Montgomery County property taxes now exceed mortgage payments for many

For many years, I have written about the fact that property taxes in Montgomery County have essentially become the equivalent of a second mortgage for many homeowners. If we believe we have honest elections in the County, suffering the highest overall tax and fee burden in the region has yet to spark revolt among County voters. Would property taxes higher than your annual mortgage payment be enough to get taxpayers reaching for their proverbial torches and pitchforks? That's why I was delighted to read Chevy Chase resident Glenn Easton's letter to the editor in the rapidly-shrinking Washington Post.

Easton reported that this shocking event - the Taxological Singularity, if you will - has now taken place. "My property taxes exceed my mortgage payment and threaten my ability - and the ability of many others - to age in place in this state." He noted that the latest tax increase on his property was 13% in 2025, and have been as high as 26%. Easton has challenged assessments of his property each time, and has lost each time. Like me, Easton is "not sure why more homeowners (and voters) are not outraged."

California voters, in a very, very different era in the Golden State, led perhaps the most famous tax revolt in America since 1776. Easton called for a similar revolt and reform to that storied uprising of 1978, which led to property tax increases being capped at 2% annually.

With all County offices on the ballot once again this November, are Montgomery County taxpayers finally ready to revolt?

The County's disastrous fiscal situation indicates that change must come sooner or later, the (somewhat) easy way, or the hard way. Our tax burden must be reduced, and our master plan highway system completed, to attract high-wage jobs and corporations to the County. Montgomery County hasn't attracted a single new major corporate headquarters in over a quarter century. The only growth is in residential housing, and our structural budget deficit confirms that the costs new housing generates far exceed the tax revenue they generate.

Speaking of revenue generation, Council members have delivered multiple tax cuts to their developer sugar daddies, even as they've raised yours every single year except FY-2015 (in which the average homeowner received a whopping $12 tax cut). Perhaps inspired by the $72 million tax cut the Council delivered to developers in White Flint back in 2010, Councilmember Andrew Friedson has successfully pushed through two major tax cuts for developers in recent years. These have created massive exemptions from property taxes for projects at Metro stations and for office-to-housing conversions. The latter law is so permissive, its 20-year full property tax exemption(!!) applies to so many projects that it will blow a massive hole in County tax revenues over the next two decades. Most offensive is that these projects were going forward anyway, with the tax elimination simply an act of profiteering.

When taxes get lighter for real estate developer Friends of the Council, guess who taxes get heavier for? Yep, you the home and business owner. We can't keep shifting the tax burden to homeowners and small businesses, and we can't keep forgoing all of the lost business and commercial revenue we are losing due to our non-competitive tax burden and moribund County economy.

We also can't keep spending the way we are. Where the Council and our equally-corrupt Apple Ballot School Board are satisfied with a generously-funded school system that performs poorly, we instead need an adequately-funded school system that performs exceptionally. And an in-depth reform of profligate spending on Council-connected "non-profits" is long overdue. Many of these have organizational directors and officers who make financial contributions to Councilmember campaigns. Taxpayer money effectively ends up in the pockets of Councilmembers, and provides lucrative careers for the donors. 

The tax policies of Montgomery County are eerily reminiscent of those in Bell, California. Elected officials there ultimately ended up in prison.

Taxation is theft, to begin with. Property taxes by their nature are insidious, particularly at the almost-comically-excessive level charged in Montgomery County. If you don't pay, the government takes your home. Which means that all "private property" is effectively owned by the government, and you are paying government a rent to live there.

Enough is enough. Beyond a stagnant economy, gross incompetence by elected officials, high violent crime, and failing transportation and school systems, is a property tax that exceeds your mortgage payment enough for you to act? We'll find out on Election Night 2026.

To the barricades!

Koi Sushi opens in Gaithersburg

Koi Sushi is now open at 201 Boardwalk Place at Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg. Look for it next to Mason's Famous Lobster Rolls. It has already racked up a perfect 5-star rating on Google Reviews. The opening of Koi Sushi was first reported by The MoCo Show.

Aggravated assault with firearm in Olde Towne Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg City police responded to a report of an aggravated assault with a firearm in the Olde Towne area on January 31, 2026. The assault was reported in the 300 block of E. Diamond Avenue at 12:50 PM. That's about a block from the train station.

Clarksburg equipment rental business burglarized

Montgomery County police responded to a burglar alarm at a Clarksburg equipment rental business in the early morning hours of January 22, 2026. The burglary was at Rentals Unlimited at 24000 Frederick Road. Officers responding to the scene found evidence of forced entry at the business. They determined property had been stolen from inside the facility, which supplies rental equipment for landscaping and construction work, and is highly-rated in online reviews.

