Carroll residents won?t have to pay more in taxes under the county budget department?s proposed Fiscal Year 2008 capital and operating budgets. The following are some of the projects in the capital budget, which lays out construction plans. The balanced capital budget is $137,472,963, an increase of $8,188,930 from this year. That means county government plans to spend $808 on each resident.
» TRANSPORTATION
Roads
Summary: Maintenance or extensions to relieve congestion.
?08 cost: $8.8 million
Total cost over five years (with prior allocation): $58.4 million
Bridges
Summary: Renovations.
?08 cost: $1.4 million
Total cost over five years (with prior allocation): $6.7 million
» EDUCATION
Carroll Community College
Summary: New classroom.
?08 cost: $33.9 million
Total cost (with prior allocation): $36.5 million
Freedom Elementary School
Summary: Four new kindergarten classrooms.
?08 cost: $4.1 million
Total cost: $4.1 million
South Carroll High School
Summary: New auditorium.
?08 cost: $2.3 million
Total cost over two years: $25 million
Westminster High School
Summary: New heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
?08 cost: $1.6 million
Total cost over two years: $27.8 million
Portable classrooms
Summary: Addresses enrollment projections.
?08 cost: $360,000
Total cost over five years: $2.2 million
» PUBLIC SAFETY
Criminal Justice Building
Summary: New home for Carroll County Sheriff?s Office and State?s Attorneys, among others.
?08 cost: $22.5 million
Total cost (with prior allocation): $25 million
Radio system for firefighters and law enforcement
Summary: Extend the life of analog radios until transition to digital.
?08 cost: $1.4 million
Total cost over five years: $3.9 million
Minimum Security Facility
Summary: New home for work-release and other low-risk inmates to relieve overcrowding at Carroll County Detention Center.
?08 cost: $110,000
Total cost over two years: $4.7 million
Water tanks and dry hydrants
Summary: New water tanks in Taylorsville and Silver Run; dry hydrants for tapping into streams and ponds.
?08 cost: $175,000
Total cost over five years: $1.2 million
» AIRPORT
Airport expansion
Summary: Funding budgeted; commissioners have not voted on runway expansion.
?08 cost: $4.7 million
Total cost over three years(with prior allocation): $74 million
» PARKS & RECREATION
Parks
Summary: Additional picnic areas, a walking trail and new entrance at Westminster Community Pond Park; walking trail linking Carroll County Health Department to Landon C. Burns Park; addition of climbing boulders and renovated pavilion at Bennett Cerf Park.
?08 cost: $2.6 million
Total cost over five years (with prior allocation): $9.4 million
Libraries
Summary: New Finksburg branch; renovations at Westminster branch; updating computers and phones at all branches.
?08 cost: $2 million
Total cost over five years (with prior allocation): $8.6 million
Senior centers
Summary: New South Carroll Senior Center and parking at Taneytown Senior Center.
?08 cost: $200,000
Total cost (with prior allocation): $12 million
» ENVIRONMENT
Agricultural land preservation
Summary: Buy development rights from landowners to preserve open space.
?08 cost: $10.3 million
Total cost over five years: $67.8 million
Patapsco Road Watershed Project
Summary: Restore streams and storm water ponds to eliminate flooding.
?08 cost: $649,000
Total cost over four years: $1.4 million
Reservoirs
Summary: Build reservoir in Gillis Falls and another in Union Mills.
?08 cost: $5 million
Total cost over five years: $166 million
Storm-water facility maintenance
Summary: Rehabilitate some storm-water management ponds to avoid flooding.
?08 cost: $325,000
Total cost over five years: $2.8 million
Watershed improvement
Summary: Improve discharge levels into watershed and storm sewer systems to comply with federal and state regulations.
?08 cost: $1 million
Total cost over five years: $5 million
Northern Landfill
Summary: More space for trash.
?08 cost: $524,000
Total cost (with prior allocation): $6.3 million
» TIMELINE
Commissioners? proposed budget available for public review and comment: late April
Public hearing: 7:30 p.m. May 2 at Carroll Community College
Budget adoption: 10 a.m. May 22 in Room 300A of County Offices
