A Cecil County Council work session held earlier this week indicates that members would like to reduce the County Executive’s proposed budget for FY 2016, instead of approving a property tax increase to fund it. As reported by the Cecil Whig,

Cecil County Council members signaled Tuesday morning that they are looking at cuts and some creative ideas in order to not raise taxes for fiscal year 2016.

The total proposed county operating budget is $255 million, which is 7.8-percent higher than the current operating budget of $236.5 million. County Executive Tari Moore has proposed to raise the county’s property tax rate by 2 percent to help balance her budget plan.

The budget documents highlight items funded in the proposed budget, which includes increased funding for Cecil County Public Schools, Cecil Community College, Cecil County Library System, and substance abuse programs. The budget also provides for an early retirement incentive program.

Council budget deliberations started earlier this week and members plan to pull together their ideas for reductions prior to May 19. The County Council must approve the budget by June 2.