Dec 15 08 11:44a 900-000-0000 pel LOCAL 500 = << SEIU Stronger Together ‘Testimony in Support of MC 906-09 Montgomery County — Property Tax — Classes of Property and Special Rates House Hearing for Local Bills December 11, 2008 7:00PM Merle Cuttitea President, SEIU Local 500 On behalf of SETU Local 500 and the 10,000 workers we represent in Montgomery County, I urge you to support MC 906-09, which authorizes the County Council to establish separate property tax rates for separate classes of property. Our members are publ aluable service to the community every day ~ driving children salely to and from school, providing healthy meals at school, and keeping the school building clean and safe. As public employees, they feel the effects of budget cuts and revenue losses on a daily basis. In addition, given the current economie crisis, they’ve also had to forfeit their COLAs this year. And often times, they take an additional hit through inereased property tax rates, as a way to raise revenue for the very public services they provide, c employees who provide an With property taxes the same for commercial and residential property, residents are increasingly carrying the burden of county revenues raised, In fact, according to a recent County Council workgroup report, the share of total county taxes paid by non- residential properties and business declined from 21% to 16%, Budget cuts and a Joss in revenue do not affect private businesses that own commercial property, because they do not receive public funding. This is an unfair burden on working families - particularly ‘on public employees who disproportionately feel the effects of revenue loss in the County In order to ease the burden on working families in the past, the County has used creative credits and exemptions to provide targeted relief, and this enabling legislation would Just provide another option to the Council to provide relief. Public employees provide the services that make Montgomery County such a great place to live. We urge your support of this legislation to ensure that these public employees do not carry the undue burden for raising additional revenue in the County. Thank you.