Dear Community Leaders and Residents of District 6,
It certainly has been busy around here – so busy that I haven’t updated the Dispatch since the end of last year! As we approach county budget season, I wanted to update you all on important happenings over the past several months, and what to expect during the month of May.
The Maryland General Assembly meets each year for a 90-day session beginning in January and ending in April. At the end of this year’s session, lawmakers did not reach a consensus on a full budget package, and leaders have indicated that they will likely call a “special session” in mid-May to finalize the state budget. This will have an impact on our County budget, as lawmakers will almost certainly transfer a share of the teacher pension costs from the state to the county. State lawmakers will also debate a revenue package that will offset some of those costs.
The legislature also passed a bill changing the Maintenance of Effort (MOE) law, which requires counties to fund public K-12 education at or above current year spending per pupil. For counties that do not fund the full MOE obligation, the state now reserves the right to take the income tax revenue straight from the county through the Comptroller’s office. It also now expressly prohibits the inclusion of debt service (the interest, etc. from bonds) in the calculation. The County Executive had included debt service in last year’s budget, and based their current budget on those calculations. The State Board of Education ruled last week that this was not allowed, and that our county must rebase its calculation, which results in an approximate $12 million increase in required spending for K-12 education. The challenge facing the Council now is to find enough money in the budget to meet that requirement (not an easy task).
County budget hearings begin today, Tuesday, May 1. Over the course of the next two weeks, we will have work sessions in which county agency heads and others will present their proposed budgets to the Council. This is where the rubber hits the road, as we learn how the proposed budget will affect our county services. Parks, libraries, senior centers, the community college, the school system, road maintenance, trash and recycling pickup – all the things that we count on and depend on. The proposed budget also eliminates county employee furlough days (there were 12 furlough days in each of the past two years).
We will also hear about the capital budget, which funds projects such as school construction, water and sewer upgrades, police and fire stations, road projects, etc. I will be paying particular attention to the elementary school projects in and around the Annapolis area. In the proposed budget, Annapolis Elementary, Phoenix Center, and Mills-Parole are funded in their original timeline, but construction on Rolling Knolls is pushed back until Fiscal Year 2016, and West Annapolis is pushed back even further – to FY13. I will be working with my Council colleagues to try to restore these two projects to reflect the Board of Education’s priority list.
What are your priorities in the budget? Please let me know what is important to you.
While the budget will certainly dominate the next month at the Council, there are plenty of other issues going on as well. Despite the tumultuous General Assembly session, there was significant progress for the environment, particularly our waterways. I was pleased to testify in support of several bills, and work with Delegates and State Senators to pass important legislation to help clean up the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams. Now we will need to implement these policies on the county level. I was also nominated and confirmed to be Anne Arundel County’s representative on the Critical Area Commission, and position I am looking forward to serving.
On March 26, Peter Smith was sworn in as the newest Council Member. He will fill the remainder of the term in District 1. Although the process for filling the vacancy was drawn out and frustrating, it is time to put that behind us. As one of Pete’s strongest supporters, I can assure you he will be an excellent addition to the Council. I already enjoy working with him – he is smart, funny, and easy to work with.
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| Whitmore Park Greenscaping |
As part of Annapolis Greenscape on Earth Day weekend, I was pleased to join the County Executive, Annapolis Mayor Josh Cohen, Janice Hayes-Williams, Community leaders Larry Griffin, Jim Martin, and others to officially recognize a new lease on Whitmore Park, in downtown Annapolis. Rather than “surplus” the park and open the door for unknown development, I worked collaboratively with the County Executive, the Mayor, and the community to achieve a 35-year lease from the County to the City. This solution relieved the County of the maintenance costs, preserved valuable open space downtown, and put the park in the caring hands of local community members. We spruced the park up on Greenscape Day, Saturday, April 21.
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| SRLT's 50th easement |
I continue to try to get out to community events whenever I can. Last week I was pleased to attend the Scenic Rivers Land Trust celebration of their 50th conservation easement and an announcement at the Annapolis Visitor Center that the Drum Corps Associates will hold its Annual World Championships at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Labor Day Weekend 2012. If you have an important event coming up, don’t assume I know about it! Make sure to tell Janice and me about it.
Spring is in full bloom, and I hope you all enjoy this time of year as much as I do (not including the pollen count). Get outside as much as you can, and don’t forget Bike-to-Work Day on Friday, May 18.
Please stay in touch and let me know what you think about the budget, or any other county issues.
-Chris
