Washington County Commissioners recently approved the county’s fiscal 2013 operating  and capital budgets, both of which are lower than those adopted for fiscal 2012.    The county’s operating budget is $285.2 million, 2% less than fiscal 2012; and its capital budget is funded at $45.3 million, 8% less.  As reported by the herald-mail.com:

The county’s property tax rate will remain at 94.8 cents per $100 of assessed value, where it has stood since 2001.

This year’s budget will include a one-time $1,000 stipend for all full-time county employees, after three years in which employees didn’t get any boost in their pay.

In addition, county employees will get a half-step raise starting Jan. 1.

A reduction in the county’s workforce is helping to fund the employee stipend and half-step raise. The county has reduced its workforce from 780 employees to 743.

On the capital side:

The county estimates each year how much debt it can afford as a guide to forming a capital-project budget.

For fiscal year 2013, the debt level for capital projects was set at $14 million.

However, the commissioners, at the insistence of their president, Terry Baker, have agreed to use up to $2 million in expected savings from certain projects to cut the debt level to $12 million.