St. Mary's commissioners approve FY2018 budget package, set tax rate and add development impact fee

The Commissioners of St. Mary's County approved the county's fiscal year 2018 budget package during their meeting on Tuesday, May 16, 2017, in Leonardtown, finalizing a revenue ordinance, an appropriation ordinance, an amendment to the county code on development impact fees and an elderly/veteran tax-credit change.

Finance Director Jeanette Cudmore told commissioners the package consisted of five related motions: a revenue ordinance listing tax rates and fees; an appropriation ordinance that identifies departmental and capital project appropriations; an amendment to chapter 223 of the County Code to reinstate development impact fees; approval of the FY2018 operating and capital budget; and an amendment to chapter 267 to add a tax credit for certain elderly individuals and veterans.

Cudmore said the development impact fee for FY2018 was set in the revenue ordinance at "$55100" as shown in the submitted packet. She described the budget as balanced and reviewed summary figures in the draft: the general fund share, revenue composition (property tax described as the largest single revenue source), capital improvement program totals and enterprise fund summaries. The budget packet included an emergency reserve and multiyear debt and revenue projections.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the new tax credit for older residents and the contingency amount for capital projects. Commissioners noted the senior/veteran credit is structured around a state-level provision requiring 40 years of continuous dwelling to qualify, leaving the county limited to setting the percentage of credit (they set 10 percent this year and noted the statutory maximum was 20 percent).

After discussion, the board approved each element of the package by recorded motions. The revenue ordinance, appropriation ordinance, amendment to chapter 223 (development impact fee), the FY2018 budget itself and the amendment to chapter 267 (elderly/veteran tax credit) were each moved, seconded and approved in separate motions.

The budget materials presented to the board listed numerous line items, including a general fund figure and a capital improvement program total shown in the packet. Cudmore said property taxes and income taxes were the largest shares of general fund revenue, and she described the county as well within its debt-affordability measures in the planning horizon included in the budget book.

The commissioners praised finance staff for producing a balanced package, and several members made public remarks emphasizing long-term infrastructure needs, support for schools and social services, and the difficulty of multi-year projects that require property acquisition, such as FDR Boulevard. Commissioner statements during the meeting reiterated that some multi-phase road projects take longer than residents expect because of negotiations and property acquisitions.

The board signed the budget documents and directed staff to include the approved schedules in the official budget book.

Clarifying details: the presentation cited the development impact fee figure as "$55100" in the packet; the draft packet also lists the capital improvement program total and other line items in the pages cited by staff. Where numeric phrasing in the transcript was unclear, the article reports the packet language as presented at the meeting rather than inferring corrected formatting.