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County Council of Baltimore County Court House ‘Towson, Maryland 21204 410-887-3196 Fax: 410-887-5791 Tom Quirk FIRSTDISTRICT Vicki Almond SECOND DISTRICT Wade Kach THIRD DISTRICT Julian E. Jones, Jr. FOURTH DISTRICT David Marks FIFTH DISTRICT Cathy Bevins SIXTH DISTRICT Todd K. Crandell ‘SEVENTH DISTRICT Thomas J. Peidicord, Jr. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL SECRETARY February 13, 2018 ‘The Honorable Kevin Kamenetz Baltimore County Executive Historic Courthouse, Mezzanine 400 Washington Avenue Towson, Maryland 21204 Dear Mr. Kamenetz: ‘We strongly object to the inclusion in the FY 2019 budget of funds for the planning of a new Dulancy High School. Your announcement of this decision reverses the clear, logical decision you made less than one year ago, and it is not ‘warranted by the fiscal realities this County faces. Any new projects of this, ‘magnitude in the 6-year capital program must be left to the next County administration, This Council has fully supported the aggressive, $1.3 billion Schools for Our Future program that you crafted in 2010, and the joint decisions made in the past six years by both branches of the County government have reaped significant benefits Tor our citizens - 16 new schools, 15 major renovations and additions, and air conditioning for all schools. But your sudden reversal on Dulaney High School, if approved by this Council, will put the County in a difficult fiscal situation. Less than one year ago, with regard to Dulaney High School, you said, "The facts are that we would love to build a brand new school, but this is not a school where we would be adding seats, so it’s not like we're gaining capacity for that substantial investment.” What has changed in the intervening year to justify your change of position? We are very mindful of the pressing needs of Dulaney and other deserving schools, and we recognize that the political landscape has changed. But so, too, has the fiscal landscape, and we view it as our role to ensure that it is not made worse by last minute, late-term decisions. ‘The County Spending Affordability Committee points out, in its Fiscal Year 2019 Report, that the County's General Fund operating budget is experiencing intensifying cost pressures and revenue concems, and, in recent years, the ratio of debt service has been rising, largely as a result of the aggressive capital program for school projects. The County's debt consultant predicts that this ratio will continue to rise, reaching 10 percent in FY 2022 as a result of increased debt issuances along, with revenue challenges. It is against this background that you wisely submitted the FY 2018 budget to us that did not include the funding of a new Dulaney High School. Your decision ‘was warranted by the facts, and we approved your budget. Ten months later, the facts, viewed objectively, have not changed, and if anything, our fiscal situation today is more precarious than it was then. In light of the fiscal reality facing the County now, any decision to fund a new high school for Dulaney, as well as other equally deserving initiatives, must await the considered judgment of the next County Executive, the next School Board, the next Planning Board, and the next County Council. It would be irresponsible for us to ignore this fiscal reality, and therefore we cannot now support the inclusion of planning funds in the capital program for this new school building. Very truly yours, ‘ . Ton au julian E. Joné t.. Ch Tom Quirk, Councilman Chek, Abron2 ‘Vicki Almond, Councilwoman ‘David Marks, Councilman Cathy Bevis, Councilwoman Todd K. Crandell, Councilman BCC:elb

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