Montgomery County 2009 Budget Highlights

The Montgomery County Council adopted a spending plan last week that will increase homeowners' property tax bills about 13 percent on average. The $4.3 billion fiscal year 2009 budget, effective July 1, includes higher costs for parking in public lots in Wheaton and Silver Spring and an increase in Ride On bus passes.

Although the property tax rate remains 90.3 cents per $100 of assessed value, bills will increase because of rising assessments. To ease the effect on homeowners, the council approved a $579 credit for primary residences.

Here are some highlights of the budget:

Education

· $2.07 billion for Montgomery County Public Schools (an increase of 4.1 percent over the 2008 adopted budget). The total represents 98.5 percent of the Board of Education's original request.

· $257 million for Montgomery College (an increase of 7.9 percent). The total represents 98.7 percent of the college's request.

· $6.7 million in the capital improvement program to support construction of health centers at four elementary schools.

Public Safety

· $240.3 million for the Police Department (an increase of 9.5 percent).