Harford County Executive David Craig unveiled a budget Thursday that he says kept spending level in most respects ? though capital projects boosted it to nearly $1 billion altogether.
The $981 million budget proposed for 2008 will include $448 million in the county?s general fund and $370 million for capital projects, mostly emphasizing public safety, school and infrastructure projects to keep pace with growth and scheduled increases in government pay and benefits.
The Harford County Sheriff?s Office got an additional $9 million to bring its operating budget to $60.6 million ? only slightly less than the original request. Much of the increase came from a $3 million new pay plan to increase deputies? salaries by about 10 percent.
No new deputy positions were created in the 2008 budget, as Sheriff Jesse Bane said his first priority was increasing the pay for the personnel he had, and adding that hiring more people would come second.
“What sense does it make to have vacancies if I don?t have the people to fill them?” Bane said. The raise might make the Sheriff?s Office more competitive in wooing recruits, though the county remained “right in the middle” compared with other employers, he said.
Volunteer fire companies got nearly $2 million to have paid emergency medical services personnel on duty around the clock within the county?s developed areas and for half the day in more rural sections, he said.
Capital spending nearly doubled over last year, mostly on the back of $97 million in funding for school construction, $76 million to triple the capacity of the water treatment plant in Abingdon and $60 million to expand the Edgewood facility that burns trash to generate electricity.
“The complaint we get from citizens is that growth occurs and we don?t keep pace ? we don?t build schools, we don?t build the facilities that go along with it,” Craig said. “This is the recognition that we?re not going to let that happen anymore.”
Revenues stayed about the same in the budget, with an increase of about 10 percent in property tax revenues to $243 million. Impact fees, which are charged to new development and pay for school construction, are expected to bring in only about $4 million.
