The Washington Post
Montgomery Weekly
Anti-Tax Feelings Grow
Thu, 14 Apr 2005

Anti-tax activists in Montgomery are stepping up their campaign to convince the County Council to offer broad property tax relief in next year's budget. Last Thursday, the Montgomery County Taxpayers League and a newly formed organization called Tax Cap Now held a protest at the County Council Building before a hearing on the fiscal 2006 budget.

About two dozen citizens, including former county executive Neal Potter (D), showed up at the meeting holding "Tax Cap Now" signs.

"People were shocked when they saw their tax assessments and now are worried about what their tax bills will be," said French Caldwell, a Tax Cap Now organizer. "I basically said we really got to make a strong visual presentation on the council, and we definitely did."

During the hearing, Marvin Weinman, president of the Montgomery County Taxpayers League, urged the council to abide by a voter-imposed cap on property taxes.

In 1990, Montgomery County voters approved a charter amendment that limits the county to collecting property taxes equal to the previous year's total plus inflation and the value of new construction. Seven of nine council members, however, can vote to override that limit, as they have for the past three years.

Duncan is requesting a 2-cent cut in the property tax rate for next year, far short of the 7.5-cent cut that would be needed to abide by the charter
limit.

If seven of nine council members accept Duncan's plan, owners of a $400,000 house in Montgomery would see the tax bill go up by $310 next year. While several council members have indicated they want to abide by the charter limit, others say it is nearly impossible to stick to it this year
without severe cuts in government services.

This year's tax debate comes less than six months after voters rejected a referendum, which had been petitioned onto the ballot by anti-tax activist
Robin Ficker, that would have eliminated the County Council's ability to override the charter limit.

But Caldwell is warning county leaders that the anti-tax movement is priming for another election-season referendum battle next year unless the charter limit is adhered to this time.

"I will establish a [Political Action Committee] to raise the money for a petition drive and referendum next year if the council doesn't show some
responsibility," Caldwell said.

There are signs the anti-tax movement has learned from its mistakes and is becoming more politically savvy. Caldwell said the next ballot campaign won't be associated with Ficker's name, which opponents of the referendums have used to try to muddle the
underlying issue through such phrases as "Another Ficker Folly."

"We are not going to have Robin Ficker's face on this," Caldwell said. "We are going to have the face of people who have been hit by property tax assessments."