(5/30) On May 29, Thurmont Commissioners voted to pass the Fiscal Year 2019 budget, which includes a two cent tax increase to residents of the town.
Earlier in the month, the town advertised for a three-cent tax increase, but as discussed by the Board at the May 29 meeting, the three-cent increase was unnecessary. However, no tax increase would mean the town would face a deficit in their budget. A two-cent tax increase, as discussed, would give the town an additional $107,434 worth of
income and would provide a cushion to cover capital projects and give a little bit of a cushion for any emergencies that may arise throughout the year. However, not all the Commissioners were on board with the increase. Commissioner Marty Burns stated that he "doesn’t feel comfortable doing any tax increase…personally, I believe it is irresponsible and I can’t
support doing this. This increase would be a band-aid approach to get us to healthy state [financially] this year. Without having a full comprehensive look at the past, where we are now and where we want to go, I don’t think it’s appropriate."
The Town’s first attempt at balancing the budget in April left them $53,000 in the red. The overage costs included some new line items and changes presented by the Board as well as an increase in some yearly expenses, such as the increase in town employee’s healthcare and a two percent increase in town employees’ salaries. The increase in
salaries, as noted by Commissioners, is attributed to a performance-based increase, not a cost of living adjustment. In regards to the healthcare coat, last year, Thurmont saw a fourteen percent increase in healthcare costs, and Chief Financial Officer Linda Joyce projected they would jump $30,000 plus an additional fifteen percent this year. Luckily, Joyce
announced later in April that the originally calculated cost for healthcare decreased by $16,550, meaning the cost of healthcare only increased by nine percent and was reflected as such in the budget. However, Commissioners still see concern with rising healthcare costs continuing into the future.
Within the Police Department, a $10,000 budget line item for a new narcotics dog was approved. The current narcotics dog, Buddy, faces lack of insurance due to his older age, at six years. If he were to become ill or seriously injured, the cost would come out of the taxpayer’s pockets. The new canine would cost $10,000 with an annual upkeep
cost of $5,000. Buddy has only been used for 56 scans since joining the department in 2013, a fact that was of concern by some of the Commissioners early on, who felt that number was not an adequate reason to look into purchasing another dog. However, as pointed out by Mayor Kinnaird, Buddy has been a deterrent to drug users and the Thurmont Police Department has
the reliability of being able to get the dog out at any moment’s notice.
Other capital projects included in the FY19 budget are Frederick Road Bridge repairs, at a cost of $30,000, a Tree Program to continue removing trees affected by the Emerald Ash Borer in Community Park ($33,000), the construction of a skate park within East End Park ($16,612), and $40,000 to replace a town truck, just to name a few. Another
expense included in the budget was snow removal and overtime, which was originally proposed as a $10,000 increase but the Board of Commissioners asked to increase it by $20,000. This was a decision made after the town almost spent its entire budgeted amount during a late March snowstorm last year.
The Board approved the FY19 budget and a two-cent tax increase by a vote of 3:1 with Commissioner Marty Burns against.
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