By Zoe Adams and Jill Gattens
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writers
Baltimore County Executive John A. Olszewski, Jr., released a $3.4 billion budget for the 2020 fiscal year on Monday that includes $1.8 billion for education and an income tax increase from 2.8 to 3.2 percent.
The budget also includes $4.3 million for public safety, $3.4 million for general government operations such as health and human services, garbage collection and economic development, and $394,000 for state-mandated agencies such as the circuit court system, liquor licenses and elections.
Olszewski said his spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1 also addresses the $81 million structural budget deficit while providing funds to combat opioid addiction as well as money for road resurfacing, bike lanes and pedestrian safety.
“Addressing our existing needs and planning for the future requires some hard decisions- decisions I don’t take lightly,” Olszewski said in his budget message.
The budget now goes to the County Council, which will hold a hearing on the spending plan on April 30 at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers. The council is scheduled to vote on the budget on May 23.
Olszewski said his proposed income tax hike is needed for the county to meet is goals. He said the increase means Baltimore County will have the same income tax rate as the state’s other large jurisdictions. It would be the first income tax increase since 1992 and would add about $15 a month to the tax bill of a resident earning $50,000 a year.
The property tax rate will remain at $1.10 for every $100 of assessed value, with the average homeowner paying about $2,690 a year.
The budget also includes a cell phone tax of $3.50 per line to make up for the lost revenue from taxes on landlines. Olszewski proposed a 1 percent fee on cable television bills to pay for public educational and government programming. The budget also increases the hotel tax from 8 to 10 percent.
The education budget includes $32 million in new money, one of the largest increases to maintain real school spending at current levels. In his budget message, Olszewski spoke extensively about the need for putting money into the county’s schools.
“For me, it’s personal,” Olszewski said. “Baltimore County Public Schools represents nearly half of the county’s operating budget- and for good reason. Ours is the 25th largest school district in the nation.”
The budget proposes a 2 percent cost of living increase for school employees, an increase in the number of schools that provide free breakfasts, funds for planning an updated to Landsdowne High School, and funding on the county’s part for construction costs for schools remaining in the Schools for Future program.
It also sets aside money for 70 more teachers to accommodate enrollment increases, 50 special education teachers, 21 more ESOL teachers, 16 more school counselors, 15 more social workers and four more psychologists.
The budget emphasized a need to expand access to higher education to help drive economic opportunity.
“We can’t grow our diverse economy without making strategic investments, so my first budget includes a number of proposals to help us grow into the future,” Olszewski said.
Olszewski, a Democrat, is serving his first term after being elected last November. This is his first budget proposal.
The focus of the budget is to make Baltimore County more inclusive, sustainable and livable, the executive said. He said it reflects his commitment to critical investments and addressing long-standing needs while planning for the future.
“I’m committed to those reforms, because I believe they will make a tangible difference in the lives of our children, our families, and our communities,” Olszewski said. “These reforms will provide us with more state resources, but they will also require us to invest more.”