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Residents, business and taxpayer groups oppose proposed 3.5% property tax hike at County Council hearing
Summary
A lengthy April 22 public hearing drew dozens of speakers opposing a proposed 3.5% FY26 property tax rate increase, citing affordability, rising assessments, federal job cuts and impacts on seniors, small landlords and businesses. Business groups and the Taxpayers League also urged the Council to reject the increase.
On April 22, 2025, the Montgomery County Council held a public hearing on a proposed FY26 real property tax rate increase. Scores of residents, real estate professionals, neighborhood leaders, small-business representatives and taxpayer groups testified largely in opposition to the proposal, saying a rate increase would exacerbate housing affordability problems and impose hardship on seniors, fixed-income households, landlords and businesses.
Speakers who testified against the proposed increase included Samantha Damato of the Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors, who urged the council to “avoid property tax rate increases,” saying additional increases would worsen housing unaffordability and that county spending had grown. Diana Casaraco, a Hispanic real estate professional, said a tax increase would “deepen the housing affordability crisis” and disproportionally harm Latino families, whom she said are already cost-burdened. Seema Blackman Hall, a longtime resident and licensed real estate agent, said the state’s recent tax changes and rising assessments will fall heavily on Montgomery County homeowners and urged the council not to raise property taxes.
Multiple speakers from business organizations and taxpayer groups opposed the increase. Angela Franco, president and CEO of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, told the council that businesses and residents “cannot afford more property taxes” and urged a budget without new taxes. Representatives of the Montgomery County Taxpayers League and the Taxpayers League reiterated concerns about county spending and urged that the council reject the executive’s proposed 3.5-cent rate increase.
Seniors and long-time homeowners described steep assessment increases and the strain of higher property tax bills on fixed incomes. Speakers urged alternatives including spending reductions, targeted programs for vulnerable households, and reforms to assessment practices. Several speakers also raised concerns about the share of the county budget that funds Montgomery County Public Schools: written testimony and speakers cited that MCPS accounts for a large portion of the county budget and urged the council to seek accountability and cost controls rather than raising the tax rate.
The public hearing included in-person and virtual testimony and closed after a broad set of speakers had their allotted time. The transcript records no council vote on the tax-rate question during the hearing; the item remained under consideration and was scheduled for committee work sessions as the council moved on to other agenda items.
