Carroll school officials made a plea to the county commissioners yesterday for an additional $2.4 million to make up a shortfall in their proposed budget for fiscal 2000.
The schools' proposed $173 million spending plan includes 32 new teaching positions to reduce class sizes and money to pay for planning time for elementary school teachers. "This budget reflects a real sense of urgency to our staffing needs," Superintendent William H. Hyde told the commissioners.
The board's spending plan calls for an 8.7 percent increase over this year's $159 million budget.
The board's request for a county contribution of $95.7 million is $2.4 million more than the commissioners have said they will provide. The estimated state and federal portions of the budget are $72.2 million and $3.6 million, respectively.
The commissioners said yesterday they would take the request under consideration.
"It's an ambitious budget. The presentations were very good. We have to look at the figures -- I'll say for sure there will be some more deliberations," Commissioner Donald I. Dell said.
In other budget hearings yesterday, county officials learned that lower recycling costs will help defray rising public works expenses for fiscal 2000.
Gary Horst, director of the county's Bureau of Solid Waste, submitted a $6 million budget proposal for fiscal 2000 that shows a 38.5 percent -- or $200,000 -- decrease in spending for recycling.
Included in the solid waste budget is a $1 increase in the county's $47 per ton tipping fee. Unresolved is whether the county should charge county and state agencies for hauling away waste dropped off at Northern Landfill. The county's estimated cost is $45,000.
While the commissioners did not rule on any of budget proposals, Dell said he favored collecting from state and county agencies rather than raising the tipping fee.
Horst noted that a $1 increase in the tipping fee would increase county revenue by about $100,000.
J. Michael Evans, director of public works, submitted a $10.5 million budget request, including nearly $4.5 million for road operations. He also asked the commissioners to consider an extra $136,000 for four trucks needed to haul equipment and workers to a job site.
The Carroll court system's request is $1.3 million, an increase of $72,000. Circuit Judge Raymond E. Beck Sr. is asking for an additional $16,000 to make merit raises possible for 21 employees.
Although the commissioners had no comments on the proposed spending plan, Commissioner Julia Walsh Gouge asked Beck's help to resolve a problem facing Orphans' Court judges. The judges regularly hold hearings in the same room where files for the Register of Wills are kept, causing frequent interruptions during testimony, county officials said.
Beck said he would try to find other space for the Orphans' Court.
Jerry F. Barnes, county state's attorney, told the commissioners that his budget request included 3 percent raises granted all state workers, and about $40,000 for an additional attorney to help with the growing caseload of the Child Abuse Sexual Assault unit.
Barnes highlighted the accomplishments of his first four years in office, noting a 95 percent successful prosecution rate for cases that have gone to trial in district and circuit courts.
He also noted his office has collected nearly $14,000 from convicted offenders for the State's Attorney's Substance Abuse Fund and said he wants to use that money to help treat indigent offenders.
Other county budget requests outlined in hearings yesterday included a proposal to increase the county planning budget by nearly 3 percent, to $880,775.
In addition, higher transit costs from successful welfare-to-work programs have pushed proposed spending in the county's transportation budget by 2.5 percent over this year's total of $271,549.
Carroll Transit is carrying more than 100,000 riders per year, a 22 percent increase over 1997 figures, said director James Mathis. Next year, officials say they'll need $278,390 for transportation.
Officials also recommended a 7 percent decrease in the $4 million maintenance, lawn care and snow plowing budget to care for the county's 40 buildings on 6,000 acres. Building construction officials -- who administer design and construction contracts and monitor bids and purchase orders -- are seeking a 3.2 percent increase, to $219,585 in 2000.
A 3 percent increase for the county's public information office headed by Marguerite R. MacPherson was also recommended. The figure includes $20,000 for postage for distributing the county's Master Plan, expected to be adopted in the next fiscal year.
Sun staff writers Melody Simmons and John Murphy contributed to this article.
Pub Date: 3/23/99