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Garrett leaders OK trimmer spending plan
OAKLAND — With a budget $20-some million less than last year’s, the Garrett County commissioners are prepared to begin the next fiscal year.
“This is an austere budget, and in my view, a person in management, leadership is to set the trend,” Ernie Gregg, commissioner, said. “We’ve got to maintain a fiscally prudent budget.”
The current state of the economy caused a trickle-down in terms of budget shortages to county government. The state government, Denny Glotfelty, commission chairman, said, cut the county budget by $2.9 million, and while the property assessments would have brought in an increase of $2.2 million to the county, he said the commissioners still decided to lower the property tax rate for the sake of local residents. The rate is now 99 cents for every $100 assessed.
The commissioners also approved changing the share of the property tax rate that will go to the local fire departments from $.03 to $.035.
The budget’s largest expenditure remains education, with 43 percent of the total operating, debt service and capital projects budgets going to the Board of Education, Garrett College and Ruth Enlow Library. Of the $70,986,452 budget, education will receive $30,698,336. That includes $400,000 for the Garrett County Scholarship Program, which provides eligible students with two years of education at Garrett College.
Another 24 percent of the budget, $17,200,418, has been appropriated to the County Roads Department, which is anticipating 57 miles of road repairs during fiscal 2010 and a major bridge replacement for Crellin Underwood Bridge.
Commissioner Fred Holliday said he is pleased with the current level of debt service in the county, at less than 1 percent, and that is the reason he continues to try to stay “fiscally responsible” with the budget this year and looking toward future years. He said the county once had a structural deficit similar to what the state is going through. That is why he supports holding on to some additional funds that have been carried over from projects that have been halted, such as the detention center. “I will not support taking money out of reserves to do regular operating of the county,” Holliday said.
Holliday doesn’t expect next year to be any better, as some of the discussion at the state level could lead to the counties covering more expenses, such as teachers pensions and 90 percent of the operating costs of the local state assessment office.
Lou Battistella of the Deep Creek Lake Property Owners Association asked that the county remember that the lake is not an endless source of funding. He said that the more that people there must pay in property taxes and other fees, the more likely they will sell their homes or be forced out of them. Though many of the properties there may be second homes, he said it doesn’t mean that the economic downturn isn’t affecting the property owners just as it is everyone else.
“The residents at the lake are the same as anywhere else in the county. Some are just getting by to keep their home at the lake area. ... The rapid development growth in the county, especially at the lake area, has created a false sense of security.”
Contact Sarah Moses at smoses@times-news.com.
