Building projects approved in Carroll County next year are likely to be bare bones, even though the county's economy is improving. Most members of the citizens group that recommends which projects should be built believe the county should stick to the basics.
Education and road projects are necessities, they said, but senior citizen centers and recreation programs are not.
The county Planning Commission is scrutinizing requests from county departments and agencies for capital projects in fiscal year 1996, which begins July 1.
A majority of commission members said the county should spend conservatively and encouraged certain agencies, such as the Humane Society, to seek money from private sources instead of from the government.
"I don't see why these functions aren't done in the private sector by people who care about these things," said Commission Chairman Dennis P. Bowman, a Union Bridge dairy farmer.
Members met last week for one of a series of work sessions to pare down capital budget requests. They must submit their recommendations to the county commissioners next month. The commissioners have the final say about which projects are approved.
County departments and agencies have requested projects totaling $72 million for the next fiscal year. For the current fiscal year, the commissioners approved a $54.3 million capital budget. Of that amount, 60 percent was generated through general obligation bonds.
County budget officials have estimated that revenues from property and incomes taxes and other fees will increase by 5 percent to 6 percent in the next fiscal year. The increase allows officials some leeway to increase spending, but at least three of the five Planning Commission members said they don't want to approve projects that aren't necessities.
The commission is dominated by Republicans -- and by Commissioner Donald I. Dell, the other two county commissioners said last month.
In late October, Mr. Dell, a Republican who was elected to a second term Nov. 8, voted with Democratic Commissioner Elmer C. Lippy to appoint Robin B. Frazier of Manchester, who was his campaign treasurer, to the Planning Commission.
Last November, the commissioners named Westminster attorney Robert H. Lennon to the commission. Mr. Lennon had been Mr. Dell's personal attorney about 15 years ago. Mr. Dell is an ex-officio member of the Planning Commission and is allowed to vote.
Alternate member David T. Duree, a Republican from New Windsor, votes when Mr. Dell isn't there. Zeno M. Fisher Jr. of Finksburg is the only Democrat on the Planning Commission.
Planning Commission members serve five-year terms.
At last week's work session, Mr. Bowman, Mr. Lennon and Mrs. Frazier generally agreed that the county should stick to the basics. Mr. Dell did not attend the meeting.
Most of the discussion focused on school projects. The Board of Education has asked for projects totaling $31.6 million in the next fiscal year. It received $20.6 million in the current year.
"They know full well they're not going to get that, but they're showing it to us based on need," Planning Director Edmund R. Cueman said.
School officials have asked to build two new schools in fiscal 1996 -- Elmer Wolfe Elementary and Oklahoma Road Middle -- and four in fiscal 1997 -- elementary schools in southeast Carroll, Hampstead and Westminster and a new high school in Westminster.
The state gave Carroll some good news recently by agreeing to contribute about twice as much in fiscal 1996 to build Oklahoma Road Middle as it previously said it would.
The state has committed about $6.2 million next year to build the $13 million school, which is scheduled to open in September 1996. The county will cover the rest.
County officials were under pressure to begin building the school this year after 500 parents packed Sykesville Middle last year to complain about crowding. School officials also want to build a new Elmer Wolfe Elementary in Union Bridge at a cost of $7.6 million.
Recreation and Parks officials have asked to build a full-size gym at Elmer Wolfe and the other new elementary schools so that the facilities also could be used by older children and adults. The cost to build the larger gym would be $675,000.
Mr. Bowman worried that the cost is too high. Mr. Fisher said school gyms in the county are used almost every day of the year.
Mrs. Frazier said, "My deep-down feeling is I don't think the government has an obligation to provide recreation for the people. If the people want to recreate, join a spa."
Mr. Bowman and Mr. Lennon said they did not think the county should borrow money to build the larger gyms.
Bonds "should be used for necessities and necessities only," Mr. Lennon said. School and road projects "come first," he said. Other projects, such as senior citizen centers, are "a luxury, not a necessity."
Mr. Fisher said, "I disagree with you about senior citizen centers and recreation." They are part of government's responsibility, too, he said.
The Planning Commission agreed to push the new $25 million Westminster high school project back to fiscal 1998 at the earliest. The county cannot afford to build seven schools in two years, Mr. Cueman said.
The commission deleted a request for $8.3 million to build a central headquarters building for school officials. Employees now are housed in the Courthouse Annex, and court officials say they need more space there.
The county commissioners have considered several options for a new Board of Education building in the past year, including buying the former Telemecanique Inc. building on Bethel Road, but have not been able to reach a decision.
School officials also asked for $1 million to buy land for new
schools, but the Planning Commission reduced the amount to $100,000. Mr. Cueman said money for property for the seven schools in the pipeline already has been appropriated.
In other areas, the Planning Commission:
* Deleted a request from the Carroll County Public Library for $1.6 million to build a West Carroll branch in fiscal 1996. The commission said it needed to know more about why the branch is needed and where it would be. New Windsor and Union Bridge officials have said they want the branch.
* Agreed to increase the amount spent to preserve agricultural land from $800,000 in the current year to $2.75 million in fiscal 1996.
* Deleted a request from the Sheriff's Department for $2 million to build an 80-bed addition to the detention center. County commissioners have not agreed to build an addition and have discussed building a new 200-bed jail.
The current jail has 120 beds and often is over capacity.
* Has yet to consider $22.2 million in requests for public works projects, including about $9 million for roads projects.
* Has not changed two requests concerning senior citizen centers. The Department of Citizen Services asked for $250,000 for furniture and equipment for the new Westminster Senior Center and $280,500 to expand the Taneytown Senior Center.