As reported by the Carroll County Times, Carroll County Commissioners approved a $362.6 million proposed budget for FY 2013.  The budget, which will now be discussed during a series of town hall meetings and a public hearing, increases funding for education, and provides for a 1-cent property tax credit and employee bonuses.  From the article:

The board allocated $164 million for Carroll County Public Schools. The board’s proposed allocation is $3 million more than Maintenance of Effort, which is a law requiring counties to provide schools with funding per pupil no less than the prior year.

The school board requested $168.3 million from the county for FY13. The proposed operating plan is $4.3 million less than what the school system asked for. The proposed allocation of $164 million is $540,000 more than the board gave the school system for FY12.

The board voted unanimously in favor of allocating $2 million for a property tax credit for Carroll residents. The allocation would amount to a 1-cent property tax credit per $100 assessed value for FY13.

The board allocated $1.4 million for county employee bonuses in FY13, which would continue on as raises in future years. If kept in the final operating budget, the pay raises are the first for county employees since FY09.