Harford County's budget input process went high-tech Tuesday night.
No matter the technology platform, the message remained virtually unchanged as the feedback focused on education funding, particularly teacher raises and delayed funding for a proposed new Havre de Grace High and Middle School building.
County Executive Barry Glassman hosted a first virtual town hall, getting input on county priorities not only from attendees, but also from people responding through e-mail, social media and phone.
"It's a multimedia form of government where everyone can participate and we can get more folks involved, particularly the younger generation and other citizens that are interested in becoming more involved," Glassman said, calling the night "a great success" after it ended.
A number of comments were left as messages on Facebook and Twitter in the days leading to the meeting, expressing their concerns about Glassman delaying local funding for the Havre de Grace High School replacement project.
Glassman, a 1980 HHS graduate, stressed during the meeting that he supports the project, but he wants to get the county's finances in order in the upcoming fiscal year and focus on "human capital" in the county government.
"We will move that project when the county can afford it," he said.
Havre de Grace City Councilman Dave Glenn was among the more than 50 residents, community leaders, local elected officials and county employees who came to Darlington Hall for the town hall meeting.
Glenn said he was "really disappointed," to hear Havre de Grace High was being delayed, adding that, "as a proud graduate of Havre de Grace," he has vowed to be "the voice of Havre de Grace and to tell the Havre de Grace story."
At least 11 of the 48 comments written on the Harford County's Virtual Town Hall Facebook page were related to the need for a new high school in Havre de Grace.
"HDG deserves to have their high school funded by any and all means available," graduate Michelle Leffler wrote. "It is long overdue. Class of '96."
Holly Worthington, an HHS parent, stated that funding for the replacement "is my main priority."
She expressed her concerns with flooding of the first floor and cafeteria during a rain storm and for the safety of students having to cross Congress Avenue and Juniata Street to go between the main school building, the auditorium and the athletic fields.
"They may be a small school, but they are a great group of kids and teachers and they deserve a better [facility]," Worthington concluded.
Zachary Musselman, a ninth grader, noted he "was promised a new high school not just for me" but for future students.
Glassman said during the town hall he is not against the Havre de Grace project per se.
"We are in support of that project. We have deferred the project until we are in better fiscal standing," he said, noting the county's debt service has more than doubled in the past 10 years, "a rate we cannot sustain."
"I am going to be totally honest: Most large capital projects are not going to move this year and we made that decision as we... move to investing in our human capital," Glassman told the audience.
Funding for schools
At a multipurpose room inside Darlington Hall, a steady stream of attendees urged Glassman to support Harford County Public Schools and give teachers their scheduled pay raises.
Mary Harris, president of Homestead-Wakefield Elementary School's PTA, said schools should not have to shoulder "a broken system" that is "hemorrhaging" teachers at a rate of about one per day.
She and many others said they were glad to hear Glassman promise to support employees.
"I was encouraged when I heard the county executive speak to the value of human capital after winning the election and again tonight," Harris said.
George Curry, a teacher, said "so many" Harford teachers are looking for work.
"Why would I stop looking for a job somewhere else and commit to a county that is not committed to me?" Curry asked.
Board of education president Nancy Reynolds said the county has to choose what it will prioritize, noting the school system has made numerous savings by cutting energy costs, getting new transportation routing software and eliminating positions, among other efforts.
"We are at a point where there is nothing left to cut," Reynolds told Glassman. "If we do not ask for what is needed to fund our schools, our students and staff will be asked to continue to do more with less, and what message does that send to our students and our staff?"
Harford Community College President Dennis Golladay, meanwhile, asked the county for a "very modest" 2 percent budget increase, or about $290,000, for the upcoming fiscal year.
He said the request would be formally presented to the administration later this week.
Additional comments
Town hall participants also sent emails, made Twitter posts and Facebook comments about a variety of other budget issues facing the county, such as pleas to fully fund the Harford County Public Schools budget request for fiscal 2016, to support salary steps for teachers, and provide funding for salary increases for sheriff's deputies.
Susan Deeney reminded county officials on Facebook to "support our public library and the valuable service it provides and the library's support of life long learning, and community needs."
Tim Stephens encouraged county leaders to fund cleaning up litter along Harford's major highways.
"Mr. Glassman has made economic development and attracting new businesses a priority," Stephens wrote. "That's fantastic, but I can assure you that business executives getting off 95 onto 24 and other roadways will be immediately put off by the trash, debris and general ugliness that they'll see."
Linda Williams, executive director of Addiction Connections Resource Inc., of Jarrettsville, wrote a lengthy Facebook post about the need to address drug addition in Harford, especially in light of Glassman's inaugural pledge to take on heroin addiction.
"If the Office of Drug Control Policy is fully funded, we can continue to address the heroin issue in this county," Williams wrote.
Participants using email sent comments via iGovHarford@harfordcountymd.gov about matters such as working with government and businesses to improve residents' health, providing "digital equity" to all students and the need to fund the HHS replacement project.
The town hall was streamed live from Harford Community College's new Darlington Hall, allowing viewers to watch on the county website, as well as at library branches around the county.
Glassman said he thinks social media and more virtual events could be the way to revive people's interest in local government.
Glassman said at the end of the forum that he hopes to integrate such virtual tools into other public forums such as land use meetings, budget forums and Development Advisory Committee meetings.
"I do think technology and social media is maybe the way we can reactivate folks into participating in government," he said.