True to his campaign promise, County Executive John Leopold?s proposed 2008 budget is the leanest in years, but if Wednesday?s public hearing provided any indication, it?s also the most controversial.
Hundreds of residents, many wearing colors to represent their interests ? school secretaries wore black; counselors, red ? swept into the Old Mill High School auditorium for a three-hour marathon of public testimonies urging the Anne Arundel County Council to intervene.
The vast majority of the testimonies assailed Leopold?s $3.17 million slash to grants for nonprofits and his $812 school system budget, which fell more than $18 million short of school officials? expectations.
“Reducing the funding does not reduce the needs in our county,” said Janis Harvey, chief executive officer of YWCA in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County.
Members of the 42 local nonprofits whose grants were slashed or scrubbed entirely echoed Harvey?s sentiments a dozen times over at the hearing.
Leopold considered the cuts necessary because spending for these programs jumped to nearly $5 million last year, a 123 percent increase from four years ago.
Wardlaw said the executive?s proposed bingo tax, if passed by the council, could create more grant funding.
“He?s a fiscal conservative,” said spokeswoman Rhonda Wardlaw. “He?s running the government the way he promised to run it in his campaign. He?s going to continue to run it within the fiscal realities of the money generated by taxpayers? dollars.”
Leopold?s discipline in drafting the school budget struck many Wednesday night as excessive.
Gail Larkin, Title 1 intervention specialist at Bell Grove Elementary School on Belle Grove Road, asked the council to fund a study on modernizing the aging school suffering from lack of space.
Students are bunched in small classrooms ? two of which are portables ? and a stretch of hallway by the faculty restroom doubles as the music teacher?s office, Larkin said.
Leopold yanked funding for Bell Grove Elementary and four other schools? studies.
“It?s impossible to teach and learn in this situation,” Larkin said.
IF YOU GO
What: Public hearing on the county executive?s proposed 2008 budget
When: 7 p.m. Monday
Where: Arundel Center on Calvert Street in Annapolis
