Cumberland Times-News
Oakland — OAKLAND — The Garrett County Commission is reviewing a proposed budget that reflects hard times for the county and the state.
Garrett’s draft fiscal 2011 budget, which totals more than $68 million, anticipates that the county will have $16 million less to work with than the previous year.
County officials expect significant revenue decreases from income, recordation and local transfer taxes. That’s largely due to declines in the real estate market and increased unemployment, said County Administrator Monty Pagenhardt.
But officials do expect a $2.3 million increase in revenue from real property taxes, even though the proposed budget calls for the property tax rate to remain the same as in fiscal 2010.
The county commission is reviewing the estimated revenues and requested expenditures, and intends to set the budget on June 1.
“We have presented the commission with a balanced budget and they are now reviewing that, and will be getting input from the public,” Pagenhardt said.
The commission previously requested all departments make their budget requests level with the amount of funding they received in fiscal 2010.
That decision was based on a “realization that state of Maryland funding to the county and local revenue collected would be less than prior fiscal periods,” according to a news release issued by the county.
The proposed budget includes no pay increases for county employees, nor does it including funding to hire replacement personnel for 16 employees expected to retire on June 30.
In the budget draft, the county’s capital outlay was cut in half, from more than $1.1 million in fiscal 2010 to just $542,000. Half of that amount will probably go to maintenance and improvements to the Garrett County Detention Center, Pagenhardt said, though the county might be eligible for grant funds that could help cover the cost of that work.
The commission will hold a public hearing on the property tax rate at the start of its regular meeting on April 20, beginning at 11 a.m. Another meeting on the property tax rate will be held the same day at 7 p.m. at Garrett College.
The proposed budget was posted on the county’s Web site Monday morning, and can be viewed at http://www.garrettcounty.org/Commissioners/budget11/budget11.aspx
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