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
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