Chairman Kamenetz, Members of the Baltimore County Council, County Employees and Fellow Citizens:
It is a great honor to join you today to present my first budget as County Executive, and to share my thoughts on how, working together, we can govern this great County. When we last met as a group at the inauguration ceremony in December, I outlined plans for an administration that would work to make the Baltimore County community a better place in which to live. To do this, I proposed attacking problems proactively, using our resources wisely, and building a relationship with our citizens that encourages them to participate more fully in determining the future of the County and their communities. Today, I am pleased to present a proposed budget that leads us toward these goals.
To say that these times are very challenging is no overstatement. Our nation is at war abroad and faces threats at home. Homeland Security is as much a concern for us in Towson as it is in Washington. We accept this responsibility as we do the freedom that gave it birth. At the same time, our thoughts are with our fellow citizens in America's armed services who are now in harm's way. We wish for the swift conclusion of their mission and a safe and speedy return to their homes and families.
Meanwhile, our national economy continues to struggle and to have a negative impact on state and local economies. As you know, the General Assembly has adopted a state budget that passed on significant cuts to local governments. I am deeply grateful to the County's legislative delegation for their support and hard work on our behalf. Without them, the impact of the State's budget actions could have been much greater. Working together, we were able to protect some critical projects and Baltimore County's local income tax.
Of course, I must offer a word of caution. While the General Assembly has adopted a budget and returned home, the state's budget is far from settled. The Governor has not yet agreed to the revenue increases that balance the State budget. He has indicated his intention to veto the funding legislation and to propose further cuts to the State Board of Public Works. The nature of those cuts is still unknown. And there is no guarantee that the State's revenue picture may not force the Governor to return to the Board of Public Works later in the fiscal year, as happened several times in the early 90's.
The cuts in state funding of which we are certain have prompted some difficult choices in the budget I submit today. We have done our best to deal with these reductions in a sensible, straightforward manner, while remaining cautious about the final state cuts and their impact on Baltimore County. Our growth in local revenues is virtually flat, which means we cannot rely on growing revenues to enhance and improve services to our citizens. We will have little money for new programs, projects or positions in fiscal 2004. Instead, we must manage creatively, target resources and fund positions in areas that matter most.
As I developed this budget, I had two principal goals: We will maintain County services, and we will not increase taxes. Our proposed general fund operating budget for Fiscal year 2004 actually contains a net increase of only 2.3% percent over fiscal 2003 adjusted appropriations, with ongoing costs increasing at an annual rate of 2.9%. Under any circumstances we would have, of course, adhered to the Spending Affordability limits. This year, because of actual revenue growth, we are approximately $16 million under Spending Affordability. We have held the line on the property tax rate, the piggyback tax rate and other county taxes and fees.
Prudent fiscal management will remain a hallmark of Baltimore County government in my Administration. I understand the value of our Triple-A bond rating. This symbol of financial good housekeeping has tangible benefits, saving our taxpayers millions of dollars in interest on County bonds. Our services and facilities are in good shape overall and now that money is tight; we must focus on maintaining services.
The Renaissance of our mature neighborhoods is and will continue to be the focal point of this administration. This is the future of Baltimore County. Virtually everything we do - in education, public safety, economic development, public works, parks and recreation and land preservation - we do with this goal in mind. If our neighborhoods are strong, we prosper. If they suffer, our county will inevitably decline. I am committed to helping these communities help themselves, and want to put the resources we have toward this effort.
Strong schools must be our top priority when it comes to neighborhood renaissance. We all know that the quality of local schools is often the first thing families look at when deciding where to live. Our mission is to ensure that every school in Baltimore County is a place where any parent would be glad to send their child. I know that the school board, Dr. Joe Hairston, and his dedicated staff share this goal, and I thank them for their commitment to our children's futures.
After excluding debt service payments on County bonds, General Fund appropriations for the Baltimore County Public Schools will increase by $9.6 million to $560 million. Total Public School spending will increase by 3.7% to $975 million. The school system's budget will account for 47% of the County's general funds.
