With state budget cuts looming, County Executive Ken Ulman is moving to slow county spending, but with less drastic steps than those announced this week by leaders of neighboring Carroll and Anne Arundel counties.
Ulman has reserved until March $6 million in capital budget cash intended for road and parking lots resurfacing programs and maintenance, and is leaving 60 county jobs unfilled. Except for uniformed public safety jobs, Ulman said, no new vacancy will be filled without a detailed review by Lonnie Robbins, the county chief administrative officer, and Raymond S. Wacks, the budget director.
"We may get to the point where we just shut everything down," Ulman said of hiring.
The executive has also asked county department heads to slow spending, he said, though he has not given them specific limits.
"The real issue is that unless there's a total implosion, we believe we can work through this year," Ulman said. "The real unknown is next year."
Gov. Martin O'Malley said last week that he will announce Oct. 15 state cuts to deal with a projected shortfall of $432 million this fiscal year and up to $1 billion in fiscal 2010.
Earlier in the year, Ulman reduced the number of take-home county vehicles and began allowing some employees to work four 10-hour days in response to rising energy costs. This fiscal year, Ulman also closed the county government cable TV studio and closed the print shop, though he spent money on new programs such as recycling bins for residents and to help finance the Healthy Howard health access plan for uninsured residents.
This week, Carroll County's commissioners announced that they are freezing 26 vacant jobs, restricting employee travel and limiting take-home county cars.
Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold also announced cost-cutting in the form of a hiring freeze on 185 open jobs.
Howard County Council Chairwoman Courtney Watson, an Ellicott City Democrat, called Ulman's moves "prudent preliminary steps."
"I think it's too early to tell if we need to do anything more drastic," she said.
Greg Fox, the council's lone Republican, had a different reaction. "It's about time he [Ulman] recognized we have a problem," Fox said.
