Operating Budget

Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr. is expected to present a budget Monday that calls for pay raises for all county employees and maintains government services without raising taxes. The proposed spending plan for the fiscal year that begins in July is also expected to include contentious changes to employees' retirement benefits that are designed to cut costs. While not discussing specifics, Smith said yesterday that he hoped to present to the County Council "a well-balanced budget, meeting the community's needs and maintaining fiscal responsibility."

A happy, relaxed-looking rookie Howard County Executive Ken Ulman presented his first operating budget to the County Council last week. "Take it easy on me, being on the other side here," joked Ulman, a Democrat and former councilman, as he faced the five new council members. He was gratified, he said, to have enough revenue to pursue his primary goals - to boost county police and fire services, give more to human services and libraries and begin some pilot environmental programs, too. Instead of ceremoniously reading a prepared speech, Ulman spoke informally to the council, hitting the high points of his spending plan, and winning some praise in return.

The Harford County school board abruptly canceled last night's budget work session, with officials saying they learned yesterday that County Executive David R. Craig will order "massive reductions" to the school budget. The amount was "nothing near what we requested," said board President Mark M. Wolkow, who, with other school officials, was briefed on the budget yesterday. "It means we really have to cut back." Officials would not disclose figures from Craig's proposed budget, which will be unveiled today.

Baltimore Budget Director Edward J. Gallagher cannot say it any simpler: City coffers are about to run dry.The 17-year budget director, who served through the administrations of the past three mayors, delivered the bad news this week during budget deliberations.City Council members are now looking at taxing everything from boat slips to cellular phones to make up a projected $153 million deficit over the next four years.Under state law, the city cannot end the year with a budget deficit. That means the council and Baltimore's next mayor will have to slash basic services or find new tax money, Gallagher said.

ROCKVILLE -- A crisis is growing in Montgomery County government: Too much money to spend.Flush with revenue from a robust economy and with a surplus approaching $100 million, the County Council leadership wants to declare an emergency and remove spending restrictions to allow a one-year municipal shopping bonanza.Legislation sponsored by council President Isiah Leggett and Vice President Michael Subin will be voted on tomorrow "for the immediate protection of the public health and safety" and without public comment.

The Baltimore County school board approved last night a $684 million spending proposal for 1999-2000 that includes large raises for veteran teachers to encourage them to keep teaching.The operating budget -- which seeks a 5.8 percent spending increase -- expands the system's focus on early reading instruction by adding 80 teachers to decrease the size of reading classes in lower-performing elementary schools.The budget proposal goes to County Executive C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger and the County Council for their approval this spring.

TO DEMONSTRATE his resolve to trim spending in Baltimore County, council President Kevin B. Kamenetz brandished a pair of scissors after County Executive C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger presented his $1.69 billion operating budget. Without hesitation, Mr. Ruppersberger strode over to Mr. Kamenetz, asked for the scissors and pocketed them. That little drama may portend future action -- or little of it -- on the county budget.After struggling through recession and population decline earlier this decade, Baltimore County is in excellent fiscal health.

AT THIS POINT in the year, the county budget cycle is much like spring.There is much activity, but little of it is visible.Just as sap is running up tree trunks, leaf buds are beginning to swell and daffodil and hyacinth shoots are pushing their way to the surface, government officials are meeting daily to assemble the county's approximately $700 million operating budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Just as we can't see much of nature's work...

Howard County Schools Superintendent Michael E. Hickey is requesting a 7.4 percent budget increase to reduce class sizes, revamp special education programs and make other improvements to keep up with the system's steady growth.Released yesterday, Hickey's proposed 1999-2000 operating budget seeks almost $293 million, which is about a $20 million increase over this year's hard-won operating budget.The proposal -- which will be presented tonight to the school board -- highlights a host of program improvements addressing everything from reading to alternative education to the achievement gap between students of different races and economic backgrounds.

It is a budget built around the assumption that John G. Gary would continue as county executive and pump millions of dollars into Anne Arundel Community College, enabling its board of trustees to keep tuition the second-lowest in the state.Gary lost the November election, and the board, which got its first glimpse at the school's $50.2 million budget yesterday during a brief presentation by college President Martha Smith, is waiting to see whether newly elected County Executive Janet S. Owens will follow Gary's lead.

School officials praised an effort to protect teacher and classroom programs after the approval of the system's capital and operating budgets totaling $727.45 million. "This year finds us in fairly good shape," said board member Patricia Gordon. "This has been a tough year, but we've come through it as usual." Board member Larry Cohen added that the budget process "was real smooth." The $656.69 million operating budget includes money that will provide each teacher with a 1.2 percent cost-of-living increase, which will take effect in the coming school year.

