The Carroll County Commissioners, with there of five members newly elected, face a budget crunch driven primarily by the school system’s funding – and face a potential tax increase unless other alternatives arise.
From Carroll County Times coverage, the views of the Commissioners seem split, but all recognize the fiscal challenges they face:
Commissioner Dennis Frazier’s remarks during a budget session Tuesday were met with silence. The Republican commissioner said the only way to accommodate more than $25 million in new funding requests from county agencies and allied organizations is to raise taxes.
“I’m hoping to find another way but I don’t see it,” Frazier, District 3, said at the meeting. “There’s nowhere else this [money] can come from other than a tax increase.”
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Commissioner Doug Howard, R-District 5, said the board is close to getting the budget completed without raising taxes, and he has no interest in doing so. Howard’s intention is to continue lowering taxes during the remainder of his term.