Howard County's government would save money by all but closing for a week in December under a proposed $1.4 billion budget that includes the biggest spending cuts in nearly two decades.
All but essential county services would be shut down the week between Christmas and New Year's, so employees could be furloughed for four or five days under the plan proposed Monday by County Executive Ken Ulman. Nine employees would lose their jobs under the proposal.
The property tax rate ($1.014 per $100 of assessed value) would not increase, but tax bills are expected to, because of rising assessments. Water and sewer charges would increase 6 percent.
No money for cost-of-living pay raises for workers was included, except for firefighters. If revenues don't improve by next year, the county could dip into a "rainy day" fund that now contains $48.7 million.
"This is one of the toughest processes I've had to work through," Ulman said before making his formal presentation to the County Council.
Ulman proposes a four-day furlough for county workers, with one additional day for department heads. He also asked elected officials to voluntarily give back five days' worth of pay to show solidarity with county employees.
County Councilman Calvin Ball, an east Columbia Democrat, said he would return five days of pay, "given that we're asking our employees to take one for the team."
Three of the layoffs, in the Health Department, would come because of a $14.5 million cut in state aid. Four sheriff's office employees would be laid off from an alternative sentencing program that Ulman said is supposed to be self-supporting from fees but that has been little used.
And 50 unfilled county jobs would be left vacant.
Ulman, a Democrat, said he cut money to virtually every department but did not reduce the $4.8 million in grants to human service nonprofits. He also proposed adding $40,000 in emergency assistance for people in crisis.
He cut $300,000 from libraries and did not add money for any new police officers after hiring 50 in the past two years. The budget includes $500,000 for the Healthy Howard health access plan for uninsured county residents.
County officials have said income tax revenues are expected to decline next fiscal year for only the second time since the local share of the tax took effect more than 40 years ago.
