By Kenneth C. Rossignol
ST. MARY'S TODAY

LEONARDTOWN (Oct. 28, 2008)  ---  Just like the national Democratic Party, local Democratic officials are having trouble promising not to raise taxes.  St. Mary’s Commissioner Larry Jarboe (R. Golden Beach), the only commissioner to vote against this years big hike in real estate taxes, proposed at this week’s board meeting that as the board begins the budget process that it not wait until the eleventh hour to make cuts in spending and avoid a tax hike again.

“We can see an unprecedented downturn in the economy and some pretty scary comments from Rep. Barney Frank calling for 25 percent cuts in defense spending,” said Jarboe.  “If we have cuts like that at Pax River, we could see 5,000 jobs cuts and instead of sitting here looking at new school construction, we could be closing 8 schools and putting a lot of people out of work.”

“I am calling right now for this board to plan on maintaining the constant yield, to consolidate the departments of county government down to five or six, the eliminate senior staff positions, stop any new hiring with a hiring freeze and take another look at capital spending programs,” said Jarboe.

“I am asking now if there are any other commissioners who want to put on the record so we can plan ahead in our department budgets to maintain the constant yield,” said Jarboe just after hearing a presentation from the public schools superintendent.  

“Taxpayers are hurting right now, people are hurting, I made cuts in my household costs, eliminating cable tv and other ways to save just like every other family and the county needs to start compiling significant cost reductions in order to find a way to plan on maintaining the constant yield,” said Jarboe.   “I am putting on the table, that I support the constant yield right now.”

Commissioner Dement fell back on his caveat that while he would support Jarboe, the board would have to find ways to cut but then immediately hit the lift off button on his effort to try to mislead voters about his vote to raise taxes.

Maryland law requires the Board to advertise the fact that when they adopt a budget that the board clearly states that by not lowering the tax rate to make up for increases in state assessments amounts to a tax increase.
When obscene tax assessments caused homes to be taxed at rates of a third to double over the prior year, Jarboe argued hard for the board to join him last spring in adopting the constant yield which would have kept the real estate property tax from soaring. 

But the Board has become accustomed to the huge increases in revenue that this practice has produced in past years and with county departments living high on the hog with such items as a $130,000 portable stage with speakers and lighting for the commissioners to use whenever they have a ribbon cutting, the money train must be continued.  No other commissioner supported Jarboe last spring on the current budget and at this week’s meeting no one would second Jarboe’s motion.

“I go through the bills and this week I found several I had a problem with,” said Commissioner Dan Raley (D. Great Mills) “I talked to (County Administrator) John Savich about them.  I encourage each commissioner to go over the bills each week to make sure we are adhering to the policies to cut back.”

“We need to make sure that things are not happening in violation of our policies again, but once the service has been provided, we are between a rock and a hard place, the work has been done and so we need to review ahead of time before the money has been spent properly,” said Jarboe.

Savich said that his staff is reviewing adherence to spending limitations and if the Board was interested he could provide them with an update on their progress.

Commissioner Jackie Russell (D. St. George’s Island) said that the Board “…can’t ignore events around us but we have to be cognizant that we have to provide a certain amount of services to the taxpayers.”

At the end of the session prior to going into a secret session in the backroom, the Board failed to adopt Jarboe’s proposal to begin the budget season with instructions to negate any increases in property assessments.

Property owners who failed to file appeals this year because they felt it wasn’t going to prove worthwhile can file this coming January.  Call the county assessment office for forms or information on where to send a letter of appeal.  Even though the big assessments which were levied this year will not be reduced, future years can be and if property owners continue to pile up protests perhaps the legislators will take notice.

At least one local legislator is steaming over his tax bill.

Sen. Roy Dyson (D. St. Mary’s, Charles, Calvert) who never supports tax hikes and voted against last year’s O’Malley billion dollar tax hike, says he understands what people are going through.

“My taxes were raised along with everyone else’s and the big jump on my modest home was outrageous,” said Dyson.  “That is all I have heard from people for the past year, their property values have dropped and their elected officials have allowed a dramatic increase in their taxes and they wonder if they have just lost their minds.”