County Council to examine budget cuts – Last week, County Executive Ike Leggett proposed about $51 million in budget cuts from the recently approved fiscal year 2016 budget. Leggett’s proposal would reduce public library hours, delay a Circulator expansion and trim $24 million from county departments and another $10 million from Montgomery County Public Schools. Leggett told The Washington Post the cuts were made in response to reduced tax revenue and a Supreme Court decision in the case of Howard County couple Brian and Karen Wynne, which will cost the county millions in tax refunds over the next several years. The proposed cuts could change significantly, however, as the council reviews Leggett’s proposal in committee meetings over the next week. Council President George Leventhal told the Post last week the council was likely to significantly overhaul the proposal.
Board of Education to debate testing practices – The Montgomery County school board Tuesday will take a look at four options aimed at changing or eliminating the school system’s final exams in middle and high schools. Since April, school staff has been reviewing the final exam process in middle schools and high schools and in general has found that educators, community groups, parents and students favor limiting or eliminating final exams and replacing them with additional instructional time. The proposed change comes as more than 60 percent of algebra students failed final exams in January, which was just the latest in a continuing trend of failing math scores for local students.
Towing overhaul scheduled for review – The County Council’s Public Safety Committee will review Monday legislation designed to limit predatory towing in the county. The committee has been debating proposals including banning “spotters”—tow truck employees who monitor parking lots to see if people park and walk off—and requiring tow companies or lot owners to provide photos of nonconsensual tows. The legislation was introduced by council member Roger Berliner in April as a way to cut down the towing industry practice of quickly towing illegally parked vehicles from private lots, which can result in frustration and significant expense to individuals who may not have known they were illegally parked when their vehicles were towed.
Planning board to review Westbard Sector Plan draft – The Montgomery County Planning Board is scheduled Thursday to review the controversial Westbard Sector Plan. Planners have adjusted building heights in the area and increased the number of residential units permitted in the Bethesda neighborhood in their staff draft, which has been criticized by some residents for allowing too much potential development in an area that lacks mass transit. The board is scheduled to review the draft around 9 a.m.
Temps in the upper-80s, chance of storms this week – Expect a hot week with the looming potential of thunderstorms. The National Weather Service predicts thunderstorms are possible Monday after 9 p.m. Showers are likely Tuesday, when there’s a possibility of thunderstorms after 1 p.m. and throughout the night. The high is expected to reach near 87 degrees. On Wednesday, there’s a 50 percent chance of showers with a high reaching 85 degrees. Thursday and Friday should be the nicest days of the week; the weather service is predicting mostly sunny days with highs near 85 degrees.
