Scores off a bit in Montgomery ‘report card’

Several challenges cited in this year’s report, such as providing adequate housing and improving transportation, are recurring themes, Straszheim said in a statement.

‘‘The committee continues to support a shift in the county’s budget in favor of greater investment in public infrastructure and less spending in the operating budget,” Straszheim said.

Among the items that saw slightly poorer grades were job growth — from an ‘‘A” in 2005 to a ‘‘B-plus” in 2006 — and the retail sector — from an ‘‘A-minus” to a ‘‘B.”

Business attraction and retention, as well as the labor market, remained the same with an ‘‘A.” The county also continued to receive an ‘‘A-plus” in developing a ‘‘highly skilled knowledge-based economy.”

Notable expansions in the works include a $100 million meeting and training facility at Lockheed Martin Corp. in Bethesda, according to the report.

Construction activity, both residential and commercial, slowed in 2006. The slowed growth of available residential housing stock has an impact not only on business attraction and retention, but on the county’s available tax revenue, said Georgette W. ‘‘Gigi” Godwin, president and CEO of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce.

‘‘We should use this as a heads-up, to help us address these issues,” said Godwin, a member of the report card’s committee.

Montgomery’s economic development department will revisit its strategic plan in the next few months and align it with the recommendations in the report, said Pradeep Ganguly, department director.

This report originally appeared in The Business Gazette.