WASHINGTON (Map, News) -  Montgomery County’s 26 department directors brought home between $139,000 and $245,000 last year, ruffling the feathers of labor leaders fighting to preserve union members’ raises as lawmakers look for savings.

 Last week, Council President Mike Knapp, who also serves as head of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, said officials from other jurisdictions have accused Montgomery County of raising the bar for senior management salaries when County Executive Ike Leggett took office.

 Information obtained by The Examiner shows top Montgomery County directors were often earning $40,000 to $50,000 a year more than their counterparts in Fairfax County, the demographic twin of Montgomery, before Leggett was even elected.

 In 2006, the last year for which complete salary lists were available, Montgomery’s director of management and budget made $187,586 a year, while Fairfax paid its director $141,467. Montgomery paid its human resources director $179,652 a year, while Fairfax paid $141,530. Montgomery’s fire chief earned $194,916, while Fairfax’s received $148,512. Montgomery’s chief of police, who was recruited from Fairfax County, earned $199,303 a year, while Fairfax paid $147,699.

 Leggett’s spokesman, Patrick Lacefield, whose own salary was reported at $145,000 for last year, provided The Examiner with information that shows consistent salary levels.

 “If Montgomery comes in higher than other places, it has been a historic trend,” Lacefield said. “When the county executive came in, he wanted to be sure to hire people as close as possible to the salaries they made before.”

 Nonetheless, Gino Renne, head of Montgomery’s 8,000-member Municipal and County Government Employee Organization, said salaries for top management positions are out of line with regional counterparts.

 “Senior management’s not part of any union,” Renne said. “But their huge salaries are typically given the same annual cost-of-living bumps that our member’s contracts receive.”

 Council members wrestling with a $297 million budget gap are reviewing union contracts that call for 8 percent annual raises this year.

 Knapp said he wants to review management salaries as well as regular employee contracts.

 “You can’t say to rank and file that your salaries and cost-of-living adjustments are on the table for discussion, if you’re not going to say the same for management,” Knapp said.

kmiller@dcexaminer.com

Comments from Examiner Readers

2:13 PM MST on Wed., Apr. 23, 2008 re: "Montgomery labor leaders blast county management salaries"

County resident said:
These salaries are way out of line, especially considering the generous pension plan and benefits that Montgomery County government provides. And Leggett certainly does not need a $145,000 spokesman. For that matter, he shouldn't have a spokesman at all.

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3:04 AM MST on Wed., Apr. 23, 2008 re: "Montgomery labor leaders blast county management salaries"

Robin Ficker, Broker Robin Realty said:
I agree with Renne. The people making more than the count executive should be cut. We cannot afford the largest property tax increase in 20 years. Vote for Mark Fennel for County Council and Property Tax Relief on May 13!

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12:49 PM MST on Wed., Apr. 9, 2008 re: "Council president floats plan to cut construction funds"

Robin Ficker, Broker Robin Realty said:
Why mortgage the future of our children? Use pay as we go. The grasshopper days are over. It is time to work like ants.

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4:08 AM MST on Tue., Apr. 8, 2008 re: "Council says Md. legislature targeting county�s residents"

Robin Ficker, Broker Robin Realty said:
State Senator Robert Garagiola from Montgomery County has led the fight FOR a 52.63% increase in st ate income taxes for County residents. He is Deputy Majority Leader and did so in return for promised campaign funds from his clone Senate President Mike Miller.

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10:14 AM MST on Fri., Mar. 21, 2008 re: "Montgomery to hire driver for exec despite budget crunch"

Robin Ficker, Broker Robin Realty said:
Homeowners are the ones who need security. After increases in computer, sales, income, car and corporate taxes as well as hikes in Metro, water and electricity fees with $4 gas anmd plunging 401k's in a recession, we sure on't need Leggett's largest property tax increase in a generation, since l988. SAVE OUR HOMES! Mark Fennel for Council and Property Tax Relief in April 15 apecial election!

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7:41 AM MST on Wed., Mar. 12, 2008 re: "Montgomery Council warned on overloading budget"

Robin Ficker, Broker Robin Realty said:
Mike Knapp has no concept as to how to control costs. But he does know how to vote to override the charter property tax limit as he did for three years FY03-05 and will do so again this year.SAVE OUR HOMES!

