Chairman Moxley, members of the Baltimore County Council, distinguished guests, County employees, and my fellow citizens, it is an honor to join you today in this hallowed chamber to share with you the state of Baltimore County and to present the proposed operating and capital budgets for Fiscal Year 2008, which begins on July 1, 2007.
On April 16, 2003, I stood here to deliver my first budget message, and I said then that I was optimistic about our future. Despite the economic difficulties we faced, we were on the right track in Baltimore County. A great deal has happened in the four years since that day to confirm that confidence. Working together with community organizations and local businesses, we have indeed created a renaissance in Baltimore County. From the streets surrounding Kingsley Park, to the fitness centers that are the pride of our senior centers, to the rebuilt homes of our Waterfront communities, to the bustling marketplaces of Liberty Road, a renewed spirit of hope and opportunity has emerged. When I took office in 2002, 17 retail shopping centers that once anchored their surrounding neighborhoods faced significant vacancies and were in decay. Today, 15 of those 17 centers have seen complete renovations and facelifts and are fully occupied. The renaissance of Baltimore County can be measured by results—results that touch every community everyday.
Last November, in an election where voters issued a clear call for change at the national and state levels, the people of Baltimore County chose to renew their commitment to our renaissance. They wanted us to continue to work together to ensure that no child’s education is left wanting, that our natural environment remains a valuable asset for generations to come, and that our workforce is prepared for today’s jobs and the jobs of tomorrow.
The great American entrepreneur Henry Ford once said, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” I think Mr. Ford got it right!
As we say repeatedly, families come first in Baltimore County, and the future of our families and the future of Baltimore County depend on the quality of our public education. Thanks to unprecedented investment over the last four years, we are seeing important results. Baltimore County is home to some truly outstanding schools that meet the highest standards of education in the nation. Just this past year, eight of our high schools—that’s 30 percent of Baltimore County’s high schools—were recognized by Newsweek Magazine as being among the finest in the nation. This past year, Red House Run Elementary School and Hereford Middle School were named Maryland Blue Ribbon Schools, raising the total number of Blue Ribbon schools in Baltimore County to 14.
The education our children receive in school becomes more important every day as technology transforms our world. Our children are not competing for jobs with people in Delaware and New Jersey, but with people in India, China, and around the world. Baltimore County must graduate learned men and women who will become part of a talented and competitive workforce locally and around the globe. The State chose Baltimore County to locate its first STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Academy at Chesapeake High School. This academy will prepare Baltimore County students to compete for high technology careers by giving them exceptional backgrounds in science and math. Dr. Hairston, you should be very proud of the students, teachers, and administrators who are accomplishing great things in our Baltimore County Public Schools.
The upcoming BRAC closure and realignment is an example of the opportunities that await our children. With our public schools, community college, and outstanding four-year colleges and universities, Baltimore County is uniquely positioned to take advantage of this base realignment and the opportunity it promises to bring our region. A planning report by the state’s Department of Business and Economic Development projects almost 4,000 new BRAC related jobs in Baltimore County alone, with salaries averaging $85,000 a year.
I am proud to report that the economy of Baltimore County is thriving. We are the second largest job center in the State of Maryland, with over 13,000 new jobs created in the past five years in fields as diverse as health, finance, business services, and technology. The county is home to the region’s largest network of hospitals, and to meet patient demands, those medical centers are in the midst of further expansions.
Public safety is the cornerstone of our renaissance. Thanks to the tireless efforts of our Police and career and volunteer Fire Departments, the citizens of our county can live, shop, and work secure in the knowledge that they are protected by some of the finest safety personnel in the nation. With the full support of the county council, Police and Fire have been provided the training, equipment, and resources they need to deliver outstanding service.
Crime prevention and criminal apprehension are the foundation of all else that we do in Baltimore County. We have just opened a new Police station in Parkville and created the innovative new Violent Crimes Task Force, which will track down criminals responsible for the commission of particularly violent crimes. We will soon open a new 10,000 square foot helicopter hangar at the Martin’s State Airport, that will house three new Baltimore County Police helicopters.
