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Commissioners set one-time spending limits, fund-balance uses and DECD placeholder in FY2014 budget work session
Summary
At a March 19 budget work session commissioners directed staff to use fund balance for several one-time items, to keep a $350,000 placeholder in the Department of Economic and Community Development budget, and to return a revised recommended budget with specified agency guidance.
St. Mary’s County commissioners on March 19 directed staff to use fund balance for a set of one-time expenditures, kept a $350,000 placeholder in the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) budget, and asked staff to return a revised recommended budget that reflects board guidance on core agency increases.
CFO Kramer told commissioners staff had realigned nonrecurring furniture and equipment purchases across county departments and elected-official budgets (reductions of about $51,000 and $118,000, respectively) and proposed using fund balance for selected one-time items. Staff identified $50,000 for detention-center-related IT software and $100,000 for a consultant to support procurement of new computer-aided dispatch (CAD) software; together those items total $150,000 and were described as one-time uses of fund balance.
Commissioners also left a $350,000 placeholder in DECD’s proposed FY2014 budget to fund BRAC- and economic-development-related work. Several commissioners said they expect DECD to return to the board with plans before spending the money; one commissioner asked that the board use a public process before distribution so the community can see deliverables.
Other technical and reclassification adjustments were discussed and directed: county staff moved Johnson grass funding ($16,900) into a revolving fund so fees and expenses could be handled together; staff will prepare a budget amendment to advance septic funding for Tri-County Bridal Shelter in the coming week; and staff noted some enterprise-fund reclassifications will follow in Friday’s package.
Commissioners debated the overall growth target for major agencies. After discussion, the board asked staff to prepare a recommended budget reflecting a reduced Board of Education request (staff were directed to model a 3% increase for the board) while retaining a 5% guideline for the sheriff’s non‑grant budget; commissioners were split on library guidance but staff were asked to show scenarios. Staff said the change from a 5% to a 3% Board of Education allocation would free about $1.6 million for the public‑hearing reserve in the recommended budget.
On compensation, staff reviewed options for county employee pay adjustments. The county presented an option of a one-step increase on anniversary dates (with an $800 one-time stipend for employees at top-of-grade) as an alternative to a full two-step plan; staff said a one-step approach would reduce the two-step cost by roughly $550,000 (a rough, ballpark estimate presented in the session). Commissioners directed staff to retain the two-step plan in the draft for now but to reflect the board’s direction as discussions continue.
Staff said when the revised recommended budget is returned it will show the board’s direction in the expense and reserve lines; staff estimated the public‑hearing reserve would approach $2.9 million after the board’s revisions were applied.