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2:31 PM MST on Mon., Mar. 3, 2008 re: "Montgomery to face staff cuts, possible tax hikes, officials say"

Examiner Reader said:
Leggett likes to talk about a $300 million gap. Let's talk about another gap. The gap up in the county budget from $3 billion in FY04 to $4.2 billion now while the population increased less than 5%. Let's talk about the gap up in the budget from $2 billion in FY98 to $4.2 billion now while the population increased less than 10%. Warren Buffett says we are in a recession. We just had computer, income and sales tax increases. Are the people in the county government crazy---wanting to give us a property tax increase on top of all that? When the family budget has less coming in, changes are made so less is going out. Duh! Montgomery Countians are already votng with their feet. SAVE OUR HOMES!

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10:09 AM MST on Mon., Mar. 3, 2008 re: "Montgomery to face staff cuts, possible tax hikes, officials say"

VoteFennel4CountyCouncil said:
County Executive Leggett will release his budget which will exceed the charter limit on property tax collection. He needs a reliable tax-and-spend vote to override the limit -- Don Praisner. A 2008 ballot question requiring 9 votes to override will pass. Mark D. Fennel will not vote to override! We do not need not need another Councilman who will override the property tax limit like the council did for 3 consecutive years (FY03 - FY05). We don't need another Councilman who will vote for an over-the-top 13% election-year budget increase with a financial crisis looming on the horizon. We don't need another Councilman who will vote for a 20% increase in the county income tax as Leggett did in the early 1990's. Mark D. Fennel has pledged not to exceed the charter amendment limiting property tax collection because it was put in place to protect familes from unfair taxes. Surpassing the limit would hurt minories, up foreclosures & erode the middle class. VOTE FENNEL FOR COUNC

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12:56 AM MST on Wed., Feb. 6, 2008 re: "Board�s $2.1B budget includes deep cuts"

Robin Ficker, Broker Robin Realty said:
Social security recipients are getting a 2.3% increase in 2008. We can't afford to give school employees a 5% raise plus 3.5% step increases which equals 8.5% raises. We have 150 foreclosures, primarily minorities, in Montgomery County every week. The Dow was down 370 today. The school system has already had the benefit this year of huge Thornton aid increases. We cannot afford to get big property tax hikes and/or have our Pelosi rebate checks seized to satisfy the school system's reluctance to eliminate waste in a budget that has doubled under Mr. Weast while serving an increase of students of less than 10%. The school board is in a fantasy world. We have had sales, computer, car, corporate and income tax increases and Metro, water and electricity bill increases already this year. We can't afford further tax increases while they call a budget that increases 6% a "cut" budget.

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10:10 AM MST on Mon., Jan. 28, 2008 re: "Plan adds fees to cover budget gap"

BostonRay said:
This is the exact same scam Romney pulled on Massachusetts. Increasing "fees" on everything where he now claims he did not raise "taxes". Memo: Fee increases are Tax Increases. This is raising government money out of your pocket. It is a Tax.

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7:42 AM MST on Mon., Jan. 28, 2008 re: "Plan adds fees to cover budget gap"

Robin Ficker, Broker Robin Realty said:
It doesn't cost $237 to tow a car. Montgomery county has issued over 100,000 tickets from speeding cameras. At $40 a pop that is $4,000,000. Thousands of police hours have been freed up by these speed cameras. We can eliminate police overtime as a result. The county seems to have a tax-and-fee first attitude rather than a look-for-waste-first attitude. I asked Leggett at a forum at Long Branch last week why we are paying essentially lifetime health benefits for county employees who have worked for the county only 15 years. I asked him why we are paying "retirement" benefits to people in their forties and who are not yet 55. He replied, "That would make only a small difference." The council took 30 days off over Christmas. They are not interested in looking for waste.

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6:04 AM MST on Mon., Jan. 28, 2008 re: "Plan adds fees to cover budget gap"

Examiner Reader said:
The best thing that Montgomery County should do to balance the budget for this fisical year and for the next year is to stop aiding the ILLEGAL ALIENS with benefit they are no suppose to have.

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8:13 AM MST on Wed., Jan. 23, 2008 re: "Police, fire departments aren�t sure where spending cuts will come from"

Robin Ficker, Broker Robin Realty said:
The Leggett-Knapp tax increase team is about to steal the rebate checks that the federal government is going to send us. They are going to give us a great big property tax hike. Knapp has voted in three recent years to do this already.

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10:26 AM MST on Mon., Dec. 24, 2007 re: "Police, fire departments aren�t sure where spending cuts will come from"

Joe and Barb said:
We know that Knapp's history is to always vote for the tax increase if there is any question, especially property tax increases.

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8:17 AM MST on Mon., Dec. 24, 2007 re: "County budget cuts could hit fire department, bus service"

Robin Ficker, Broker Robin Realty said:
If there is really a deficit, why is the council taking thirty days off work? Nobody else takes that much time off except retired people. The council is lazy; for, just because an item is the budget one year does not mean it should be there forever. We cannot afford to give county employees 17/3% COLAs + 3.5% step increases for 9% total pay raises. Don't say we are going to cut 911 and emergency response services---those are scare tactics from a county government whose budget has doubled while the population has increased 15%. SAVE OUR HOMES! Property tax relief!

