A New $60 Fee Per Homeowner & Even Then Charities Suffer…

.

CFO Elaine Kramer & Deputy Jeanette Cudmore

“I am tired,” Chief Financial Officer Elaine Kramer told The Bay Net Tuesday from her office after St. Mary’s Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a nearly $184 million county annual budget.

The budget’s lion shares include $76 million in county appropriations for the Board of Education, and $26.7 million for the Sheriff’s Office.  The budget now goes before a public hearing at the Leonardtown High School on April 24th.

To increase revenue and avoid a budget deficit, each household in the county will now pay a new $60 annual fee. “The New Enterprise Fund for FY 2008, which is the solid waste and recycling fund, reflects a new Environmental Fee of $60/improved residential property,” Kramer’s report reads.

Browsing through loads of papers, Kramer told The Bay Net that she and her staff had been working to balance the fiscal 2008 budget until last Monday at 3.30 pm.  Kramer confirmed the words of Commissioner Dan Raley (D. Great Mills) regarding the new fee, “None is exempt.”

Under Board President Jack Russell (D. St. George Island), Tuesday’s meeting was the only part of this year’s budget proceedings that St. Mary’s nearly 100,000 residents could watch on public access television Channel 95.  In previous years, other than the preliminary budget discussions, all other work sessions were telecast on the public access channel. 

FY 2008 Budget Proceedings

“It’s not our money, it’s their money,” Raley candidly admitted, while pointing out the upcoming budget hearing would be pretty significant. “It’s not a perfect budget,” the board heard Raley say.

The new budget contained salary increases for all county employees, including the commissioners.  The commissioners’ salary budget increased 10.43 percent from last year—jumping from $312,834 in fiscal 2007 to $345,466, or a total salary raise of $32,632.  In fiscal 2006, the commissioners’ salary cost $269,386. Much of the fiscal 2008 salary raise for the commissioners was neutralized by a cut of $18,250 in operating supplies. 

Commissioner Larry Jarboe (R. Golden Beach) told The Bay Net the raise in commissioner salaries was recommended in a state study four years ago.

These departments saw an increase in their operating budgets: 

Department of Recreation and Parks	up $326,829
Department of Aging	up $295,588
Department of Human Resources	up $221,804
Department of Economic and Community Development	up $200,469
County Attorney	up $84,851
Department of Finance	up $87,558
Land Use and Growth Management	up $83,957
Marcey Halfway House	up $44,031

The Public Works & Transportation, and Public Safety Departments experienced drastic cuts of $1.5 million and $1.2 million, respectively.  The budget of the Department of Information Technology, already rocked by glitches, saw a further cut of $10,000.

The size of the county budget is nearly $3.327 million larger than that of FY 2007, signifying an increase of 1.84 percent. But the increases, with the exception of salary increases, are barely enough to deflect the increased costs of galloping inflation.

Commissioner Jarboe placed the blame for inflation on the rising cost of fuel; through which, he feels the oil companies fleece the nation. He credited Raley for the environmental fee idea.

Among the elected officials’ operating budgets, the most significant increases in funding were for:

Against the backdrop of salary raises, a cost-cutting exercise appears to have been carried out in all the county departments, resulting in an overall reduction of $671,618 to meet the 2008 targets. These reductions essentially mean doing away with hourly help & internships, and reducing miscellaneous expenses. The Department of Aging, at least, may be badly hit by the cuts.

Board of Education CFO Dan Carney & Public Safety Manager Tim Bennett

Photos by A. Mustikhan for TheBayNet.com.

The civil societies, or “non-county agencies”, were among the worst financed with an increase of $3,300 for only the Maryland Department of Agriculture Weed Control, a 0.22 percent increase over the previous year’s budget, not enough to keep up with inflation.

Budget requests from charities, mostly concerned with the needs of the under-privileged, stood steady at $2.33 million.  However, less than two-third of the requests, only $1.5 million, were approved.  Notable charities whose funding requests were shot down include Jude House addiction treatment home, American Red Cross, Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maryland, Leah’s House women’s shelter, and the Alternatives for Youth and Families.

The county did, however, move forward by investing $10.9 million on Other Post Employment Benefits (OPEB) available to county employees upon retirement.

“What it really is, is health insurance,” Kramer said to The Bay Net. “The OPEB Trust provides the funding to pay retirees health benefits.”

Kramer said many constituencies throughout the U.S. were grappling with OPEB issues. She told The Bay Net that not making an investment now would render the OPEB Trust as vulnerable as social security.  She explained that it’s an open secret that not many investments were being made toward social security in contrast to the state pension programs.

“I don’t want my grandchildren to pay for the debts that I incurred,” Raley said, justifying the investment of the fund balance towards the OPEB.

Jarboe told The Bay Net, in the early wake of initial budget requests, that a 20 million budget deficit was looming over the county.  The budget was finally balanced out, however, and what remained is covered by the new fee of $60.

A dozen more employees are projected to be added to the county workforce.

.

.

~*~*~

.

TheBayNet.com staff reporter Ahmar Mustikhan covers politics and events in Calvert & St Mary's Counties. 
To reach him about this article or other community issues, comment below or email ahmar@thebaynet.com.

Send This Story to a Friend!