We have been proactive in addressing early signs of gang activity, developing an action plan that targets affected neighborhoods, and have initiated an aggressive graffiti removal program. In this year’s General Assembly session, Baltimore County supported the Maryland Gang Prosecution Act of 2007 to give our State’s Attorney, Scott Shellenberger, and other prosecutors throughout the state, a new tool to use in their important mission to eliminate gang activity in Maryland. I would like now to recognize Scott Shellenberger who is doing a terrific job as Baltimore County’s State’s Attorney.
Over the past five years, we have replaced 25 medic units, 13 pumper trucks, and 3 ladder trucks in our Fire Department’s fleet, and this year we completed the installation of important thermal imaging technology on all major career and volunteer firefighter equipment. As a result of this installation, our rescue crews are now able to find trapped fire victims in about half the previous time, and they can locate fires hidden in the walls of buildings.
Both Police Chief Terry Sheridan and Fire Chief John Hohman are with us this morning. I would like them to stand so that we can express our appreciation for a job well done!
Government works best when it involves communities in plans to improve their neighborhoods. Six years ago, the people of Dundalk were the first in Baltimore County to work with an Urban Design Assistance Team. The UDAT process brought neighborhood representatives and businesses together to mold their suggestions and priorities into a single coherent vision for the future of Dundalk.
Just a few weeks ago, some of Dundalk’s UDAT plan became a reality when we cut the ribbons on the Dundalk Streetscape and the Watersedge/Turner’s Station roundabout. Since Dundalk’s UDAT, Essex/Middle River, Randallstown, and Towson have all participated in their own UDAT process.
We have much to be proud of, but today we look ahead, determined to accelerate the momentum of Baltimore County’s renaissance. Building upon our success will require continued commitment to the kind of sound fiscal management that is the standard of Baltimore County government. With a clear understanding of both revenues and expenses, this budget targets our resources to fund those priorities that matter most.
I am pleased to report to the council that the budget we submit today continues Baltimore County’s tradition of fiscal responsibility, is within the limits of spending affordability set by the Council, and once again holds the line on tax rate increases for the people of Baltimore County. The budget contains no increase in the property tax rate or the income tax rate. The majority of this council has been representing their districts for many years, and you can be very proud of the fact that Baltimore County has not raised property tax rates for the past 18 years, in fact you lowered the tax rate twice during that period, and has not raised the income tax rate for the past 14 years. You have served the people in your districts and in our County well!
This budget also preserves the county’s four percent property tax assessment cap that is so important in protecting homeowner’s who otherwise might suffer from today’s rapidly appreciating home values. This cap will provide 118 million dollars of tax relief for Baltimore County’s homeowners this coming fiscal year.
Public Schools and Education
The budget also continues Baltimore County’s history of strong support for public education, and exceeds maintenance of effort by $10.3 million. Although overall student enrollment is projected to decrease by more than 800 students next fall, this budget continues funding for teachers and other staff members, with no net reduction on account of this enrollment decline. This funding provides an opportunity for further differentiated staffing to help those students who need it most. Our proposed budget also requests that the council approve an additional 101 positions for the 2007-2008 school year.
This past February, Baltimore County Public Schools contracted with Phi Delta Kappa International to conduct a curriculum audit of school system operations. A number of initiatives in this proposed budget directly address items raised in that audit: the budget includes $5.6 million for upgrades in 50 schools to the schools’ electronic storage areas which are the hub of the schools’ electronic and data infrastructure. We are also providing more than 1.8 million dollars for additional maintenance projects, and have added almost $1 million more than the school system requested for maintenance initiatives, including an additional 12 maintenance positions. I am also requesting more than $35 million in capital funding for major maintenance projects in the school system which includes $20 million for window replacements in elementary schools all across Baltimore County and another $7 million for roof replacements.
I am requesting more than $1.4 million for short cycle assessment programs to provide current and ongoing student assessment that will allow teachers to adapt their instruction of students as is necessary throughout the school year. We are also adding four positions for instructional technology, replacing Title II funding that has not been renewed, and an additional $900,000 ($100,000 per Title I middle school) to enhance gifted and talented programs at Baltimore County’s nine Title I middle schools: Deep Creek, Dundalk, Golden Ring, Holabird, Lansdowne, Middle River, Old Court, Woodlawn middle schools, and Loch Raven Academy.
