Month: April 2011

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Apr. 21, 2011

The Garrett County commissioners held two meetings, one in Oakland and one in Grantsville, on Tuesday to present their proposed fiscal year 2012 budget and receive public comment about the working document. About 50 people attended the Oakland event.
“We’re closing the gaps,” Commissioner Bob Gatto told the Oakland participants about the preliminary budget. “It’s important that you be here and take part because it is your money, your budget, and we want your input on our decisions.”

Commission chair Gregan Crawford said the budget was still in a very fluid process.

“Nothing is locked down as of yet,” he said.

County administrator Monty Pagenhardt went over some of the highlights of the proposed document. Garrett County Department of Financial Services estimates county revenue from various sources for FY ’12 will be about $71 million, compared to $85 million in FY ’11.

Expected revenue from real property tax in the new year is expected to be $43,687,494. Pagenhardt said this is a revenue increase of only $244,149, compared to FY ’11.

“This is the lowest increase in many years,” he said.

He noted that raising the current tax rate from $.99 to $1 per $100 of assessed value would garner the county only $507,000 more in the next fiscal year.

New sources of revenue include $1.7 million in personal property/ordinary business taxes collected from the Constellation Energy wind turbine project and $425,000 from a possible property sale – a parcel at land at the old GC Roads Department site in Oakland. Tax revenue from the Synergics wind turbine project will not be realized until FY ’13, Pagenhardt said.

“One of the things that the budget doesn’t reflect is the fact that the county, by policy, maintains a rainy day fund of about $3 million,” noted Commissioner Jim Raley. “Basically, by policy, it says 5 percent of your operating budget should be set aside in reserve.”

Expenditure increases in FY ’12 include an hourly salary increase of 4 percent for nonexempted Roads Department personnel. The union workers were to receive the raise in FY ’11, but they voting to delay that for one year because of the downturn in the county’s economic situation.

Nonunion county employees did not receive a pay raise in FY ’11 either. County officials are considering several options/cost scenarios to provide them with one in the coming year.

“It is my opinion and desire to have all employees receive an equal adjustment – Board of Education, Garrett College, and county,” Pagenhardt said.

Another unavoidable expenditure will be a 7 percent increase in the health care plan for county employees.

Because of the new revenue from wind turbines, the commissioners are also considering allocating $1 million more to the Board of Education in FY ’12. In FY ’11, the board received $23,174,000 from the county. The BOE requested $28.7 million for FY ’12. The commissioners, however, are proposing an allocation of $24,174,000.

Because of declining enrollment, how the state calculates a county’s wealth, economic conditions, and other factors, the local Board of Education is facing about a $4 million shortfall in its FY ’12 budget. As a cost-saving measure, therefore, Dr. Wendell Teets, superintendent of schools, has proposed closing Kitzmiller and Bloomington elementary schools.

Several local residents at the Oakland meeting asked the commissioners to allocate more funding to the BOE so the two small community schools could remain open. Other residents asked the commissioners not to cut extracurricular activities at county schools.

The commissioners noted they have no authority over these issues. They can allocate funding to the BOE but cannot tell the board where or how the money has to be spent. It is entirely the BOE’s decision to close a school and discontinue athletic, musical, artistic, or other activities.

As the result of less revenue, allocations to most county departments and agencies have been reduced or are flat. Pagenhardt noted that funding requests earlier this year totaled more than $85 million.

In addition, capital project and outlay requests totaled nearly $5.8 million. The proposed allocation is $2 million. Small equipment requests are expected to be reduced from $762,729 to $440,849.

“We’ve gone through it and really scrubbed it,” Crawford said of the budget. “We’ve had excellent communication and cooperation with department heads.”

Additional cost-saving measures include the consolidation of the county’s 911 and sheriff’s dispatch offices; consolidation of the county, BOE, and Garrett College employee health plans; elimination of a paid student intern program; and discontinuation of funding for a Marcellus shale program educator.

Crawford said the commissioners anticipate another tight budget next year. Fiscal year 2012 begins on July 1.

“We do budget very conservatively, as always” he noted.

The commissioners’ next public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 3, at 9 a.m.

Read the full article here.
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