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Prince George's County teachers are being required to take several furlough days, county services have been reduced and several county agencies are crying out for more money. Yet, somehow, County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) has managed to overlook the bleak financial situation and is pushing to give raises to county workers.

His proposed 2 percent raise for the county's estimated 5,900 employees — school personnel would not be eligible — would take effect Jan. 2 and cost $12 million. John Erzen, a spokesman for Johnson, said the money would be covered by savings accrued this fiscal year from department cuts.

He said Johnson's proposal shows "we've had very strong, sound fiscal policy."

County employees have gone two years without raises and, due to budget cuts and previous furloughs, have had to do more with less — like much of the rest of the nation. Rewarding them for hard work during tough times is admirable but not financially sensible.

If there is extra money, officials should discuss where it would best be used. It's highly unlikely that raises will top the priority list given that class sizes are expected to grow this year because of school system layoffs (at a time when student test scores rank second lowest in the state), much of the fire department's equipment is outdated (69 percent of the vehicles were identified this summer as being in need of replacement), and public safety staffing is suffering shortfalls (while the crime rate in Prince George's is second highest in the state).

And although the school board is ultimately responsible for school staff wages, it's saddening that Johnson's proposal did not help the school system.

If approved by the County Council, the raise would take effect one month after Johnson is out of office. The timing leaves residents wondering if the proposal is truly what Johnson thinks is needed most or if it's his way of going out on a high note while making the next budget just a bit harder for his successor.

Raising concerns further is that five of the nine council members are also departing due to term limits, so they will not be around to deal with the consequences of their actions.

Hopefully, the departing council members — and Johnson — will make their final decisions in office based on what is right in the long term instead of voting as short-timers.