Graduations! The Budget! It has been a busy two weeks attending graduations and putting the final touches on the FY2020 budget.
First, the local graduations: I was able to attend the graduations at Cedar Lane School, Howard County Community College, as well as Wilde Lake and River Hill High Schools. Each ceremony was unique and moving; I loved seeing the happy smiles on the faces of those graduating. I do have to take this moment to honor one special graduate: my daughter, Alyssa, who graduated from Tulane two weeks ago with a degree in Public Health and Environmental Biology. A big thank you to the Howard County School System and all of her teachers, from first grade through 12th, who did such a great job of preparing her for a rigorous academic experience.
After weeks of budget hearings during which time we reviewed the detailed budget for each department in the County, as well as the school district, we voted on the final version last Wednesday. Details of the various aspects of the budget are below. During the final days before the budget vote, Councilmember Walsh and I submitted an amendment to increase funding for the school system by $8 million. Years of underfunding has created chronic budget shortages and our amendment attempted to close some of that gap. We were unsuccessful in our quest for the full $8 million but were able to secure an additional $2 million for instruction and other school-system needs.
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The County's FY2020 Capital & Operating Budget (CB24)
passed with unanimous support from the Council on May 29. 2019. The FY20 operating
budget is $1.2 billion and capital budget totals $206.3 million.
School Budget
An additional $2 million was transferred to HCPSS through unanimous vote. This amount was considerably less than the $8 million that Councilmember Walsh and I originally sponsored in three education amendments to help close the school system’s FY2020 budget shortfall. Read here for more on the school budget vote.
Human Service Grants
Councilmember Yungmann proposed Amendment 1 to Amendment 1, which increased funding to the National Family Resiliency Center from Innovative Initiatives by $15,000. The amendment-to-amendment passed. See here for a full list of Human Service Grants.
County Revenue: Sources & Changes
- Property Tax: Rate held steady at 1.014% for residential and 2.53% business property.
- Fire & Rescue Tax: Increased to 0.236% (from 0.176%) for residential property and 0.59% (0.44%) for business property.
- Recordation Tax: No change; $2.50
- Mobile Home Tax: Repealed by CB8-2019
- Admission & Amusement Tax: Set by the state; no change, 7.5-5% on live shows, concerts, agritourism, and athletic activities.
- Local Income Tax: No change; 3.2% of the Maryland Net Taxable Income.
- Hotel Motel Tax: Rate held steady at 7% with the first 5% going into the General Fund. The remainder goes to the Economic Development Authority and the Howard County Tourism Council.
- Transfer Tax: No change; 1% with set percentage allocations to school construction, agricultural land preservation, park construction, housing and community development, and fire and rescue services.
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JUNE VOTES
The Council voted on the following bills on June 3:
- CR62 - Transfers funds within HCPSS budget categories.
- CB18 - Authorizes school bus monitoring cameras.
- CB19 - Authorizes certain executive exempt positions within the executive branch.
- CR89 - Conveys a portion of Old Maryland Route 108 to Triangle Route 108 Associates, LLC.
- CR64 - Conveys a water and utility easement to Kellogg-CCP, LLC.
- CB20 - Extends the temporary prohibition of permits and approvals within Tiber Branch and Plumtree Branch watersheds.
NEW LEGISLATION
I have introduced the following bills for consideration in June:
CB32
- Requires the Department of Planning & Zoning to appear under oath at Planning Board hearings.
CB33
- Amends who may appeal a Planning Board decision.
Other bills being considered include:
CR96
- Adopts the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement for Enterprise Community Homes Housing LLC for rental housing properties known as Community Homes.
CR97
- Adopts the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement for Robinson Overlook Limited Partnership.
CR98
- Adopts the housing unit allocation chart for FY2020.
CR99
- Adopts the School Capacity chart.
CR100
- Amends the rules of procedure for the Howard County Council for sign-up times to testify at a public hearing.
CB30
- ZRA 186 - Alters the maximum floor area for a hotel in a Corridor Activity Center.
CB31
/ZRA 187 - Requires age-restricted adult housing conditional uses with densities that exceed the base zoning district to have frontage on and direct access to a collector or arterial road.
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National Spelling Bee Winner
Congratulations to D4’s own Saketh Sundar (from Clarksville Middle School) for his award-winning performance and his eight-way win at the 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee. May you always be blessed with blooming bougainvilleas.
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Congratulations to the Class of 2019
The tassle is worth the hassle. Best wishes and much success to you all!!
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Howard Community College graduation
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Board of Education member Vicky Cutroneo, me, Councilmember Liz Walsh, Board of Education member Jen Mallo
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Just sharing a few of the events and meetings I have recently attended. Let me know about your community activities so I can stop by, if my schedule allows.
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5/23 Cedar Lane School Graduation
5/23 Wine in the Garden, Beer in the Barn
5/24 Howard Community College Graduation
5/29 Wilde Lake High School graduation
5/29 River Hill High School graduation
5/30 Simulated Congressional Hearing, Pointers Run Elementary
6/2 Books in Bloom
6/4 Pride Month
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Simulated Congressional Hearing, Pointers Run Elementary
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Books in Bloom and Chef Andres
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June 14th - 30th
Click
here
for the showtimes and events
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LAKEFEST WEEKEND
June 14th -16th
Downtown Columbia Lakefront
10275 Wincopin Cir, Columbia
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The FREE LakeFest Weekend includes three days of live music, an invitational arts and crafts show, strolling performers, festival food, a Clyde’s of Columbia Beer Garden and an array of activities and entertainment for all ages. One of the highlights of
LakeFest
this year includes
evening performance(s) and residency activities by Bridgman Packer Dance.
Click
here
to view schedule
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HOWARD COUNTY PRIDE
June 29th, 11am-5pm
Centennial Park
10000 Clarksville Pike, Ellicott City
Remember | Resist | Rejoice
Celebrate Howard County's first annual LGBTQ pride event.
click
here
for more information
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Click
here
for more information.
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HoCoPoLitSo & the COLUMBIA FILM SOCIETY CELEBRATION
June 30th, 2:30pm
Smith Theatre, Howard Community College
Campus Dr, Columbia
Celebrate the education of girls, the beauty of story, and the power of collective action featuring
a talk by Aminatta Forna, one of the writers of
Girl Rising,
and the documentary film that inspired global awareness about the importance of education for girls.
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Merriweather Post Pavilion
Concert season has begun!
Check out the full 2019 calendar of live music for an endearing Howard County tradition.
Click
here
for the calendar.
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Chrysalis Events
More outdoor shows, more intimate setting. Columbia is blessed with fine arts and cultural performances.
Click
here
for the calendar.
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