Kathleen Miller, The Examiner
2008-04-02 07:00:00.0
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WASHINGTON -

Montgomery County Council members are taking issue with County Executive Ike Leggett’s claims of fiscal conservatism, saying his budget has required extensive revisions and cost additions since it was released.

In January, Leggett recommending that spending for capital improvements increase only 1.1 percent to $3.2 billion over the next six years, leaving $2 billion in department requests unfilled. The modest increase compares with a 24.3 percent increase in the two-year budget in 2006 and a 26.2 percent increase in 2004.

In the 10 weeks since his budget’s release, however, as council members pore over the finer points of his proposal, some say they have been left to do the heavy lifting of either cutting projects entirely or signing off on significantly larger figures to fund things that they say Leggett’s office should have realized would have cost more to do beforehand.

During meetings Tuesday, council members debated funding for library construction, expressing frustration that place holder budget amounts were left in for certain projects from prior budgets and not adjusted for inflation, and that decisions were not made to advance or kill other projects.

“I have to suspect that the lack of deciding is as intentional as anything else,” Councilman George Leventhal said. “If you don’t have to decide you don’t have to spend money.”

After the council was informed that a recreation center in North Potomac could cost $17 million more than the $22 million allocated in Leggett’s budget, Council President Mike Knapp thought the council was left hanging.

“It’s all well and good to say your budget only increased 1 percent, but then we’re left on the hook for changes,” Knapp said.

Patrick Lacefield, Leggett’s spokesman, said at the time that the price jump was due to an unexpected increase in the cost of land.

“We are working from our best estimates,” Lacefield said via e-mail Tuesday. “My understanding is the council wants to do way more than resources may allow.”

Leggett’s proposal also included about $40 million for renovations to the county’s current judicial center and the planning and design of a new judicial center annex in Rockville, since the current circuit court building has no remaining courtroom spaces left.

Council staff reports said, however, that upgrades to heating and air conditioning systems in the current center alone could eat up $25 million to $35 million, and recommended budgeting $100 million to fund construction of the judicial annex.

kmiller@dcexaminer.com