Howard County Government: County Executive Ball Announces Spending Affordability Advisory Committee For FY 2023

Elkridge MD

18 December, 2021

8:42 AM

Description

Press release from the Howard County Government: 12/17/2021 Howard County Executive Calvin Ball has announced the Spending Affordability Advisory Committee (SAAC) for fiscal year 2023.  ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball has announced the Spending Affordability Advisory Committee (SAAC) for fiscal year 2023. The SAAC is a non-partisan body charged with providing policy advice to the County Executive on fiscal planning. The committee is made up of several residents representing different disciplines and areas of expertise, and includes representation from education entities, council staff, and executive staff.  Our budget reflects our values, our priorities, and, most importantly, our outcomes. As we continue to face uncertainty during the pandemic with ever-evolving risk, we want to ensure we are constantly evaluating our fiscal position and are well prepared for increasing demands for infrastructure and services. We have many issues and projects to address in the coming years, and an obligation to our residents and businesses to practice fiscal responsibly. I am seeking guidance from this committee of experts to predict future revenue projections for our capital and operating budgets moving forward. Calvin Ball Howard County Executive The SAAC will likely have 7-8 meetings between January and February on operating budget needs, CIP budget needs, the current economy, revenue, long-term forecast and debt projections. Meetings will be virtual, but are open to the public and will be livestreamed online here(link is external).  Howard County has distributed relief funding quickly and efficiently over the past two years, however, there is still some uncertainty as the region looks towards recovery. The Howard County unemployment rate is at 3.9% as of October 2021, down from 5.2% in September 2020, but still above the pre-pandemic level of 2.8%.  The SAAC will provide a comprehensive report to the County Executive by March 1, 2022 which includes:  Projected General Fund revenues for the upcoming fiscal year  Recommended new county debt (General Obligation bonds) authorization  An analysis of the long-term fiscal outlook including multi-year projections  Other finding and/or recommendations the committee finds appropriate  The following residents were named Voting Members:  Todd Arterburn  Lakey Boyd, Columbia Association  Richard Clinch, Ph.D.  Howie Feaga, Farm Bureau  Ellen Flynn Giles  Daniel Gick  Khaleda Hasan  John C. Hendrickson  Cleveland Horton II, Howard County Association of Realtors  Steve Hunt  Darius Irani, Ph.D.  Barbara K. Lawson  Leonardo McClarty, Howard Count Chamber of Commerce  Steve Poynot (Committee Vice Chair)  Joshua Tzuker  Non-Voting Members:  Tonya Aikens, Howard County Library System  Lynn Coleman, Howard Community College  Joan Driessen, Association of Community Services Howard County  Jahantab Siddiqui, Howard County Public School System  Jennifer Mallo, Howard County Board of Education  This press release was produced by the Howard County Government. The views expressed here are the author's own.