Ulman Announces Howard's Operating Budget Proposal for FY '09

In submitting his fiscal 2009 Operating Budget Proposal to the Howard County Council, County Executive Ken Ulman said, "This budget reflects a careful balance of the priorities most vital to our continued success as a county, while also remaining aware of the economic challenges we face.
"Under current economic constraints and the growing fear of a recession, the funding decisions outlined in this budget were made with the utmost care and consideration," Ulman said. "We have explored and identified numerous opportunities to reduce spending and increase government efficiency, resulting in one of the lowest budget increases in the past decade."
The executive's proposal includes a general fund budget of $854,500,087, an increase of 5.16% from fiscal 2008. However, the budget proposes reducing spending in several areas, including decreases of 20.3% for the Department of County Administration, 8.5% for the General Government budget category and 5.5% for the Public Facilities budget category. These cost savings are the result of consolidation of the government television operations, closing the government's on-site print shop and bringing the collection of recordation taxes in-house. Ulman said these efficiencies are necessary to fund critical priorities such as public safety, education, community services and the environment.
With education remaining a top priority, the proposed total budget for education - including public schools, Howard County Library and Howard Community College - is $537.9 million, an increase of 7.5% from the fiscal 2008 approved budget. The increased allocation reflects a commitment to fund established salary agreements with teachers and new positions to help the school system keep pace with increasing enrollments and strengthen instruction in areas of need, including special education and technology.
The budget also includes funds to increase pay grades for the college and the library system to help them attract and retain the best employees.
The proposed budget for public safety includes funding 24 new positions within the Police Department. The new positions will enhance patrol and community policing initiatives, strengthen efforts dedicated to domestic violence and crimes against children, and provide staffing for a repeat offenders unit. Two of those 24 positions are for civilians, allowing two police officers to be reassigned to positions on the street. Pending the outcome of a comprehensive needs assessment study now underway as part of the reaccreditation process, a maintenance of effort budget is currently proposed for the Department of Fire & Rescue Services.
The proposed budget also includes a 9.43% increase for community services, including essential services such as transportation, human services and public health.
"All too often, governments faced with financial challenges choose to balance their budgets at the expense of community services, cutting assistance to our most vulnerable populations at a time when that assistance is needed most," said Ulman.
The new budget proposes $4.7 million in grants to local nonprofit agencies which provide those services and that assistance. Other funding includes $2.7 million to purchase 14 hybrid-electric buses to replace vehicles in the county's aging Howard Transit fleet. In addition to cleaner emissions which promote better air quality, these buses are more fuel-efficient and will save the county money each year they are in service.
The investment in human services also includes a $500,000 grant to the Healthy Howard program.
Based on the results of a pilot study conducted in the county last year which showed a 25% increase in recycling rates by homes provided with larger, rolling, covered recycling carts, the proposed budget includes funds to expand the program to the entire county.
In addition to the environmental benefit of keeping recyclables out of the landfills, this will encourage residents to recycle at a higher rate, which has tremendous economic benefits. The county pays $33 for a ton of trash to be disposed of, but the county receives $54 for every ton of recyclables collected. The budget also proposes a $50 increase in the trash collection fee for residents in the Metropolitan District who have yard waste recycling collection and a $35 increase for residents outside the Metropolitan District who do not have their yard waste collected. Even with this increased fee, which will help defray the cost of distributing the new recycling bins, Howard County residents will still pay significantly less in waste disposal and recycling fees than residents in surrounding jurisdictions.
This proposed budget also dedicates $15 million ($10 million from last year's budget surplus and $5 million from next year's revenue) for the second year of the eight-year phase in for the mandatory funding of the "other post employment benefits" (OPEB) accounting standards. Although this obligation places further restraints on the budget, the planning is necessary for Howard County to ensure future financial stability and maintain its Triple-A bond rating.
To view the entire proposed fiscal 2009 Operating Budget, go to www.howardcountymd.gov.