Sayles Opposes Tax Hikes in Elrich's $8.01B Budget

Councilmember At-Large Laurie-Anne Sayles issued a statement on March 17, 2026 opposing key tax provisions in County Executive Elrich's proposed $8.01 billion FY budget, which includes a 6.3-cent property tax increase for MCPS and a county income tax hike from 3.2% to 3.3%. Sayles said she does not support the increases without first conducting a line-by-line review of county operations to eliminate redundancies, and cited an $854 million projected federal revenue shortfall over six years as additional fiscal pressure on residents. Her office plans to review the budget in collaboration with council colleagues, the County Executive's team, advocates, and community leaders.