As Aberdeen Mayor Patrick McGrady continues discussing his proposed 2017 budget with the City Council, one city resident asked recently why the mayor isn't proposing a larger property tax cut.
Barbara Osborn Kreamer, a former state delegate, county councilwoman and more recently an unsuccessful city council candidate, questioned the size of city's budget surplus and said she is surprised McGrady didn't cut the tax rate further.
The proposed fiscal 2017 general fund budget of $15.57 million, an 8 percent increase over this year's budget, includes reducing the property tax rate from $0.66 to $0.656 per $100 of assessable base. The new rate is set at the state determined constant yield, where it theoretically will bring in the same revenue from property taxes next fiscal year as the current one.
"My understanding is the new government was going to be more fiscally tightly managed," Kreamer told McGrady during the last regular council meeting on April 25. "I am really very surprised to see the tax rate that is suggested here."
Kreamer's comments were among several related to the budget during the meeting, where a former city councilwoman, Ruth Ann Young, urged city officials to keep moving ahead on a redevelopment initiative around the city's downtown MARC/Amtrak station.
Council members Tim Lindecamp and Melvin Taylor told McGrady they want to see more funding for parks and recreation activities.
Lindecamp said he was initially outraged because he thought the budget proposed giving the Parks and Recreation Committee nothing, which he said other residents thought as well.
McGrady explained there was simply no change from the 2016 budget to the 2017 proposed one, meaning the committee would again get $20,000.
"Parks and Recreation had a feeling they were getting nothing," Lindecamp said, and Taylor added: "I am very concerned about putting money into the school system for policing but keeping the Parks and Recreation [budget] stable."
Taylor was referring to McGrady's addition of funding for a full-time police officer at Aberdeen Middle School to the new budget.
"I think there needs to be some kind of consideration for our Parks and Rec to the city manager and those who are putting together this budget, to let our children know that we are concerned about our Parks and Rec," Taylor said. "I think they are doing a great job with the minimal resources they are given by the city."
McGrady used the council meeting to begin publicly going through the budget line by line.
He pointed out several departures from previous mayor Michael Bennett, such as eliminating $32,835 in traveling-related expenses and dues for the National League of Cities.
"The last mayor traveled a lot," he said, adding he decided not to renew NLC dues. "I have decided I am not going to do that."
McGrady also said he plans to increase employee training on issues like sexual harassment and safety after being told that had been neglected for some time. That would add $17,500 to the budget.
Personnel costs would also be increased by McGrady's proposal to hire a procurement officer, with a salary of more than $88,000, a decision he said he plans to explain later.
City Finance Director Opiribo Jack said: "By so doing, I think the city will be able to save some money."
McGrady said he wants to discuss the role of the procurement officer at the next meeting, which is Monday. Other new personnel costs include adding two full-time police communications officer positions that Police Chief Henry Trabert said were cut in the past.
Transit oriented development
City officials have had sporadic discussions with Maryland Department of Transportation for more than four years about creating a greener, more vibrant neighborhood around the Amtrak/MARC train station by focusing on a "transit-oriented development" master plan.
Young, who left the council in November after eight years, urged the council to consider meeting with state legislators by August on the topic, and McGrady replied: "I think it's a great idea and we will make sure to schedule those meetings with the legislators."
He added that Phyllis Grover, the city's Planning and Community Development director, has a meeting tentatively scheduled with MARC officials. Grover said later the meeting date had not been set.
"Hopefully out of that meeting, we will get some positive changes," McGrady said of the redevelopment plan.
The city previously has received state grants for planning and to acquire some properties in the downtown area in conjunction with the overall redevelopment initiative.