Numbers remain in flux as budget readied for comment

State cuts may affect county

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

But its characteristics could be very different by the time it is finalized in May because of state finances.

This version of the county budget reflects a reduction of $3 million in tax revenue that was expected to come to St. Mary's from the state until the Maryland House of Delegates stripped the money out of its budget bill. The Maryland Senate still must weigh in on the state budget, and differences in the two versions must be resolved before the legislature adjourns April 13. Whatever changes in state funding to the counties is still to come will be too late to be included in the St. Mary's budget.

The county budget uses $3.6 million of surplus funds to replace the state cuts outlined so far and while there are merit increases allowed for county employees, there is no cost of living increase.

"I guess every budget process is different," said Commissioner Daniel H. Raley (D). "I would characterize this particular budget process so far as being terribly frustrating."

Raley and Commissioner Thomas A. Mattingly Sr. (D) have been in office since 1998.

Although the state is not done with its budget and the local impact is not fully known, the county code requires a recommended budget be completed by the end of March so the public may review it in April. It is signed by the end of May and starts July 1. "We don't have any choice," Raley said.

He said he wanted to get the county's trash transfer station up and going this fiscal year, but a subsidy of $2 million would have been needed. A commercial property trash fee was considered and then dropped as the project was pushed back some years.

Raley said he also wanted to do away with the county's 1.25-percent tax on energy bills this year, but that would have cut $1.5 million in revenues out of an already lean budget.

"This doesn't make me go to bed tonight with a warm and fuzzy feeling," he said.

While some tax revenues went down and state legislators want to keep some of the local share, the recommended budget shows a 9-percent increase in property tax revenues totaling $93.2 million and 3.8-percent more in income taxes totaling $66.2 million.

In the St. Mary's spending plan the county pegs its portion of the operating budget for the St. Mary's public schools at $79.9 million, which is a reduction of $193,090 from the current year's local funding.

With a new elementary school opening, the school board is adding 38 positions.

With a smaller budget and a new school opening, Commissioner Larry Jarboe (R) thanked the school board members "for being accountable." Jarboe, however, voted against the recommended budget.

The sheriff's office gets a $1.2 million increase for an operating budget of $31.6 million. With the detention center expanding, six more positions there are funded.

Otherwise, many of county government's agencies saw level funding.

"It's a pretty tight budget and it continued to get tighter and tighter," said Elaine Kramer, chief financial officer.

"We've got more cuts coming," said Commission President Francis Jack Russell (D).

jbabcock@somdnews.com