proposed county budget. Executive Culver commented, “Recognizing both the continuing State fiscal challenges and the slow recovery in our local economy, my 2016 budget includes no tax increase and incorporates a 6.4% reduction in operating expenses in all departments other than public safety and education.
The approved budget is virtually flat to last year’s budget. The County has absorbed mandated increases totaling $910,000 for the Board of Education, $227,000 associated with the Fraternal
Order of Police collective bargaining agreement signed in February and over $500,000 in increased health insurance premium costs. Additionally, we are absorbing a $1.6 million dollar reduction in the State Disparity Grant and will continue to receive approximately 10% of the historical level of Highway User Revenue appropriations from the State (a loss of approximately $6 million dollars that must be made up from general revenue in order to keep our roads in some state of repair). County Executive Culver has proposed a continuance of the Economic Development Fund that is for support of Salisbury-Wicomico Economic Development (SWED) and other initiatives to invigorate our local economy.
Other tactics to foster a business friendly environment are:
- Continued phase out of the inventory tax
- Continuance of the automatic Manufacturer’s Exemption from personal property taxes
- A personal property tax rate that is 20.75 cents below the state allowable rate (the State rate is $2.379 and Wicomico County’s rate is $2.1715).
In summary, County Executive Culver stated that his budget is fiscally responsible. It strikes the appropriate balance in terms of recognizing our citizens’ household budget constraints while
providing needed funding for public safety, education and other core services and stimulates our local economy so we can lift our community out of recession more rapidly.
FY2016 Approved Budget
6 comments:
The Bloat of Education needs to absorb some more cuts...start with the credit cards - then the excess non education staffing!
Curious why Dove Point is getting over 60K in the budget?
We need to get rid of the notion that we can spend millions on one main group of students who show no improvement at all. The proposed solution? Spend more money on them. Kids who behave and try to learn get almost nothing except the privilege of waiting while all attention goes to those who won't do either. Wish someone would figure up the total spent on programs for non-achieving, non-behaving students. It's astronomical for the results shown.
That argument is getting old. The BOE has but items for the past 5 years. Time to support our schools.
Welcome to liberal America. All the money goes to those that do nothing or misbehave.
Bob Culver's budget was pretty liberal.
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