Montgomery government reform commission gets Leggett support

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett has embraced many of the government-reform measures proposed earlier this month by a government commission.

Leggett sent his formal responses Tuesday to the county council, which would have to vote on many of the changes. In some cases, Leggett offered compromise measures or qualified support. The County's Organizational Reform Commission, for instance, had recommended that Montgomery's Commission for Women be restructured to save more than $800,000. Leggett suggested "a reduction, but not the elimination of all staff support." The precise savings will be clarified when he releases his county-wide budget proposal next month, Leggett said.

Leggett is also pressing council members to reconsider their recent move backing away from one of the commission's key recommendations. A majority of council members said they do not support seeking state legislation that would allow the county to merge the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission's park police with the county police department.

Leggett said coming cuts in government services and staff, and "possibly significant changes to pay and benefits for county employees," should have convinced the council to keep the police proposal alive. Leggett, the reform commission, and some council members saw the idea as a way to reduced redundancy. But others on the council viewed it as an effort to eat away at the authority of parks officials.

See below for Leggett's detailed rundown.

Leggett reform response