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No Tax Increase for Carroll Budget

Posted

HUNTINGDON (July 19) — The proposed 2019-2020 budget for the county of Carroll is based on a tax rate of $1.55 per $100 assessed value of real property. That is the same rate as last year.
The proposed budget, which will be presented to the full Carroll County Commission on August 12, includes a two-percent raise for all county employees, a minimum of $12 per hour for 30 of a total of 44 part-time employees, a minimum pay of $30,000 for the head librarian, and a $5,000 annual bonus for Stacey McCaleb and Jenny Gordon once they attain their Certified County Financial Officer certification.
Also included are approximately $150,000 to erect a new communications tower in south Carroll County to aid fire and law enforcement, grant funds for the new Prevention Coalition coordinator, and funding for school resource officers which are funded by the individual school systems.
Mayor Joseph Butler announced the budget relies on approximately $555,000 in reserve funds (savings) to balance the budget. That compares to $861,000 pulled from reserves during the 2018-19 fiscal year on a budget approved by the previous administration and inherited by the Butler administration.
Butler said the county has manageable debt of which some could be attacked more aggressively if the county commissioners choose to do so. He said he will aggressively seek state and federal grants for local projects.

The annual donation to the Gordon Browning Museum was increased by $1,000 to a total of $5,000 at the request of Commissioner Manuel Crossno. That restores the funding to a level from several years ago.
Budget Committee members Manuel Crossno, Brian Winston, Darrell Ridgely, and Johnny Blount approved the budget to be sent to the full commission.
Commissioner Joel Washburn inquired about the level of funding for economic development administered by the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce. Butler said the county provides $27,000 to the Chamber for economic development and another $10,000 for membership dues.
Washburn also inquired about the funding going to the Carroll County Watershed Authority to fund the Carroll County 1000-Acre Recreational Lake. Butler said the “growth tax” applied to the lake is estimated at $57,000, coming as a transfer from the county’s General Fund to the Watershed Authority.
Commissioner Blount said the total funds coming from the wheel tax and from the county’s General Fund is approximately $325,000 annually.

Carroll County, Tax, 2019