Public Safety in Washington County Sees Investment from General Fund and Capital Expenditures
An $8M general fund budget enhancement for public safety looks to be moving through the county approval process in Washington County. This brings the total expenditure up to $75M for fiscal year 2024.
From the budget guide concerning public safety:
This category includes costs for law enforcement and emergency services. For fiscal year 2024, this category increased by $8 million and was mainly impacted by mid-year salary adjustments and the proposed step and COLA increase.
Additionally, capital expenditures and debt service accounted for public safety projects from both the past and the future. In capex, the public safety division saw another $6.6M to include earmarks for training related updates and equipment costs. Debt service overall was 5% of the general fund at $16M noting:
Approximately 43% of debt service costs are for education and public safety projects, such as new schools and detention center facilities.