Dropping plans for a tax cut, the Montgomery County Council has approved a new budget that will have Montgomery County residents paying slightly higher property and energy taxes next year. The $4.3 billion spending package tentatively approved Friday will, however, avoid threatened public safety funding reductions .

Council members who supported cutting the property tax rate 2.2 percent in earlier votes decided to keep the rate the same, while cutting a homeowner property tax credit from $613 to $579.

County Executive Ike Leggett had proposed an 8.3 percent property tax increase, the biggest in 20 years, but also wanted a $1,014 homeowner tax credit to protect residents who own cheaper properties from feeling the tax increase. Some council members balked at his proposal, which would have increased taxes on some commercial properties by 24 percent, saying they worried it would drive business out of the county.

“I’ve said all along that I found that property tax increase was untenable and we’ve been able to eliminate that,” Councilwoman Nancy Floreen said.

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Council members had deadlocked Thursday, with some members wanting concessions from employees.

While the budget maintains raises for county workers, it directs school and government leaders to each cut $8 million from “employee/personnel costs and securing productivity improvements and increased efficiencies.”

Council members restored funds for a second police recruit class and 12 community outreach officers Leggett had recommended cutting. They also restored about $3 million to the fire department to staff a Hillandale ladder truck and resume nighttime staffing for Glen Echo and Laytonsville ambulances that Leggett had recommended taking out of service.

Leggett, who was strongly opposed to early council efforts to cut the property tax rate and more drastically reduce homeowner credits, seemed OK with the budget.

“While I may differ with a few aspects of the choices they made, we are substantially in agreement on the essential components in the budget…,” Leggett said. “I have said that this is not a one-year problem but rather a multiyear challenge.”

Council members are expected to give final approval to the budget Thursday.

THE NUMBERS

What the median-priced home of $343,200 would be taxed under three Montgomery proposals.

Leggett proposal $2,342

Committee proposal  $2,669

Council-approved plan $2,520

kmiller@dcexaminer.com