Money for Mount Hebron put in contingency fund

Howard County Executive Ken Ulman?s proposed capital budget includes the school board?s entire funding request for the Ellicott City school?s renovations, but it was put in a contingency fund in the general county section of the budget.

This means the County Council will have to approve the transfer of the funds to the school board?s budget once an agreement on the renovation is reached.

“If they can?t reach an agreement, the project will be deferred and not funded at all,” Ulman said during a briefing on his capital budget Tuesday.

Ulman said he recognized the school renovations were necessary, but “I also wanted to see a further meeting of the minds between the community and the Board of Education.”

The $420.8 million capital budget proposal includes $80.47 million for school construction. A revised renovation plan will be presented to the school board for approval April 10.

The community had raised concerns that the original $54 million plan was inadequate.

“I?m uncomfortable allocating that amount of money when the community has asked me not to fund it,” Ulman said.

The new plan raised the cost to $57 million, and school officials plan to request an additional $27 million in fiscal 2010, said Ray Brown, chief operating officer for the county public school system.

Communication with school officials about the fate of Mount Hebron High was re-established after parents called on the county executive not to fund the project, said Cindy Ardinger, chairwoman of Help Mount Hebron, a subcommittee of the school?s Parent Teacher Student Association.

“It appears [Ulman] listened to the community,” she said, adding the contingency fund appears to be “the right decision.”

Council Chairwoman Courtney Watson, D-District 1, said the council needs to move forward with funding for Mount Hebron High renovations this year, if possible.

“I think we can work together to get this funded,” she said.

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