Elaine Blaisdell Cumberland Times-News
— OAKLAND — The fiscal year 2013 budget was balanced without having to borrow money or change the tax rate, Garrett County Administrator Monty Pagenhardt said during a review of the budget on Tuesday at Garrett College.
“We have been able to keep the tax rate the same and are able to appropriate monies toward the board of education. It’s a really difficult job they (commissioners) have to balance everything. They spent a lot of time on the budget and know it from top to bottom.”
Even though the budget was presented, it is likely numbers will change due to pending state legistlation in the Maryland General Assembly, said Charmian Jim Raley.
The biggest block of funds the county appropriates is for education, said Pagenhardt.
The proposed budget includes an appropriation of $31.3 million to education for fiscal year 2013, with $25.3 million appropriated to the BOE.
“It is important to repeat that ($25.3 million appropriation) because that is the number the board of education has been told to count on for 2014,” said Pagenhardt. “The board of education knows their operating budget for 2013 and also 2014.”
The total appropriated to the BOE includes $500,000 the county put up to reduce the number of cuts to teachers from 40 to 28.
“The commissioners didn’t really usurp power of the board of education. They didn’t say, ‘Here is how you have to spend the money,’” said Pagenhardt. “But they are very cognizant of the closing of the schools and the loss of jobs.”
The board of education voted to close Dennett Road and Kitzmiller elementary schools during a special meeting in April.
Because of the school closings, the proposed budget also includes an additional expenditure of about $95,745 for operating expenses, utility expenses and contracted services.
“You will see an increase in operating expenses, utilities and contracted services. Those are almost solely a result of the county having to absorb maintenance and operation of Dennett Road and Kitzmiller elementary schools,” said Pagenhardt. “They do become the county’s responsibility.”
During the presentation, both Raley and Pagenhardt stressed that the real property tax rate would remain at $0.9900.
“Next year is the first year that probably anyone can remember that the constant yield is greater than the tax rate,” said Pagenhardt.
In the proposed budget, there is an estimated $975,000 decrease in expenditures overall for the Roads Division for fiscal year 2013, compared to a $17.6 million expenditure in fiscal year 2012.
“We took a long look at that what we were spending in the past,” said Pagenhardt. “That was attributed to having aging equipment breaking down. We feel that we can get by with $250,000 less for next year as opposed to this year.”
Most of the cuts to the budget were from the roads department, because it is the largest department in the county, according to Pagenhardt.
The total projected revenue for the county in fiscal year 2013 is $72,819,058 — about a $13.5 million reduction from fiscal year 2012.
Contact Elaine Blaisdell at eblaisdell@times-news.com.
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