Members of the Carroll County Board of Commissioners are beginning to ponder what cuts will be enacted in their upcoming budget. The Carroll County Times reports that some of the cuts could affect areas dealing with services, facilities and infrastructure in order to balance the fiscal year 2013 budget. Ted Zaleski, the Director of the county’s Department of Management, further elaborated on the importance of administering these cuts:

The board must now go into the budget process with the expectation of making significant cuts, he said. The county’s finances have gotten to the point where making small changes and broad reductions to departments and agencies will not do, he said. Specific cuts … are necessary.

In addition, county staff members recommended that the board adopt a one year and six year budget plan due to increased costs from the state to counties such as the teacher pension shift.

Because of the increased costs coming from the state, Zaleski said the board must look at the FY13 budget as part of the county’s financial planning for the next six years. The $5 million of surplus the county collected in FY12 should not be used to balance next year’s budget, he said. Using surplus to balance the budget only makes it harder to fund future years’ budgets.