Concerns with Somerset County Budget

ONCERNS WITH SOMERSET COUNTY BUDGET FY 2010-2011 to be adopted June 8, 2010

1. Debt service is high and will continue to increase with present rate of spending. Interest rates are anticipated to rise in the near future.

2. Spending is excessive in many departments and should be broken down within the account so that the public and commissioners actually know how the money is being spent. A LINE -ITEM BUDGET would clarify questionable expenditures.

3. Some accounts (departments) should be eliminated as they are not essential and other accounts should be cut drastically.

4. Spending does NOT have to equal revenue. Extra revenue could and should be used to pay down debt.

SOLUTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Request a 5% cutback from all departments and allow department heads to determine cuts.

2. Eliminate or drastically reduce community promotions. $112,250.

3. Spending on Truancy Court seems excessive and should be curtailed unless explained and justified by commissioners. $193,000.

4. Family Support Services expenditures seem high and do not benefit a significant number of local citizens and could be reduced. $180,000.

5. States Attorney Office salaries, expenses, and benefits seem extremely high for a small county in which a majority of cases seem to be plea bargained. $1,005,081.00

6. Planning and Zoning should be seriously downsized. In today’s economic environment with little construction anticipated in the near future, there is no need for the permit, inspection, and code enforcement personnel that had been required in the past. $924,246.

7. Tourism salaries, expenses, and benefits should be eliminated. The county simply does not recapture these expenses in additional tourism and this expense should be totally eliminated. Lack of fiscal responsibility is reflected in allowing the Crisfield office to remain open all winter. $236,859.

8. Civil Defense can probably be reduced or further explanation is needed as to what they do and how they benefit the county. $297,638.

9. Animal Control needs a major reduction. The name of the account is misleading as well since this department only responds to calls involving dogs and is identified as dog control by Rt. 413 signage. $232,000.

10. Highway Safety should be eliminated entirely unless the commissioners have proof that this program has benefited the county. $83,000.

11. Transportation (Tri county Council) expenditures are exorbitant. Citizens using this service for work are few. Many from Somerset use this service in order to actually spend money in Wicomico County. Somerset’s return on this investment is low and should be reconsidered. $389,495.

12. Public Health at $620,000 needs to be justified and broken down as to where this money actually goes and if it is spent to benefit the citizens of Somerset County.

13. The Board of Education budget is high and Somerset County needs to demand that the Board of Education operate as efficiently as possible. Money and new buildings does not equate to a good education.

14. Golf course should be sold to private entrepreneur. This action would result in the county NOT subsidizing the golf course in the amount of $277,000 a year but actually collecting taxes and adding revenue to the budget. Private ownership would increase tax rolls.

15. Department of Recreation should be eliminated. Somerset County is not able to support the cost involved with a community park. The schools in the communities have ball fields and the county has other ball fields which residents can use. While the need for a park is good in theory, we simply can’t afford it. $373,000.

16. Economic Development at $207,000 is a waste of taxpayers money and should be purged immediately. Economic Development money has produced NO real economic development, but using this money to lower taxes would do more to create a friendly business environment thereby producing real economic development.

17. County Roads at $3,100,000 is unreasonable in tough economic times. Roads are being resurfaced that do not need it and could be delayed several years without creating any problems.

18. Overall, no cuts were made in the 2010-2011 budget. With minimal insight it can be predicted that 2011-2012 will be more challenging due to lower assessments and fewer grants from state and federal agencies.

The Somerset County Commissioners should incorporate the above suggestions and recommendations into the 2010-2011 budget or justify not doing so. At a time when all entities are scaling back on spending, it is wasteful for Somerset to carry on with business as usual. As assessments and tax revenue decline, the commissioners forge ahead unconcerned with fiscal responsibility. Be transparent and produce a LINE ITEM BUDGET that may justify these expenditures.