Our budget includes additional positions for Education throughout the system. I propose to add 103 new teachers and 9 instructional assistants to meet enrollment growth and to expand Special Education services. There will be 100 new teachers to lower the student/teacher ratio from Kindergarten through second grade from 23.9 to 21.9 students to each teacher. I added another 20 teachers to serve as math mentors to new teachers and 38 teachers to integrate technology into the elementary schools. Finally, 27 additional positions and an additional $775,000 in start up costs to open New Town High School have been included. New Town is the County's first new comprehensive high school since 1978.
From the State's Thornton aid program, we will be able to provide $7.2 million for all day Kindergarten programs in ten more elementary schools, $2.1 million in technology to implement a new Student Information System, and $2.5 million to launch a new academic enrichment program. This new program includes $300,000 in transitional funds for grants to several economically challenged schools. The Thornton aid will also provide teacher development services, new programs for JROTC and nursing and health field careers, and 13 teachers to increase teacher planning time in the primary grades. In addition, Thornton will allow us to double the funding requested for the school PC replacement cycle to $3 million. This is a critical area where we must provide the tools our children need to be prepared for life outside their school experience.
In this budget, I propose funding the expansion of the CollegeEd program for college bound seventh graders in all County Middle Schools. This is a weekly course conducted over 3 months in which students discuss the value of education and receive critical information about the college-search process. It will help seventh graders select classes in high school that are appropriate for those who want to attend college. The adult mentoring portion of this program is a perfect fit for a new Baltimore County Volunteers program I will discuss later in this message.
Funded outside the School system's budget are nine School Resource Officers included in the Police Department budget, and 6 relocatable buildings to be part of a proposed equipment financing package.
I have proposed funding to raise entry level salaries for teachers. Today, our entry level salaries on the Bachelor and Masters Scale are 15th and 16th in the State, respectively. This salary change will raise us to 9th place in both scales. I have also proposed a 60% increase in professional credit reimbursements. This will be an important enhancement for teachers who must become "highly qualified" in their subject matter, or are working toward their required masters degree. There is also a salary reclassification targeted largely for principals and assistant principals.
I am committed to continuing our historic half-billion dollar school renovation and maintenance program. Initially, the state proposed no assistance to Baltimore County for our middle school renovations. It was a tough fight in Annapolis, but with the Council's help, and that of our legislative delegation, we worked together to get our projects back into the state program with minimal funding, and then won additional funds beyond the staff's recommendation to the Board of Public Works.
I propose to move forward with some other important school construction and renovation projects. We will build a new Windsor Mill Middle School. We will also build a new Woodholme Elementary School, which will relieve overcrowding at New Town Elementary. At Perry Hall High School I have included funding for an additional hallway to improve student circulation in the school. At Featherbed Elementary, a new canopy and a new driveway to improve traffic circulation have been included. I also want to move forward with securing a site for future elementary/middle school needs at the State's Rosewood property. I have talked with the Governor about this project, and he has expressed his willingness to make this property available to us.
Public safety is an essential government service. No one wants to live where they do not feel safe. Baltimore County Police do an outstanding job in protecting us all. Baltimore County crime rates have remained stable. But the police need resources to continue to be effective, and I want to give them the tools they need to protect our communities
This October we will open a new Franklin Police Station to improve service to the Reisterstown/Owings Mills area, and replace the old Garrison Station. I have also included funds for construction of a new Pikesville Police Station. This station will be built in conjunction with the new crime lab on the grounds of the State Police headquarters, and will allow us to add another squad to the precinct. We are continuing the Joint Auto Theft Task Force. This program has been an extremely effective tool in our fight against crime.
We have initiated a juvenile drug court with the Circuit Court, and are aggressively seeking grant funding. We are optimistic that we will receive substantial funding support for this program.
