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Montgomery County has been awarded a $250,000 federal grant to get its police helicopter program off the ground, but it remains unclear whether the County Council will accept the funds.

Several council members said they will vote against Executive Isiah Leggett's (D) planned police helicopter fleet, and council President Philip Andrews (D-Dist. 3) of Gaithersburg has called for the county to stop spending on the program.

The federal grant was received Sept. 23 from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, which is under the federal Bureau of Justice Assistance.

The council is expected to take up the grant issue in public session in the next few weeks, Andrews said.

The county has received two former military helicopters for free, and Leggett has said the $2.5 million police drug fund will be the primary source to pay for a two-year evaluation of the program. Police spokesman Capt. Paul Starks has said that the first two years of the program could cost about $1 million.

That spending came under fire last month by some council members, including Andrews, who say it could be an illegal use of drug forfeiture funds, which are to be employed for drug enforcement purposes.

Starks has said the helicopters would be used for search-and-rescue efforts, crime investigations, drug enforcement and traffic management.

No council member has committed to accepting the grant, which is needed before the helicopter program can proceed.

However, Patrick K. Lacefield, a spokesman for Leggett, questions why the council would want to turn down free federal funding for a program that Police Chief Thomas J. Manger has said it necessary to protect county residents.

Councilmen George L. Leventhal (D-At large) and Marc Elrich (D-At large) of Takoma Park say they will not vote for the grant because of the long-term cost of the program.

County officials have pledged not to use any taxpayer money for the program's first two years.

"Once we start the program, we won't be able to give it up," Leventhal said. "It's nice to have, but it's not a must-have."

Elrich said the county already is squeezing its police resources and cutting back on recruiting, making this a bad time to start a new program and take needed officers off the streets.

That is the reason Councilman Michael J. Knapp (D-Dist. 2) of Germantown says he is likely to turn down the grant.

"It locks us into doing something that I don't think makes much sense right now," he said. "We're in the middle of an economic recession. The grant will cover some of the costs, but it's going to cost us money."

The county will have to pay to staff the helicopters, he said, at a time when the county is looking to cut millions from its police budget.

"We're going to need every person we can get on the street," Knapp said.

Andrews said it's likely that all county agencies, including the police department, will be asked to cut back in fiscal 2011.

He said Leggett is asking for police to reduce expenses while at the same time increase spending on an expensive helicopter program.

Councilwoman Nancy M. Floreen (D-At large) of Garrett Park, whose vote is undecided, praised the executive for a "creative initiative," but said she also is worried about the long-term costs of the helicopter program. "Free money doesn't stay free," she said.

If the council votes against accepting the federal grant, it is likely the county will keep the helicopters in storage until the police helicopter program begins or until another jurisdiction needs them, Lacefield said.

"At the end of the day, it comes before the council and they decide whether they want to give a quarter million dollars back and say no to the chief of police," he said.