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Vital Views
The Severna Park Voice, June 2006
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Council in Action
by Councilwoman Cathleen M. Vitale
Thinking Green
As promised, this month's article is devoted to money. Not the
fictitious kind that grows on trees, but the honest to goodness, cold
hard cash that some say runs the world (and we know, the County). This
year's budget stands at approximately 1.164 million dollars for County
operations and 202.9 million dollars in new or continuing projects
around the County.
As many nay be aware, the County Council can reduce expenditures, but
cannot add to any budget items except the Board of Education, and even
then, it can only be increased up to that amount requested by the Board
of Education but not funded by the County Executive. While the Executive
funded most of the programs and positions requested by the Board, the
Council added more than a million dollars to programs and positions
requested by the Board. To do that, other projects in other departments
had to be cut or reduced.
This Council has made a commitment to education over the last four
years, and this year is no different. The Council has supported the
request for 284 new teachers and teaching support staff positions,. Full
funding is provided for all day kindergarten and pre-kindergarten.
Athletics, music and other extracurricular activities will receive funds
as well as the continuation of the "textbooks for every child" program.
The International Baccalaureate program received its senior year
funding, rounding out the high school program, including a new West
County program will be included.
Many public safety upgrades were included in the budget for new
positions, equipment and facilities. The public safety funding will
include a new Eastern District Station on Ritchie Highway in Pasadena to
enable quicker response to matters along the Broadneck and Arnold.
A large portion of the County budget is going to the continued
infrastructure upgrades to include roads, storm drains, sidewalks and
other similar projects. The Mill Creek spill has resulted in several
million of additional dollars to go towards completing the repairs
replacement and cleaning of Mill Creek.
The budget itself is several hundreds of pages long, and having read it
from cover to cover (including its multiple supplements and appendixes),
I thought better than to reproduce it here. Instead here are many of its
highlights that directly affect our district. Please know that you can
get to the budget documents by going to www.aacounty.org and looking
under FY'07 budget. Remember there is an expense (operating) and capital
(projects) portion to the budget. In reviewing the department of public
works appendix pages, know that these are proposed projects. Until the
funding is awarded and costs are provided, we do not know exactly how
many of the projects will be performed.
Now the highlights. Residential property: The County has provided
funding for financial incentives to property owners for the cost of
upgrading on-site septic system upgrades and in cases of financial
hardship for property owners to repair or replace failed septic and
private well systems, and for installing of holding tanks in order to
comply with county regulations. Recreational and Athletic Parks and
Fields: Funding was approved for athletic facilities improvements to
Kinder Park and money provided to extend the Broadneck Trail to Bay Dale
Drive. Roads, Signals, Storm Drains and Sewers: The Cape St. Claire
storm drain project will be completed with this last round of funding.
The almost 5 million dollars in funding was to address 13 independent
systems to assist in resolving flooding and erosion problems in Cape St.
Claire; Cape St. Claire Road and Green Holly will also see improved and
enhanced signals at the intersections As a result of Mill Creek, the
County underwent a review process of its forced mains. Ben Oaks will
have several sections of the forced main replaced in this next year in
those sections that have been identified as deteriorating segments;
Waterway projects: Finally Whitehall Creek and Amberly community will
see funding for the long awaited dredging and the creation of a waterway
improvement district; design and construction of the eroded stream
channel along Evergreen Road; funds to correct the eroding stream
channel from Broadneck Road Ops Yard to Blossom Tree Road as well as the
stabilization of the stream channel; Board of Education: Benefield
Elementary and Arnold Elementary have been added to the list of schools
to be funded within the next several years.
All in all we as a district did pretty well. Space does not permit me to
list all the roads getting resurfaced, storm drains getting worked on,
or the multitude of multi-year repair and renovation projects that have
been budgeted. If you are curious about a roadway or park project, drop
me an email and I will be happy to respond.
Enjoy the beginning of summer, and I'll see you in the parade!
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