Budget Director

Howard County's fiscal woes could spill over into the next three budget years even with stringent economizing, a committee considering spending and borrowing recommendations was told Thursday. A computer model assuming only a 1.9 percent growth in education spending - which includes no teacher pay raises - would still result in red ink for fiscal years 2011, 2012 and 2013 before revenue is predicted to again outstrip expenses. And county officials are still trying to make up for a projected $13 million shortfall this fiscal year.

WESTMINSTER — The Board of County Commissioners this week opened its process for setting a budget for fiscal year 2013 with a review of the ups and downs of the local economy and their impact on the county. In a Jan. 24 presentation, Ted Zaleski, director of Management and Budget, said there are signs of an economic recovery, but it has been slow and not strong enough to have a significant positive impact on the budget. He told the commissioners that revenue projected for fiscal year 2012 is $2 million higher than originally budgeted, but property tax revenue, which is the largest contributor to the budget, is down 2 percent this year.

Ron Weinstein, Howard County's longtime government auditor, was named the county's new budget director, officials announced yesterday. "Ron Weinstein's in-depth understanding of existing methodology allows us to hit the ground running as we look for resourceful ways to fund our priorities," said County Executive Ken Ulman in a statement. "His keen insight into the county's finances will prove invaluable as we proceed with the budget process." Weinstein, 60, was appointed county auditor in 1985 after six years as a management specialist and seven years as a supervisory auditor in the Prince George's County government.

Baltimore officials are bracing for the potential of another round of deep budget cuts, as they draw up early spending plans to address a "significant" shortfall next year. City agency heads confirmed Thursday they were instructed to pare 5 percent of their spending as they craft preliminary budget proposals for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The mayor's press secretary stressed that the administration was in the "very early stages of the budget process," and said agencies would be asked to draft proposals for other financial scenarios as well.

Carroll County Budget Director Steven D. Powell is an experienced and polished public speaker, but he's nervous about his next engagement.The stint will be in Russia."

Pity the poor, pummeled, put-upon budget director. Administrations come and administrations go, and always the boss of the White House Office of Management and Budget seems to wind up in the dog house. The latest inhabitant of canine digs is Leon Panetta, one of the best of the Clinton crew, who is currently charged with committing candor.Mr. Panetta, a deficit hawk during his years on Congress, made the mistake of blurting out in the middle of Bill Clinton's Hundredth Day Week that the president's program is in trouble, a lot of trouble, partly because his boss must do "a better job of picking and choosing the battles he wants to go through."

County budget director Steven D. Powell took a sobering story about county finances on the road yesterday.To 80 county business leaders, the management and budget director told his tale of declining revenues, increased expenses and exploding budgets that stand to make fiscal 1992 one of the toughest the county has ever faced."

Carroll's budget director is scheduled to explain the county's financial picture to county agency and department heads today at what is predicted will be a somber meeting."

Stanley Guild Jr., Baltimore County's first full-time budget director who held the post for 32 years, died Tuesday at Union Memorial Hospital after a long illness and complications from a broken hip. He was 71 and lived in Monkton.A tall, thin man with strong opinions, a distinct Virginia accent and a love for government work, Mr. Guild professionalized the ++ county's budget operations starting in 1957, a year after the executive-County Council system of home rule began.He was hired by William E. Fornoff Sr., Baltimore County administrative officer, for $7,059 a year in May 1957, county records show.

Carroll County's budget director understands the sticker shock some towns are experiencing at news that they will receive no dollars in highway revenue from the county for the first time in 20 years.But the explanation is logical -- in a "counterintuitive" way, said Steven D. Powell, director of management and budget. He emphasized that he wasn't defending the formula, merely explaining it.Shock erupted at a Westminster Common Council work session Monday when the city learned it would receive no money this year under the county roads levy.

The gag props were new, but the result was the same for the fifth straight year, as a harried Howard County Council approved a budget for fiscal 2012 last week after delaying final votes for a frantic three hours of last-minute negotiations. County Executive Ken Ulman's $1.56 billion operating budget and $179.3 million capital plan were approved without any cuts on a 4-1 vote, with a frustrated Greg Fox, the council's only Republican, on the losing end. Ulman was pleased with the result.

Howard County Council members wrapped up their review of County Executive Ken Ulman's proposed $1.56 billion operating budget without agreeing to any cuts, though the panel may shift some money before final votes scheduled for May 25. In a final, two-hour work session late Wednesday, Republican Greg Fox took aim at money Ulman wants to set aside to keep vacant jobs on the county's books. Fox suggested using some of the $5.6 million set aside to fund 138 positions for another purpose — like adding to the county's savings for future retiree health benefits, but budget director Raymond S. Wacks resisted that idea.

Once again, it appears Howard County has escaped any major loss of state revenue, though state funding is still declining in several areas. "Overall, it could have been a lot worse," County Executive Ken Ulman said as the General Assembly closed in on a final state budget. It would have been worse, he added, if not for support from Gov. Martin O'Malley, who helped keep the General Assembly from laying a big hit on all local governments by transferring teacher pension costs to them.

The package of taxes and fees crafted by Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and City Council members to meet a budget deficit last year is estimated to fall short of projected revenues by nearly $17 million — more than a third of the income that it was expected to generate — city finance officials said Tuesday. The city will receive $12 million less in income tax than officials had projected — most likely due to unemployment, officials said — and a controversial bottle tax is predicted to generate $1 million less than officials had expected, city budget director Andrew W. Kleine told council members at a hearing.

Howard County's budget shortfall is growing instead of shrinking as the fiscal year enters its final quarter. A deficit that was projected two weeks ago at $13 million has swollen to about $20 million because of snow-removal costs and a decline in state income tax payments, county budget director Raymond S. Wacks told the County Council at a meeting Monday. "This is a difficult time for us," Wacks said. "We've had more snow than Buffalo this year." The council is to vote in April on a transfer of $1.3 million to help pay for snow removal, a move that would empty the county's contingency fund.

George A. Piendak, the former Baltimore City budget director who was the longtime board chairman of a culinary arts school, died in his sleep Monday at his Charles Village home. He was 65. Born in New Britain, Conn., he was a political science graduate of Williams College. He earned a master's degree in comparative politics and administration at the University of Sussex in England and took doctoral courses at the University of Pittsburgh. He joined city government in 1970 as a fiscal policy analyst.

After five months without a permanent budget director, Howard County has hired Jonathan Seeman, Prince George's County schools' budget director since 2003 and a former state official. He begins his new job Monday. The choice satisfies the county's need for an experienced person familiar with programs and budgets on state and local levels, and Seeman's desire for a new challenge. "For me, this was a step up, in that I was working for a county school system and this was a job with a county government," Seeman said.

Carroll County should enjoy modest growth in revenues in the next fiscal year, the county budget director says."We are seeing stronger growth in income taxes than we have in the past two years," said Steven D. Powell, who discussed the budget process with the commissioners Tuesday.He estimated that Carroll will experience a 4.5 percent to 5 percent increase in income tax revenues in fiscal 1994, which begins July 1, compared with fiscal 1993, he said.The next distribution of income tax revenues from the state will come in February.

Howard County's budget shortfall is growing instead of shrinking as the fiscal year enters its final quarter before ending June 30. What was a projected deficit of $13 million two weeks ago has swollen to about $20 million due to growing snow removal costs and a decline in state income tax payments, county budget director Raymond S. Wacks told the County Council at a meeting Monday. "This is a difficult time for us," Wacks said. "We've had more snow than Buffalo this year."