thursday,march 21, 2013 - County Times - Southern Maryland Online
thursday,march 21, 2013 - County Times - Southern Maryland Online
thursday,march 21, 2013 - County Times - Southern Maryland Online
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COUNTY<br />
NEWS<br />
The <strong>County</strong> <strong>Times</strong><br />
Thursday, March <strong>21</strong>, <strong>2013</strong> 4<br />
Sheriff, Libraries, Schools Receive<br />
Funding Increases<br />
By Alex Panos<br />
Staff Writer<br />
The Board of <strong>County</strong> Commissioners continued to hammer<br />
out the budget this week, and are likely to award 5 percent<br />
increases to the Sheriff’s office and the public library to the budget<br />
in fiscal year 2014, and a 3 percent increase to public schools.<br />
After originally debating over a 5 percent increase for the<br />
school system, the board changed their stance – by a vote of 3-2<br />
– to increase the school budget by 3 percent, adding $1.6 million<br />
to the budget surplus.<br />
The addition puts the total budget surplus at just over $3.9<br />
million.<br />
Commissioner Cynthia Jones feels the county must be<br />
conservative with the budget now, because with sequestration<br />
on the horizon it is important to be prepared for the next several<br />
years.<br />
“We don’t know enough to make projections like that,”<br />
Jones said.<br />
Jones, and commissioners Dan Morris and president Francis<br />
“Jack” Russell opposed a $4 million increase to the school<br />
budget, while Larry Jarboe and Todd Morgan said for now they<br />
could support the 5 percent increase.<br />
Morgan wanted time to review the requests from the<br />
Board of Education and have an opportunity to “play with the<br />
numbers.”<br />
As it stands now, the schools are likely to receive around<br />
$2.4 million; Superintendent Michael Martirano originally requested<br />
$6.2 million in funding from the county.<br />
The school system will likely have to renegotiate with the<br />
teacher’s unions, because their tentative agreement relies on<br />
$3.5 million in county funds, according to Greg Nourse, assistant<br />
superintendent of finance.<br />
If they don’t receive more than the 3 percent increase,<br />
they will eliminate the proposed nine teachers, National Flight<br />
Academy instructor and 10 security assistants Martirano had<br />
hoped for in the original budget.<br />
Nourse added, the school system will begin forming a<br />
new plan in the coming weeks, noting they are in “wait and see<br />
mode.”<br />
Martirano, who wants to put school resource officers at<br />
each elementary school, told the board he is open to implementing<br />
the officers over time instead of all at once.<br />
Jones feels sequestration is going to cause many families<br />
to relocate out of St. Mary’s <strong>County</strong>, while Jarboe feels parents<br />
will find ways to save money by relocating children from private<br />
schools into the public system.<br />
Morris believes parents will not relocate children from<br />
private schools, but will instead save money by avoiding restaurants<br />
and retail shops.<br />
The Sheriff’s office will enjoy a $1.5 million increase from<br />
last year if the budget is approved.<br />
School Resource Officers will be added to two middle<br />
schools, and Sheriff Timothy Cameron will only be permitted<br />
to promote half of the employees he requested.<br />
The increase in funding will allow the libraries to open the<br />
Lexington Park Library on Sundays.<br />
According to Library Director Kathleen Reif, when the<br />
library had to close on Sundays in 2012 they experienced a decrease<br />
in checkouts by the same number of Sunday’s checkout<br />
number in 2011.<br />
Instead of picking another day to go to the library, people<br />
simply weren’t going, she said.<br />
“It’s very rewarding that they [county commissioners] recognize<br />
this is a service that needs to come back,” Reif said.<br />
Rescue Tax is going to increase by .3 cents per $100 assessment<br />
for Hollywood and Ridge Volunteer Rescue Squads<br />
– from .8 cents to 1.1 cents at Ridge and 1.1 cents to 1.4 cents in<br />
Hollywood.<br />
By a 3-2 vote during the work session, the commissioners<br />
decided to renovate the jail instead of building an expansion to<br />
it.<br />
For now county employees are scheduled to receive two<br />
step pay raises, although the board has yet to discuss the issue.<br />
Jones expects some discussions to take place in the near<br />
future.<br />
According to Morris, among things being considered are<br />
the number of steps, cost of living and stipends for high-ranking<br />
employees.<br />
At one point during the meeting, Jones noted Jarboe is voting<br />
for 5 percent increases in the budget now, particularly to the<br />
schools, libraries and the Sheriff’s office, but he has a history of<br />
electing not to sign the budget.<br />
Jarboe countered, “I’ve voted for the budget more times<br />
than I’ve not over the last 12 years.”<br />
The budget will be approved next week and go to public<br />
hearing on April 30 at Chopticon High School. The hearing will<br />
begin at 6:30 p.m.<br />
alexpanos@countytimes.net<br />
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