Below is the audio from the May 26, 2009 budget hearing for FY 2010 tax rate adoption and FY 2010 budget adoption:

May 26, 2009 – Budget Hearing on FY 2010 Budget Adoption and Tax Rate Adoption

All 5 Cecil County Commissioners voted for higher taxes and increased spending for the FY 2010 budget adopted in the spring of 2009, what will they do this year? To find out, let’s take a look at recent history:

2008 Budget Cycle

Commissioners voted for tax increases 4-1; here is an excerpt from the May 13, 2008 meeting minutes explaining how the vote transpired:

Vice President Mark Guns made a motion to approve a Resolution, Property Tax Rate to reduce the tax rate one cent per year for five consecutive years starting in FY 2009 at a tax rate of $.96 per $100 of assessed valuation of property and ending in FY 2013 at a tax rate of $.91 per $100 of assessed valuation of property. The motion died for lack of a second.

Commissioner Wayne Tome made a motion to approve the Cecil County tax rate for FY09 at $.96 per $100 of assessed valuation of property. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Demmler.

Commissioner Guns stated that his Resolution is a reasonable and responsible approach to off-set double digit assessment increases and will not adversely affect the county’s ability to provide services. He stated that he would not support keeping the tax rate at $.96. He apologized to the other Commissioners for not bringing this Resolution to them for more discussion prior to submitting it for approval at this public hearing.

Commissioner Demmler stated that this budget process was extremely difficult and the county must continue to provide critical services to citizens. She stated that she feels it would be impractical and impossible to drop the current tax rate all the way to the constant yield rate at one time.

VOTE: Manlove Y, Guns N, Demmler Y, Lockhart Y, Tome Y

(Source: Click here to see the actual meeting minutes for the above quote)

Budget Cycle 2007

Commissioners voted for tax increases 4-1, see an excerpt here from the adoption meeting:

President Manlove presented the recommended modifications to the Fiscal Year 2008 Budget. The modifications are as follows:

· Increase the allocation to the Board of Education by $500,000

· Increase the allocation to the SPCA by $26,153

· Increase the public safety pay scale by an additional 3%, making the total increase to the scale 6%, with a step increase eligible on anniversary date, which increased costs by $268,000

· Swap the Bainbridge project wit the Physical education building funding for the Truck Driver training facility, and continue funding for the main campus site improvements

· Increase funding for selected Non-profits:

§ Boys & Girls Club – $2500

§ Arts Council – $5000

§ Historical Society – $5000

· Increase funding for Parks & Recreation to allow for additional grass mowing at additional sites in the County

· Increase water & sewer rates/connection fees as proposed with $4000 minimum connection fees for commercial/industrial

Commissioner Demmler made a motion to approve the FY 08 Budget and to increase funding to the Historical Society in the amount of $10,000 and funding to Upper Bay Counseling Services $25,000.

The motion died for lack of a second.

Vice President Guns made a motion to approve the FY 08 Budget and to decrease funding to the Historical Society to $0. He stated that the County is currently funding historical preservations projects such as Elk Landing, Gilpin Falls Covered Bridge and housing the Historical Society.

President Manlove seconded the motion.

VOTE: Manlove – Y Guns – Y Demmler – N Lockhart – N

Commissioner Lockhart made a motion to approve the FY 08 Budget with the increased funding as previously read by President Manlove.

The motion was seconded by Vice President Guns and carried by a majority vote.

VOTE: Manlove – Y Guns – Y Demmler – N Lockhart – Y

(Source: Click here to view the actual minutes that show this excerpt)

Budget Cycle 2006

Again, the Commissioners voted to raise taxes, this time by a 5-0 vote, here is an excerpt from the 2006 budget/tax rate adoption meeting:

1. For the tax year beginning July 1, 2006 , the estimated real property assessable base will increase by 8.50%, from $6,494,584,638 to $7,049,861,279.

* If Cecil County maintains the current tax rate of $0.98 per $100 of assessment, real property tax revenues will increase by 8.5% resulting in $5,441,711 of new real property tax revenues.

* In order to fully offset the effect of increasing assessments, the real property tax rate should be reduced to $0.903, the constant yield tax rate.

* The Board of County Commissioners of Cecil County is considering not reducing its real property tax rate enough to fully offset increasing assessments. The Board of County Commissioners of Cecil County proposes to adopt a real property tax rate of $0.96 per $100 of assessment. This tax rate is 6.3% higher than the constant yield tax rate and will generate $4,031,739 in additional property tax revenues.

Motion was made by Commissioner Manlove, seconded by Commissioner Guns and unanimously carried to set the tax rate for FY 06 at $.96/100 of assessed valuation.

(Source: Click here for the minutes the above text is from)

Budget Cycle 2005

Here are the meeting minutes for proof of the 2005 tax increase.

The list goes on and on, but a simple fact remains the same: in Cecil County our elected officials lack the will power to hold the line on taxes.

Starting in January 2010, the Cecil County Commissioners will engage in another budget cycle where they will make further decisions about how to spend public money in Cecil County. They will deal with issues related to falling revenues and increased budget demands. They will deal with maintenance of effort mandates handed down from the state that apply not only to education, but other fiscal obligations that county government is expected to cover.

Citizens must engage in budget hearings, propose recommendations, and apply constant pressure on the County Commissioners to get the job done on taxes.

Budget, Cecil County, Taxes