February 9, 2012
Town Hall Alliance attend the Saint Mary's Budget session and ask for a "Constant Yield"
The Town Hall Alliance candidates attended the “Public Forum” so to discuss the “Constant Yield and Budget” of Saint Mary’s County. I provided budget numbers from the budget that if incorporated would allow for a “Constant Yield”. I also said more savings could be done like not spending $15,000 for a two day trip to New York for a Bond Hearing ($5,000 of which was spent on a Limo). It was an interesting evening, and I had the honor to be interrupted by Commissioner Jack Russell during my 3 minute allotted time to speak. Jack made the comment that the $15,000 spent in New York for a “Bond Hearing” was a good thing for he saved $3 Million by getting a good rate.
Before I could reply to Commissioner Russell, I was told to stop talking by County Administrator John Savich for my 3 minutes were up. Here is my response had I been allowed to talk:
I have 2 problems with this trip to New York.
1. Why go at all? On base we use WebEx which allows you to attend meetings via the Web and your phone. The meeting gets done without any travel, and it will not cost you $5,000 for a Limo.
2. Commissioner Jack Russell said he got the County a good rate for Bonds. So this tells me Jack thinks it is a good thing to sell bonds and put the County more in “Debt”.
So without a Constant Yield being used, Saint Mary’s County Residents can expect on the average a $170 increase on their property tax. So much for “Fiscal Responsibility” in our County Government.
v/r
Rich Johnson
Candidate for County Commissioner District 1
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I would like to see what your proposed budget would look like. Can you post it? It is important to the community to see exactly where you would make cuts.
Thanks
Jason Babcock posted the cuts and my fellow commissioners commentary in an Enterprise article dated May 7. The FY 2011 cuts are $400,000 in administrative consolidation, $1,100,000 in reduction of non-profit entitlement programs ($200,000 added to emergency one time mini-grants from Human Services Council recommendations), and $500,000 in no merit or bonuses for County employees (pvt. sector and State employees are taking losses).
These two million dollars in recurring cuts/savings become 2.4 million in FY 2012 when the full effect of the administrative consolidation takes effect.
A half million is pulled from the revenue stabilization reserve. This fund did not exist prior to 2009. And, 1.7 million of fund balance allocated to FY2012 should not be spent this year (we have already used 3.7 million to balance FY 2010) but applied to FY2011. This equates to $2.2 million.
The total is 4.2 million. 4.1 million is needed to hold the Constant Yield. Otherwise, the average property bill will go up nearly $200.00 in four months time.
Larry Jarboe
I see that Jack Russell said this $15,000 trip to New York saved the taxpayers $3 Million. Commissioner Raley said the trip saved "Nothing". Looks like these tax and spend Commissioners cannot agree even with themselves. To me looks like a waste of my tax dollars agian. Hayden farm and now this. These jokers need to be let go at the ballot box.
Was not Commissioner Mattingly on this trip too? I wonder how much of my tax dollars paid for him? In Goverment we call this a "boondogle". Guess Mattingly thinks this is normal behavior of wasting our tax dollars.
Town Hall Alliance = Tea Party
The thought of losing all the free handouts starting to play on your mind isn't it? Lashing out in frustration? The tax payers are starting to feel the pinch in their monthly budgets. Tax takers will just have to be content with less. The payers are not about to lose the quality of life that they have worked their whole lives for so that the takers continue htier lives unfazed.
Yes,
The $5,000.00 limo trip, $5.3 million Hayden Farm Purchase, $750,000.00 Beavan Property Bailout, and $80,ooo.00 pay-off to our former Co. Administrator for his resignation are all examples of bad deals transacted by the present Board. I was not riding around in NY in that high priced limo and did not vote for the other deals.
I will admit to my own mistakes. In my alternative budget, I calculated a $400,00 savings due to a half year initial saving of the recurring $800,000.00 reduction due to administrative consolidation. The fiscal year timing in June (not January) and the six month contract renewal period following the election equate to a one year gap between approval of budget and savings actually accumulating.
So, I am now looking for an addl. 400,000.00 to balance this budget with a $100,000.oo reserve for real emergency needs.
This is not easy as there is a last minute problem w/ an $11 million dollar upgrade to the emerg. communications system that will profoundly impact our Capital and Operating Budget.
This added cost to a system that has been in operation for less than a decade, I believe, is upsetting to every taxpayer, liberal or conservative. I want to know if mistakes were made during the original implementation of the project. We certainly do not want to repeat the same mistake again.
Regardless, money must be budgeted to deal with the need for our volunteers and paid personnel to respond to fire, rescue, and law enforcement calls.
We must cut more projects to fill this very real need. It is my opinion that raising taxes is not an option.
Larry Jarboe
If the Town Hall Alliance = Tea Party, they have my vote. To Anonymous, TEA is for Taxed Enough Already. I for one am over taxed and have had enough of our local, State and Federal Government raising my taxes. Guess you don't understand that.
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