It’s not what they want in the future, but what they’ve already asked for that could put Howard County department heads on the spot tonight when they tell the county Planning Board their capital budget requests for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
The department heads are asking a mere $679,000 in bond financing for new projects in fiscal 1996 and only $5.2 million in bonds for projects that have undergone substantial changes. But they want $55.2 million for projects already in the pipeline.
That’s a problem because a sharp downturn in revenue projections has prompted the county’s bond affordability committee to recommend a $25 million cap on new bonds.
Because County Executive Charles I. Ecker and the County Council are unlikely to raise taxes to cover the difference, the only other options are to postpone those older projects or scale them back.
Today’s hearing at 7 p.m. in the county office building gives the public its first opportunity to react to projects proposed by department heads. After the hearing, the Planning Board will make recommendations about what should be included in the capital budget to Mr. Ecker.
In the past, department heads typically sought immediate funding for new projects. Increasingly, however, they are seeking approval for projects in hopes that funding will follow later.
Including new projects in the capital budget without immediate funding is part of the county’s planning process, says Raymond S. Wacks, county budget administrator. “It gives citizens a preview of what to expect three or four years into the future,” he said.
Delaying projects means higher costs, however. “Even though inflation is less, there is still inflation,” Mr. Wacks said. “Costs still go up.”
Howard Community College and the Board of Education both are seeking to put millions of dollars of future projects in the capital budget without requesting the money to pay for them for at least a year.
The college, for example, is not seeking any money in fiscal 1996 for the $20.5 million in capital projects it hopes to build in the future — including a $10.5 million cultural arts center that wouldn’t be funded until fiscal 2003.
But the college does want $1 million for three projects approved in earlier years — $511,000 for a fiscal 1991 project to make road improvements at campus entrances and $496,000 for renovations to its theater and other campus buildings.
Like the college, the Board of Education hopes to win approval for $19 million in new projects that would be funded later. Those projects would include $7.5 million for a northeastern elementary school and $11.2 million for additions to six existing schools. But the tougher fight may be over $35 million in funding in fiscal 1996 for projects that already have been approved. Those projects include new roofing, relocatable classrooms, two new elementary schools, a new middle school and renovation of Wilde Lake High School.
The deferral of funding requests is not limited to the community college and the school system. The county Public Works Department wants to do it also. It hopes to win approval for 15 road construction projects totaling $8 million and defer funding.
Although the Planning Board is likely to hear a great deal tonight about the big items on departmental wish lists, small ones — especially those that concern residents, such as local sidewalk construction or intersection controls — also are expected to spark debate.
After hearing from the Planning Board, Mr. Ecker will winnow the requests and send his capital budget to the County Council April 1. The council will then hold public hearings on the proposed budget and vote on it in late May.