Police describe the suspects only as three Black males of unknown age. If you have any information that could assist detectives in closing this case, call police at (301) 279-8000.

Amazon Fresh closing in Gaithersburg

The Amazon Fresh grocery store at 15790 Shady Grove Road in Gaithersburg will permanently close this Sunday, February 1, 2026. Amazon is closing all of its Amazon Fresh and Go grocery stores across the country, as a very expensive experiment with Amazon-branded physical grocery stores by the retail giant concludes. In Montgomery County, that means the losses of Amazon Fresh stores at Chevy Chase Lake, Friendship Heights, Shady Grove Road on the border of Rockville and Gaithersburg, and White Oak. It's an especially raw deal for all involved at the Chevy Chase locations, as residents of Chevy Chase Lake had expected to have an on-site grocery store, Friendship Heights residents will now have only the hipster house brands of Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market as full-size supermarkets within walking distance, and the Chevy Chase Land Company was counting on both to anchor their respective developments of Chevy Chase Lake and the Collection at Chevy Chase.

Update on Koi Sushi in Gaithersburg (Photos + Menu)

The sign is up at Koi Sushi, opening soon at 201 Boardwalk Place at Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg. Here's a sneak peek at the interior design, and at all pages of the restaurant menu. Koi Sushi will be located next to Mason's Famous Lobster Rolls. Stay tuned for an opening date.

Montgomery County Council seeks to restrict ICE access, ban face masks for law enforcement

Montgomery County Councilmembers Will Jawando (D - At-Large) and Kristin Mink (D - District 5) have introduced two bills aimed at curbing the impact of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) within the county. Flanked by community members, educators, and fellow lawmakers at a joint press conference, they vowed that Montgomery County will not be a silent partner in federal immigration enforcement that relies on "fear, intimidation, or abuse." Mink has directly engaged ICE officers in Maryland, posting video of her encounters that earned TV news coverage. 

The County Values Act (Bill 3-26), led by Councilmember Mink, focuses on restricting ICE's access to and use of county-controlled properties. Key provisions include:

• Requiring a judicial warrant for ICE to enter any areas of county facilities not open to the general public.
• Mandating clear signage in those areas explicitly barring ICE access.
• Providing comprehensive staff training on how to handle such encounters.
• Prohibiting immigration enforcement activities in county parking lots, garages, and vacant lots.
• Requiring county staff to report any observed enforcement activities and to restrict or block access where feasible.
• Directing the county to develop and post a signage template that private businesses can voluntarily adopt.

Mink's bill is cosponsored by Councilmembers Kate Stewart (District 4), Will Jawando, Shebra Evans (At-Large), Andrew Friedson (District 1), Laurie-Anne Sayles (At-Large), Evan Glass (At-Large), and Marilyn Balcombe (District 2). "We cannot make ICE agents operate lawfully, but what we can do is employ the strongest possible protocols at every facility the County owns or operates,” Mink said.

Complementing this effort is the Unmask ICE Act (Bill 5-26), sponsored by Councilmember Jawando. It prohibits masking or facial coverings by all law enforcement officers operating in Montgomery County—including federal agents like ICE—with limited exceptions for public health reasons or specific operational necessities. The goal is to ensure transparency and build trust by allowing residents to clearly identify officers. Cosponsors include Councilmembers Mink, Evans, Stewart, Sayles, and Glass.

Jawando, who is running for County Executive, cast masked law enforcement officials as a horror of America's past. "Throughout history, masks have been used in American law enforcement to shield the wearer from accountability, and used for terror, impunity, and anonymity for violence," he said. "We are seeing that play out again before our eyes, and we cannot accept that as our new reality. As our local law enforcement recognizes, safety requires trust, and trust requires transparency. Our community is calling on us to do more, and we must listen, work together, and move forward with courage to protect our community."

Councilmembers sought to make the human cost of ICE enforcement actions the focal point of a joint press conference held after the bill introductions.

Orchid Dargahi, a teacher at Newport Mill Middle School who had a family member arrested by ICE, described the "trauma" rippling through her school: "Before I can do anything else in my classroom, I need to make sure my students feel safe. But I field questions like, ‘Can ICE just come into school?’ before teaching kids how to write an essay for or against zoos."

Gaby Rivera of the Montgomery County Immigrant Rights Collective (MoCo IRC) shared the story of a 19-year-old forced to raise his younger siblings after both parents were detained. Rivera urged the Council to pass these bills alongside the previously introduced Trust Act, arguing that together, they send a clear message that the County refuses to be complicit in "fear, intimidation, or abuse."