In addition to these initiatives that directly respond to the school system’s audit, there are other significant programs that are being funded in this proposed budget. It funds 85 positions to staff the Secondary Academic Intervention Model academy that will open in eastern Baltimore County this coming fall. This new school, located at the Crossroads @ 95, will allow middle and high school students who are experiencing significant behavioral problems and poor academic performance to receive academic, social, and health interventions structured to meet students’ individual needs.
Three additional teachers are funded in Chesapeake’s STEM Academy and six teachers and support resources are budgeted for the in-school drop out prevention program also located at Chesapeake High School.
The budget includes more than $1 million to fund an additional 23.3 all-day kindergarten positions. Baltimore County will now have all-day kindergarten class in every one of our 104 elementary schools. I am also asking the council to fund more than $700,000 to support expanding pre-kindergarten programs that are no longer eligible for Title I funding, and we are also adding two additional positions to the infant and toddler program. It is imperative that Baltimore County ensure that our children have access to quality early childhood programs, and we do just that with this budget!
In addition to these very important initiatives, we are adding other positions to help students transition to English from their native language, to prepare to open our newest elementary school, Vincent Farm, and to add an additional teaching position for the AVID program at Woodlawn High School so that students currently on the waiting list will be able to participate in this program.
Baltimore County is committed to making certain that all our children have access to a world-class education. As home to the second oldest school stock in the state, we have the challenge of assuring that every child in Baltimore County can learn in schools and classrooms that are fully equipped, clean, safe, and conducive to learning. This is a challenge we intend to meet.
This year, Baltimore County’s proposed capital budget totals more than $700 million. Once again this year, a significant portion of the county’s capital budget will be devoted to school renovation and construction projects.
School Renovation and Construction
School renovation and construction funding represents 62 percent of the County general funds included in the capital budget. When the proposed $171 million in county appropriations are combined with the $52 million in state funding secured by our legislative delegation during this past General Assembly session, Baltimore County will have more than $223 million committed to school renovation and construction in FY 08, an historic increase of $65.5 million over FY 07. These funds will allow us to complete our middle school renovations at Old Court, Cockeysville, Pikesville, Deer Park, Pine Grove, and Perry Hall middle schools and move forward with our systemic high school renovations. These funds will also allow us to study and design an addition at Loch Raven High School to address the need for additional high school seats in the central and northeast areas of our county. We are also funding additions at Cedarmere, Hillcrest, Dogwood Elementaries, and Catonsville Middle schools.
Higher Education
We are very fortunate to have one of the finest community colleges in the nation right here in Baltimore County, and today’s budget provides more than $33.3 million, of which $25 million is county funding, for capital projects that will renovate and improve facilities at each one of the campuses of the Community College of Baltimore County, including $1 million for the completion of the Dental Hygiene Lab facility at the Dundalk campus. I am pleased that Dr. Sandra Kurtinitis, President of CCBC is here with us today.
Cultural Institutions
Baltimore County recognizes the importance of the many cultural institutions in the Baltimore region. Consistent with the recommendations of our arts and science commission, we are recommending grants of more than 4 million dollars in support of more than 50 worthy institutions. This year’s grants include $250,000 for the Baltimore Zoo’s operating budget and the first of two $500,000 grants to the Zoo’s capital program that must be matched by corporate donors. The entire region will benefit from a first class Baltimore Zoo back on its feet.
Beginning last year, with Baltimore County’s support, free admission is now offered at both the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Walters Art Gallery and we are proud to continue our support of these outstanding cultural treasures. Substantial support is also included for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Baltimore Opera Company.
Protecting Open Space
Open space is an important part of the quality of life of any community. This budget continues Baltimore County’s legacy of protecting open space and the county’s agricultural heritage by including $11 million for agricultural preservation and rural legacy programs. We are also programming $1.8 million for the county’s agricultural center in FY09.