We also look forward to opening a new Franklin Fire Station later this year. This budget includes funding for 20 new positions to staff the station, thereby significantly improving our response capability in the area.
I have proposed increasing the Medic Unit Attended Status budget from $360,000 to $600,000. This Volunteer Incentive Program payment to the volunteer fire companies for providing EMS services is a powerful tool in keeping our volunteer fire companies a healthy part of our entire fire response team.
I also propose to commit over $1 million in capital funds to protect our fire fighters and paramedics from harmful diesel fumes that can accumulate inside the equipment bays of county fire stations. I look forward to installing Diesel Exhaust Systems in 23 career Fire Stations throughout the County over the next two years. We now have one such system operating in Catonsville, and will have one in the new Franklin Station.
This administration believes in the county's longstanding policy of preserving rural spaces and farmland by targeting new business and residential development to areas where infrastructure and services already exist. We believe in it because it has worked. We set an ambitious target of preserving 80,000 acres of rural land and forests. We are well on our way to meeting this goal with more than 40,000 acres already preserved.
Conservation of our land is the core of Baltimore County's comprehensive strategy for maintaining a $400 million agricultural industry; for protecting the drinking water for 1.8 million people; for restoring the water quality in our streams and the Chesapeake Bay; for the prudent management of an expensive infrastructure system of roads, schools, and services; and for expanding recreational opportunities to support the stability of our communities. In the proposed budget, you will find $4.5 million for land preservation over the next two fiscal years, and funding for a rural land planner.
The successful renaissancing of older communities is closely tied to land preservation efforts. The development pressure on rural areas lessens when existing neighborhoods are places where people want to stay. Adequate and attractive public facilities are essential both in older communities and in the county's designated growth areas.
With the support of our legislative delegation, the state has approved $350,000 to allow Baltimore County to move forward with planning and design of a signature building at the Owings Mills Metro Center to house a new public library and a branch of the Community College of Baltimore County. Capital funds have been included to improve transportation in Owings Mills and in the Perry Hall/White Marsh Town Centers.
We are looking forward to considerable progress in the renaissance of older communities during the coming year, which is at the heart of my vision for Baltimore County. I have proposed an additional $2 million dollars for continuation of revitalization efforts.
In Towson, the focus will be primarily on commercial revitalization, reuse of existing gas stations, and bringing exciting new projects and renovations to the Towson core. We will work to develop community-based strategies to revitalize commercial corridors and neighborhoods. In Dundalk, recommendations already made through the Urban Design Assistance Team report will be refined and implementation will begin with plans to build a new community center and to develop Chesterwood Park. In Randallstown and Essex-Middle River, we will initiate Urban Design Assistance Teams to develop renaissance goals and consensus community plans. We will create an attractive gateway to Essex/Middle River on the island between Eastern Boulevard and Old Eastern Avenue. Chesapeake Village Park will be developed and we will complete the design work for the Park at the Village of Tall Trees. In Woodlawn, we will conduct a housing study to identify issues and develop strategies. And we will move forward with the evaluation of the site for the new Perry Hall Public Library.
Traffic is always a community concern. This budget includes money for traffic calming and a traffic-calming expert who will be available to work with communities and county personnel. We have included more than $7 million to replace curbs and gutters, and a $14 million road-resurfacing program over the next two years.
We must remember that healthy communities are not just made of bricks and mortar. Healthy communities thrive because they have people who are good citizens who care, who get involved, and who watch out for the needs of their neighbors. I want to encourage that kind of civic involvement throughout Baltimore County.
Volunteerism provides tremendous opportunities for our citizens to play productive roles in our communities. We recognize the powerful impact people can have helping others, and are currently in the process of creating a new program called "Baltimore County Volunteers." I am very excited about the potential of this program. With very little money, we can create a powerful tool in improving the lives of many people.