The Howard County Board of Education approved capital and operating budgets yesterday morning totaling $727.45 million. The $656.69 million operating budget includes money that will provide each teacher with a 1.2 percent cost-of-living increase, which will take effect in the coming school year. "Our goal was to protect the people who work for us," said Superintendent Sydney L. Cousin. "We wanted to make sure that we found ways to reward our staff for the hard work they do every day." The operating budget passed 6-1. Member Allen Dyer voted against it because he opposes the school system's practice of providing busing to students attending parochial school.

Anne Arundel County Schools Superintendent Kevin M. Maxwell and the school board are grappling with how to bridge a $45 million budget deficit, after the County Council gave final approval last week to the county's $1.29 billion operating budget for the next fiscal year. The county's combined $2.4 billion operating and capital budgets include no tax increases, layoffs or furloughs, and a slight decrease in the property tax rate, which would drop 1.2 cents to a rate of 87.6 cents per $100 of assessed value.

Anne Arundel approves $2.4 billion budget The Anne Arundel County Council unanimously approved Thursday a combined $2.4 billion operating and capital budget for the next fiscal year, which includes a property tax rate cut and no employee layoffs or furloughs but leaves the public schools scrambling to make up a $45 million deficit. County Executive John R. Leopold had proposed a $1.17 billion operating budget, with across-the-board, 9 percent departmental cuts. But the council passed an operating budget that is $12.3 million more than Leopold proposed, largely subsidizing it with cuts to the capital budget and the use of bonds instead of on-hand cash for construction projects.

Last year, as the Howard County Council completed work on the fiscal 2009 budget, Councilwoman Courtney Watson gave budget director Raymond S. Wacks a four-leaf clover to ward off recessionary revenue declines. It didn't work, she pointed out Wednesday after voting on this year's crop of 25 budget bills and resolutions. The council approved a $1.4 billion operating budget and $392 million in capital expenses for the year that starts July 1. The operating budget cuts general fund spending 4 percent, furloughs about 1,800 county workers, denies them a cost-of-living pay raise and lays off nine people.

The Howard County Board of Education is hoping that the County Council will approve an adjusted 2010 fiscal operating budget that trims $7.3 million from its original $664 million budget. In addition, the board wants council members to add $4.7 million to the $68.8 million capital budget approved by County Executive Ken Ulman. The board originally sought to add $10.7 million of the $26.2 million that Ulman had cut. Board members unanimously approved both budgets during Tuesday's board meeting.

Anne Arundel County residents would see a slight decrease in their property tax rate, under a budget proposed Friday by County Executive John R. Leopold that includes no layoffs or furlough days for county employees. The proposed fiscal 2010 operating budget totals $1.17 billion, 4 percent lower than the current budget and nearly 9 percent lower than what individual departments had requested. The Board of Education operating budget increased 1.3 percent, to $592 million. That increase was made, in part, because of a state-mandated program that requires the counties to contribute a certain percentage to education in order to get state funding.

State budget cuts approved by the Maryland General Assembly will cost Howard County about $14.5 million in the fiscal year starting July 1, with $5.9 million of that coming directly from education aid, Howard County Executive Ken Ulman said. "We're still finalizing those numbers, but it will make our job a lot more difficult," he said. "We could have managed through our own reductions in revenue" if not for the extra cuts in state aid. The executive said he believes those added cuts will probably mean furloughs for county workers, though no final decision has been reached.

Many Harford County government workers would have to take five unpaid furlough days under a proposed budget released Tuesday afternoon by County Executive David R. Craig, who said the spending plan includes the largest cuts in the general fund in more than 25 years. The proposed $811.6 million overall budget represents about a 9 percent reduction of the current operating and capital budgets, and includes no tax increases, Craig said. The new budget covers the fiscal year beginning July 1. The spending plan includes no pay increases for county workers.

Maryland lawmakers have slashed $825 million from the state budget for this fiscal year and next, making for the leanest spending proposal in at least 50 years, according to the leader of the House of Delegates. "We've come up with a very fair and effective budget without raising taxes or fees during these tough economic times," said House Speaker Michael E. Busch, an Anne Arundel County Democrat. His chamber's budget committee signed off Friday night on an operating budget for next year of just under $14 billion - less than this year's and less than Gov. Martin O'Malley proposed in January.