Elimination of County Positions–3/10/10 Update
March 10, 2010–After last week’s action alert asking you to write to the Montgomery County councilmembers requesting that they vote against the elimination of jobs that support the Ag Reserve and county equestrian community, we received the following information:
One Montgomery Soil Conservation District (SCD) position (Brian Taylor, Resource Conservationist) was abolished as part of FY10 round two budget cutbacks last month. A second SCD position (Eddie Franceschi, Equine Resource Conservationist) is slated for elimination as part of FY11 budget cuts.
The Soil Conservation District consists of two federal employees (one technical manager and a planner), two state employees (one planner and a technician) and four county employees (one administrative manager, one office administrator and the two planners who provide assistance and support to horse farms). Elimination of the second planner would completely wipe out SCDs support of horse farms.
Hearings on the FY11 budget will begin in mid-March. EPIC members can begin writing to the Council arguing that the position should be retained and included in the FY11 budget.
Please take a few minutes today to write to the County Executive and members of the County Council at the e-mails below to voice your support for retaining all Montgomery County Soil Conservation District positions that help horse farmers protect water quality.
councilmember.berliner@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.floreen@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.andrews@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.elrich@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.knapp@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.leventhal@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.navarro@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.trachtenberg@montgomerycountymd.gov
steve.silverman@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.floreen@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.andrews@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.elrich@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.knapp@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.leventhal@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.navarro@montgomerycountymd.gov
councilmember.trachtenberg@montgomerycountymd.gov
steve.silverman@montgomerycountymd.gov
Please cc EPIC Montgomery on any e-mails at info@epicmontgomery.org.
Thank you for helping to make a difference in the Ag Reserve and the Montgomery County equestrian community!
