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Upcoming Montgomery County Budget 'Will Be Painful'

By: Matt Bush // January 11, 2011
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Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett speaks at a public forum on the county budget in Germantown, Md.
Matt Bush
Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett speaks at a public forum on the county budget in Germantown, Md.

In Maryland, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett is warning residents that he will be making very unpopular decisions as he puts together a county budget.

During the first of several forums on the $300 million in budget cuts he must make, Leggett said everything the county funds is on the table. That includes public safety and education, areas that are usually safeguarded or see smaller reductions than others.

"I will tell you right off, right up front, that it will be painful. Let me say that again: There is pain that will be in this budget. There will be pain in this budget," Leggett says.

Leggett says he will not push to raise property taxes to fill the deficit, and it's highly unlikely that any other taxes will be raised as well.

To close a much larger budget deficit last year, the county raised two taxes, on energy and cell phones.

The deficit stands at $300 million right now, but it could go even higher because of cuts in state aid that legislators are hinting will occur.

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