Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett recently released his proposed fiscal 2015 county budget.  The $5 billion operating budget provides additional funding for education, new police patrols, and a restoration of library hours.

From the Washington Post article:

His budget, which now goes to the County Council, would cut the tax rate from $1.01 to 99.6 cents per $100 of assessed value, bringing the average annual property tax bill down $17. The reduction is a legal necessity: Without the trim, rising home assessments would result in Montgomery taking in more revenue than allowed by county law.

Funding for education exceeds the county’s maintenance of effort requirement, but it falls short of the level requested by the school system.

The budget includes an $80 million increase in funding for Montgomery public schools, which is $26 million more than the minimum increase required by state law. Leggett also proposed that the school system allocate $11 million from its own unspent funds on fiscal 2015 operations.

Additional public safety funding totals $13 million,

…which would pay for 23 new police officers and two forensic scientists. The officers will serve in county schools and in the rapidly urbanizing areas of Wheaton and Germantown.