The Allegany County Board of Commissioners adopted the FY 2012 budget on May 26.  The Operating Budget is just under $110 million.  In a Letter to County Residents  published in the Cumberland Times News, the Commissioners stated they had reached these important goals:

1. A rate decrease in property taxes that nearly equals 1/10 of a cent.

2. A total budget which is $2.3M less than FY2011 and $11M less than the levy set two years ago.

3. A budget that has maintained level funding for many critical core functions which includes both the Allegany County Board of Education and Allegany College of Maryland — and shows our continued commitment to keep education as our highest priority by allocating $37,686,022 or 46 percent (includes debt service) of the General Fund.

A budget that provides a reduction in force due to county employee retirements, realizing $1,076,992 in personnel savings.

Cost saving initiatives that have helped control expenses included: Grants for Emergency Management; Block Grant funding; federal and state grants for water and sewer projects; early retirement incentives; flat line funding for outside agencies; and no pay raises for county employees for the third consecutive year.