Carroll County Commissioners adopted their fiscal 2014 budget this week, which will provide for tax decreases for the third year in a row. The $367 million budget lowers the income tax rate from 3.05% to 3.04% and reduces the personal property tax rate by 3 cents from $2.545 per 100 to $2.515 per 100. Other budget highlights were reported in the Westminster Patch.
Other highlights from the fiscal year budget include:
- $1.5 million (3 percent) increase in compensation for county employees
- Funds the cost of the teacher pension shift, which is $5.1 million dollars in FY 14 growing to an estimated $7.8 million in FY 19.
- Funding for Sunday hours at the Eldersburg Library ($55,000)
- Sheriff’s Office staffing increases ($232,000)
- Create a hardship fund to help the towns when hard-hit by stringent regulations ($200,000)
- Education Opportunity Fund for supplies for non-public school children ($400,000)
- Technology money for Community College and Libraries ($1 million)
- Performance audit funding ($100,000)
- Flat funding for county-funded nonprofits including Human Service Programs.