In the wake of a difficult FY 2013 budget, Montgomery County now measures its FY 2014 shortfall at some $71 million. From coverage in The Washington Post:

Montgomery County officials said Monday that the county faces a $71 million shortfall for the fiscal 2014 budget for public safety, transportation and other government agencies.

The budget gap is caused by expected increases in government debt payments and retiree health benefits, county officials said. Also contributing are recent changes in state law that shifted some of the cost of rising teacher pensions from the state to counties, forcing jurisdictions to maintain what are among the nation’s highest levels of per-pupil school spending.