We are committed to ensuring that citizens in all of our neighborhoods have access to quality park facilities. This budget allocates funds for improvements in parks and recreation centers throughout Baltimore County, including 5 million dollars for the new Jacksonville Community and Senior Center, $2.35 million for improvements to Gough Park, $1.6 million for the restoration of historic structures at Cromwell Valley Park, and nearly 700,000 to complete funding for a community center in Watersedge.
Recreation Facilities
This budget includes the operating funding to open a recreational facility in the northeast portion of the County and the Reisterstown Regional Soccer Facility.
Athletic fields throughout the County are heavily used by young and old alike. This budget provides $2.4 million to expand our artificial safety turf program to Northwest Regional Park and the Essex Campus of the Community College of Baltimore County. There are also funds combined with funding from previous years to install new lighting at Arbutus Middle School, County Home Park in Cockeysville, and General John Stricker Middle School & Recreation Center in Dundalk.
A clean environment is the most important legacy we can leave to future generations of Baltimore County, and it is important that Baltimore County practice what we preach. In this budget there is nearly $3 million to enable the new community centers in Randallstown and Dundalk and the Perry Hall Library to be environmentally friendly green buildings.
To ensure that our first responders have the best technology possible, we have allocated over $45 million to replace the Emergency Communications System throughout the County. This replacement system will be digital and move our first responders into the twenty first century with state of the art communications technology so they can respond to an emergency as quickly and efficiently as possible.
I am also recommending the hiring of 25 additional correctional officers to serve in roles ranging from officers needed to maintain adequate staffing levels to a “gang coordinator” who will serve as a liaison with the Police Department and other institutions to properly identify and classify gang members who enter our correctional system. In addition, we have allocated over $200,000 in this budget to provide increased educational opportunities for inmates at our Detention Facility through collaboration with the Community College of Baltimore County.
This budget also includes over $2.45 million in grants to Baltimore County’s volunteer fire companies for new fire engines, truck ladders, and capital improvements to Volunteer Fire Stations. We have also increased the EMS Attended Status Incentive to nearly $1.5 million to ensure that our Volunteer Fire Stations will be able to have medic units on call that will increase their response time and service to people throughout the County.
We have included funds to add police officer personnel throughout the County. Six additional officers will be added to Community Action Teams at the Wilkens, Franklin, Cockeysville, and Parkville precincts to focus on robberies and property crimes. An additional School Resource Officer will be hired for the new Secondary Academic Intervention Model Academy and six more officers will be hired for the recently completed Parkville Precinct.
With this budget, Baltimore County will continue its commitment to our Town Centers in White Marsh and Owings Mills. This year we have budgeted $6.5 million to improve and complete Joppa Road, Forge Road, and Chapel Road, around the White Marsh Town Center, and $5.08 million for the Cherry Hill Road extension and construction of the much needed replacement to the bridge on Painters Mill Road.
Nearly $20 million has been set aside to resurface roads throughout the County and nearly $1.5 million has been allocated to our countywide traffic calming program. We have also set aside funds for 11 additional field positions in the Department of Public Works’ Bureau of Highways that will keep roads in all of our neighborhoods clean, safe, and well maintained.
The Fiscal Year 2008 budget of $2.5 billion is an efficient and effective budget that promotes Baltimore County’s high quality of life by living up to our tradition of meeting the obligations of today while preparing for challenges of tomorrow. I look forward to working with the members of the Baltimore County Council to pass this budget and to keep the renaissance of Baltimore County moving forward in all of our communities.
As I conclude this budget message this morning, I would like to paraphrase words of Lyndon Johnson. The American city should be a collection of communities where every member has a right to belong. It should be a place where everyone feels safe on their streets and in the house of their friends. It should be a place where each individual's dignity and self-respect is strengthened by the respect and affection of their neighbors. It should be a place where each of us can find the satisfaction and warmth that comes from being a member of the community. This is what we sought at the dawn of civilization. It is what we seek today.
Working together, we are building such a community in Baltimore County, and this proposed budget supports the progress we have made, and promotes Baltimore County’s future renaissance.
Courthouse 