Re: “Wicomico County Council displays political courage,” by Councilman Joe Holloway

In Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt’s recent commentary, he stated incorrectly that I voted against his latest county budget proposal without suggesting “a single cut” in spending and “just said no.” Had Pollitt attended the County Council’s work sessions, he would have heard my concerns and those of the other council member who voted against the budget, and the support voiced by both of us for some aspects of the proposal. I have been vocal for the past eight years about spending and budget issues, and why a tax increase should be our last resort to balance the budget. I have tried to keep spending down so taxpayers, already dealing with recession-related issues, would not have an additional burden. This is our fifth consecutive year of property tax increases.

Most citizens have had to drastically readjust their own personal budgets and can’t bear an additional tax burden. Too many Wicomico County residents have lost jobs, their homes or their businesses. All of us are noticing incomes have not increased and money goes less far than it did a few years ago.

Officials should trim the fat, question spending and tighten funding, not just answer all our problems with “raise taxes.” Officials should follow every path to decrease unnecessary spending before increasing tax rates.

But that is not being done.

That is my argument against the budget and yet another tax increase, plus spending millions of the county’s reserve funds to balance Pollitt’s latest budget.

The budget deals not only with future spending — it also has to pay for past decisions. For example: Last year county employees received a 2 percent raise. However, several employees (whose job description did not change) received much greater raises — $10,000 each. Mid-year, some council members voted one elected official a $10,000 raise and nearly doubled the salaries of three Orphan Court judges.

Pollitt spoke of the millions of dollars needed for our roads, but neglected to state he had recently asked the council to OK the transfer of $2.4 million out of the Roads Department into the General Fund due to a shortfall in estimated income tax revenue. When I questioned why this money had not been spent, I was told that there “weren’t enough employees to spend it. However, we were now using subcontractors for the work.” Why this money wasn’t used to fix our roads is beyond me.

After a hard fight with the county, The Daily Times obtained information about spending at local high-end restaurants, purchasing local morning coffees and county credit cards being used for personal spending. When questioned, Pollitt said, (and I quote The Daily Times’ article) “He will continue to drill down on staff, encouraging a frugal mindset.”

That should have occurred long before the situation was disclosed for public scrutiny and comment.

My grandfather said, “Watch the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.” Wicomico County must watch every penny because we’re running out of dollars. If Pollitt had been present when the budget was voted on, he would have heard why I do not have the trust and confidence to vote for a budget that includes yet another tax increase. If that triggered the outburst, so be it.

I take seriously how Wicomico County taxes its residents and spends public funds. If or when I see more responsible spending, I may feel more comfortable accepting future budget proposals.