
rate is earmarked for school op-
Grating costs. payments on school
bonded Indebtedness and the
partial pay-as-you-go construc-
ton financing.
The Council has until April Is
to adopt a budget and establish
the tax rate for the fiscal year
hpUinnipu Itilv 1