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7:22 PM MST on Thu., Dec. 13, 2007 re: "Police, fire departments aren�t sure where spending cuts will come from"

Robin Ficker Broker Robin Realty said:
Social security recipients will get a 2.3% increase in 2008. We cannot afford to exceed the charter property tax limit. Foreclosures, gas prices and electricity prices are at an all time high with recession right around the corner. Save Our Homes! Property tax relief!

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9:56 PM MST on Fri., Dec. 7, 2007 re: "Taxpayers warn Montgomery Council of billions in potential budget shortfalls"

Joseph Russek 301 946 9593 said:
The pedestrian safety items are purely window dressing. In my neighborhood they went 8 blocks on one side of the Elementary School and spent over $30,000 posting "No parking here to corner". The signs were posted in violation of the regulations which state 30 feet from the corner. They posted the signs up to 60 feet. They also eliminated parking on one side of a very long block leeding from the School. I can see absolutely no safety improvements although they eliminated over 200 parking spaces. The County is also eliminating parking spaces on commercial streets for no apparent reason - Gaither Rd, Blueridge Rd, etc. Does the County just like to put up expensive annoying signs. I can see no other reason.

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9:32 AM MST on Thu., Dec. 6, 2007 re: "Taxpayers warn Montgomery Council of billions in potential budget shortfalls"

Examiner Reader said:
How come Washington County can plow the snow in the neighborhood subdivisions, but in Montgomery County the homeowner associations have to foot the bill? Just what does Mont. Co. spent all that money on????

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10:12 AM MST on Wed., Dec. 5, 2007 re: "Taxpayers warn Montgomery Council of billions in potential budget shortfalls"

Robin Ficker, Broker Robin Realty said:
Homweowner alert! Save Our Homes! The Council has just chosed Mr. Knapp as Chairman, someone who has voted into exceed the charter property tax limit in three recent years. He will certainly do so again. The is looking at our home equity even though most home values have dropped below the new assessments. Those in power can govern only when revenues are rapidly increasing. Soon they will say they have to cut 911 service if they can increase property taxes. Help is on the way! Our November ballot question will make it more difficult to exceed the charter property tax limit. Even a drug user has to go through withdrawal to get clean. It is going to take a herculean effort by Mr. Leggett and Mr. Knapp to even admit they have a spending problem, let alone to cut a county budget which has been increasing about 10% a year. Save Our Homes!

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12:48 PM MST on Thu., Nov. 29, 2007 re: "Montgomery may raise property tax to resolve $401 million budget deficit"

Robin Ficker, Broker Robin Realty said:
Leggett believes not in creation of wealth, but in distribution of it. He believes we can tax our way out of an economic decline. Goldman Sachs now says we have a 43% chance of a recession. The financial crisis is still worsening. The three month Treasury has dropped to 2.96%. Leggett supported a 20% increase in the state sales tax even though Delaware and the internet have no sales tax. Result: Walmart, Best Buy and Circuit City are offering deep discounts to internet buyers who can shop at home and save gas. Leggett supported the 18% increase in the corporate tax which will drive Montgomery business out. He wanted an increase in the gas tax. Thank goodness he did not get it. He supported a 20% increase in the car tax. He was the first one to call for a hike in the income tax and then, after the genie was out of the bottle, was upset to find that the lion's share comes from Montgomery County. Now he wants to exceed the charter limit on property tax revenue. Keep that limit

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9:51 AM MST on Wed., Nov. 28, 2007 re: "Montgomery County could face $400 million revenue shortfall"

Examiner Reader said:
The democrats ( From O' Malley down to Ike Leggett ) are cutting education and social services to pay for CASA. CASA is issuing identification card to all illegal aliens. The MD DMV has been ordered to give driver license to all individuals with CASA id cards. With the driver license, everybody can register to vote as US citizens. Go to the board of election and get the form. ALl they ask is the driver license. With the current BUsh open border, US citizens will become a minority. If you are a democrat like me, think again about making your SSN , retirements to support the current illegal aliens. The next thing you know is your job is gone. Please do check the MD board of election and its registration form to see how easy to become voters. One doesnot have to become citizen and still can vote against you.

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8:43 AM MST on Tue., Nov. 27, 2007 re: "Montgomery County could face $400 million revenue shortfall"

Examiner Reader said:
Maybe taking the item for "day worker" centers off the budget will help close the gap.

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