The Montgomery County Council was deadlocked 4-4 Thursday over the county's operating budget, with members at odds over property taxes and whether county employees should be asked to make concessions to help solve a $297 million budget gap.

Three of the dissenting votes came from council members who wanted some employee concessions to ease budget difficulties.

Council Vice President Phil Andrews and Councilwoman Duchy Trachtenberg, the only two members who voted Wednesday to slice $40 million in unspecified employment costs, were joined by Council Member Roger Berliner Thursday in seeking employee concessions.

“This issue is larger than the dollars, larger than the politics, it is about whether we are all in this together?” Berliner said, adding that he hears a lot of anger from his constituents over taxes.

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Andrews proposed and Berliner signed onto the idea of a two-day furlough for county workers that Andrews said could generate $20 million for the county. The council adjourned so attorneys could determine whether imposing furloughs would violate employee contracts.

Gino Renne, president of the county government workers union, said union attorneys believed furloughs would go against negotiated agreements. County workers took a 4-day furlough in 1992, but wound up being paid for most of that time anyhow.

“Plus, essential services like staffing emergency call centers have to be delivered no matter what, and that no matter what means overtime,” Renne said. “I think in the attempt to save $20 million, they might incur costs of $10 or $15 million.”

Council Member Marc Elrich was the fourth vote against the budget Thursday and the lone council member to oppose cutting the property tax rate 2.2 percent during preliminary votes Wednesday.

Council members appear likely to cut the property tax rate but also reduce homeowner credits.

“We're about to fund [the budget] in the most painful way possible for the majority of our residents,” Elrich said.

kmiller@dcexaminer.com