I find it disturbing that Mrs Demmler seems to blame the taxpayer for the Commissioner’s decision to not grant the police their pay increase (“Due to the outcry from the taxpayer…“), yet she and the rest of the Commissioners seem to be very comfortable with approving hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses that could well have been cut in last year’s budget.
Here are some reminders from the last year’s effort to cut spending:
Holding the line on School Spending (didn’t happen last year) “…from 1998 to 2009 the total county-wide school population only increased by 1785 kids, yet appropriations rose $1598.17 dollars per student and the CCPS budget almost doubled from approx. $39M in 1998 to approx. $70M in 2009. The CCPS budget almost doubled for an approx. 11% increase in student population over 11 years.”
Also posted here last year, we have some history for those who might need a refresher on how the Cecil County Commissioners have consistently spent more and more each year, and taxed you and me for it… (with Mrs Demmler’s vote). In 2007,
“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.“
Lucky for us on that one, the motion died for lack of a second.
I’m all for the amazing work the Historical Society does (and greatly appreciate it), as well as the Upper Bay Counseling Services. But, can we argue that these where “essential services”? Perhaps some of these would be better funded through private efforts, rather than tax payer funds.
As Delegate Smiegiel reminds us in his blog,
“The property taxes [have] been raised for thirteen years straight on the citizens of Cecil County. If there was any hope for the citizens of Cecil County it was this year [2009]. Instead, we have seen a 14th straight year of increased property taxes on the citizens of Cecil County.”
Unfortunately, nothing personal, but Mrs. Demmler simply has no credibility with the citizens of this county when it comes to taxes and County spending. Blaming the “no new taxes” group doesn’t help. They have simply run out of excuses.
Also Can Think
Last years effort to cut spending did in fact limit the CCPS to maintenance of effort… apparently you can’t interpret the law… the Commissioners went as low as they were allowed… you saw how well the waiver process went for the three applicants… try printing the truth, not just your version of it.
Ted
Thanks for the comment.
For last year’s budget (FY2009) the local appropriation was $69,915,162 based on records I have from CCPS. The maintenance of effort level for FY2009 was 63,756,559. So you can do the math on that to see that in fact CCPS was funded above MOE.
I assume your criticism is with regard to the FY2010 allocation (which would be the current year’s budget, not last year’s budget). Indeed, the Commissioners did keep the FY2010 budget at maintenance of effort. I reported this much in a post I made on this website on Jan. 29, 2010. You can read my post at this link:
http://cecilyoungrepublican.com/2010/01/commissioners-to-hold-the-line-at-maintenance-of-effort/
We hope very much that the Commmissioners will hold the CCPS budget at maintenance of effort again in FY2011. In the long-term, we see it as necessary that the state of Maryland get rid of the maintenance of effort standard all-together to give county government more fiscal flexibility.
Thanks,
Ted Patterson
theodore@udel.edu