Full Council Budget Worksession May 9

Next week we start our daily full Council budget worksessions. At 1:30 p.m. on Monday, May 9, we will discuss proposed changes to County government employees’ retirement, health and life insurance benefits. We also will address the Collective Bargaining Agreements with the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 35; the Montgomery County Career Fire Fighters Association; the Municipal and County Government Employees Organization; and the Montgomery County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association.

Prior to those discussions, at 11 a.m., we will receive an updated overview of County revenues and expenditures.

We will start at 9 a.m. with worksessions on the budget requests of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, the Park Police, the Department of Recreation and the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission.

The Park and Planning budget was previously reviewed by the Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee, which I chair, and which has recommended changes to County Executive Isiah Leggett’s proposed budget for the department. The committee’s goal was to try to minimize impacts on the Planning Department workprogram and critical services provided by the Department of Parks.

The PHED Committee also previously reviewed the budget request of the Department of Recreation and has made recommendations to restore some items that were not included in the County Executive’s proposed budget. The Executive’s budget recommended a decrease of $1.4 million (5.5 percent) from the FY11 original approved budget.

You can watch it live on County Cable Montgomery, channel 6.