The Baltimore County Department of Aging is coordinating this new initiative to create a central location at which volunteers of all ages can find the most appropriate and meaningful opportunities to donate their time and talent. It will be especially useful for our more active seniors, who seek a chance to share the skills life has taught them, and high school students seeking meaningful opportunities to meet their community service graduation requirements. At one central location, Baltimore County volunteers will be able to easily access volunteer positions, while businesses, schools, and organizations will receive volunteer services on which they can depend.
I am particularly concerned about the needs of our senior citizens, and have challenged our Department of Aging staff to be creative in helping seniors and their families. I have included funding for two additional CountyRide buses to provide transportation for seniors who need it. Transportation is so important in allowing seniors to stay in their homes as long as reasonably possible.
Baltimore County's population is increasingly diverse, and the County must adapt to meet the needs of our changing community. In particular, the Health Department needs to be staffed to reach out and serve these populations. I have added a Minority Outreach Coordinator for this Department, who will play a key role in helping us determine the needs of our minority communities, and in improving our efforts to reach out and work with these communities.
One of my goals as County Executive has been to ensure that County government is open and accessible, and that it works in partnership with its citizens. Our residents want better communication with local government. They want more information about programs, projects and initiatives; they also want a listening ear when issues arise that concern them.
Today's technology gives us the opportunity to improve services and communications - to create a government without clocks, walls or lines - a government where people avail themselves of information and services virtually at their convenience. Already, we are making progress in bringing services and information to citizens instead of making them come to us.
We recently completed an ambitious redesign of our county web site, www.baltimorecountyonline.info. The site features a more customer-friendly navigation system, a comprehensive calendar of county events, and forms that can be copied from the website. We are making the site more interactive, with opportunities for citizens to register for e-mail notifications and newsletters, and to do business online. The site also has a new online mapping application called "My Neighborhood" that allows Internet users to type in any address and get a wealth of information, such as locations of neighborhood schools, parks, senior centers and fire stations. We will be adding additional features to My Neighborhood as they become available.
This budget includes $2.3 million in our capital program for the technology improvement fund. This money will help us further explore ways to use new technology systems to reduce costs and improve services. During the next year, we will look at a health insurance management system, a jury response system and an Interactive Voice Response system that gives citizens an opportunity to access county services over the telephone. Technology is changing the way government does business, and I want to make sure Baltimore County stays ahead of the curve.
The continually rising cost of health insurance for employees has challenged governments and businesses nationwide. As the Council requested, we studied this issue carefully to determine what adjustments would be appropriate. I am pleased to report that we have had tremendous cooperation from the leadership of our employee unions. With their help, we have reached an agreement that will allow us to contain costs while continuing to provide quality and choice to our employees.
I give you this budget today with optimism that - despite the economic difficulties we face - we are on the right track in Baltimore County. We are fiscally strong. Our facilities are in good shape. We have a clear sense of what our priorities should be at a time when resources are scarce. I know that, working together, we can meet and rise above the challenges we face to move Baltimore County forward - to strengthen communities, grow our economy, educate our children, give help to those in need, protect our citizens, and preserve and enhance our special quality of life.
I want to take this opportunity to give credit to all those who have helped our county prosper, and say how much I look forward to working with all of you as partners in the year to come. I am grateful for our talented and dedicated county employees, who give their best every day. Despite the fiscal constraints, I have included salary increments and longevity increases for our employees. I wish that we could do more, but realizing the current economic crisis, both nationally and in the state, as well as the County's flat revenue projections, it would not be prudent to go beyond what I have proposed.
I am grateful to our delegation in Annapolis, which, regardless of party or part of the County, worked together for the benefit of all. Finally, I appreciate the service and commitment of you, our County Council, on behalf of the citizens of Baltimore County.
Again, it is an honor to present to you this, my first budget as County Executive. I ask the Council to support what I submit is a prudent budget for fiscal 2004. I have confidence that this budget protects our county's financial integrity while focusing on the basic services that make our neighborhoods great places in which to live.
Revised April 17, 2003
Courthouse 