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Council votes to move fiscal analysis responsibilities to legislative staff
Summary
Council Bill 28-20-25 passed to transfer responsibility for fiscal analyses of legislation to the council’s legislative staff, a change sponsors say aligns with other jurisdictions and frees the county auditor to focus on audits.
The Howard County Council approved Council Bill 28-20-25 to move fiscal-analysis responsibilities from the county auditor’s office to the council’s legislative staff. Supporters said the change will align responsibilities with peer jurisdictions and allow the auditor’s office to focus on audits and irregularities.
Opponents, including Councilmember Deb Young, argued the auditor’s office is the most qualified and that moving fiscal notes risks politicizing analyses. Supporters noted the council is actively recruiting deputy positions for the legislative staff and expected staff to be in place within the 61-day implementation window included in the bill’s language.
Council roll-call votes recorded the measure passing. Proponents said the change will create a clearer separation between auditing functions and legislative fiscal analysis, while opponents urged safeguards to preserve technical independence.
Outcome: CB 28-20-25 passed; legislative staff will begin preparing fiscal analyses after staff hiring concludes and implementation steps are completed.
