County Administrator Bryan Hill unveiled a proposed $187.7 million budget for fiscal year 2016 on Wednesday afternoon, including an 8.2 cent increase in the real estate tax rate. The tax hike would boost the real estate tax from 77 cents per $100 of assessed value to 85.2 cents.

The tax increase, if passed, would be the first for James City County in nearly two decades. But getting that done will be contentious as a trio of conservative groups have already launched a campaign to oppose any tax hikes. Adding to the political pressure is three of the boards seats are up for election this fall.

Starting Thursday evening, the Board of Supervisors will host individual meetings in each of their districts to discuss the budget.

Hill stressed the budget was a "fiscally conservative plan" aimed at addressing long-needed items for the county.

"As your county administrator, I was hired to bring a fresh set of eyes to county operations and to go out into the community to listen to the citizens," Hill wrote in a memo to the Board of Supervisors.

"The Board of Supervisors stressed their desire to move the county forward, maintain our AAA bond rating and our quality community," Hill said.

"In reviewing operations, there is a need to address the inevitable challenges associated with a decreasing water supply, stormwater, schools, economic development and the appearance of the county, which includes aging infrastructure, increased capital maintenance as well as ensuring our attractiveness to numerous tourists."

Without the tax increase, Hill said the budget was otherwise fiscally flat, just $200,000 above the plan approved last year by the board at $178.7 million.

"I have five strategic initiatives, tell me what you would like to do, tell me what you would like not to do," Hill said, referring to the upcoming budget discussions.

Revenue

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James City proposed budget seeks 8.2-cent tax hike

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The report on Harford County Public Schools building needs is in, and Havre de Grace is out.

Members of the Jacobs Engineering Group project team, who have been hired by the Harford County government to assess all county buildings and facilities and develop a countywide facilities master plan, presented their findings related to school system facilities to the Harford County Board of Education Monday.

Not all board members, however, agreed with the team's findings, especially with the rankings of the facilities that are in the worst shape and should be targeted for extensive renovations or replacement.

The 10 buildings that have the highest overall scores in terms of their needs in descending order are starting at number 1 the John Archer School near Bel Air; Old Post Road Elementary School in Edgewood; the intermediate building at Youth's Benefit Elementary School in Fallston; the primary building at Youth's Benefit; the Homestead building at Homestead/Wakefield Elementary School in Bel Air; the Hickory Annex, which is the school system's headquarters for facilities management; Hickory Elementary School; Prospect Mill Elementary School near Bel Air; Roye-Williams Elementary School near Havre de Grace; and the main building at William Paca-Old Post Road, according to a list included in the summary report for the county.

Board member Tom Fitzpatrick, who represents the Havre de Grace area and has been working with members of the community to push state and county officials to replace the aging Havre de Grace Middle and High School buildings, took issue with the rankings.

"I found it rather odd that three facilities in our school system that are at least 50 years old did not make that list," Fitzpatrick said, citing Havre de Grace Middle, Havre de Grace High and Joppatowne High School.

School officials have been developing architectural plans to create a replacement combined middle and high school for Havre de Grace that would support 1,300 students, but those plans are on hold as Harford County will not provide its share of capital funding for construction.

Harford County Executive Barry Glassman announced shortly after he took office that he wants to curtail capital funds for projects throughout Harford and focus on the county government's "human capital."

Fitzpatrick noted that Havre de Grace Middle was built in 1967, and "it has never received a comprehensive renovation."

"It's hard for me to understand why a building like that is not number one on your list," he said.

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Harford school board members debate rankings of school facility needs during presentation on facilities master plan

ST. PAUL, Minn. (PRWEB) March 18, 2015

Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing, Heating & Air, an HVAC and plumbing company serving the Twin Cities area, recognizes March as Flood Awareness Month by offering some useful tips for homeowners to take action in order to protect their homes from the threat of a flood.

According to a New York Times article, the state of Minnesota declared a state emergency in 35 counties last year after enduring the most widespread flood damage it has had in years. The impacts of the rainfall caused delayed working schedules, flooding in homes and businesses, mudslides, and numerous transportation issues.

Last years floods were a nightmare, causing extensive damage to homes throughout the Twin Cities, said Andy Ryan, general manager at Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing, Heating & Air. This year, we want to make sure we take every measure possible to avoid last years mess and keep residents safe.

With flood season right around the corner, Ryan stresses the importance for homeowners to take proper measures in order to protect their homes, belongings, and families. MSP Plumbing, Heating, and Air offers services such as home plumbing inspections and sump pump installation and repair to ensure residents are prepared in the event of a potential flood.

Throughout flood season, Twin Cities homeowners rely on sump pumps to remove excess water from areas prone to flooding, such as basements. With proper sump pump installation and usage, groundwater can be safely collected and discharged from the property without coming into the home.

Ryan also suggests installing power-outage protecting, or battery back-up, systems. These specific systems allow customers sump pumps to continue working efficiently even when power is knocked out during heavy spring or summer storms.

Not every home in the Twin Cities area is equipped with a sump pump, and if they are battery back-up systems are almost never installed," said Ryan. Taking the proper steps now is crucial for residents to save time and money while protecting their homes from the damaging impacts of floods and heavy rainfall.

Residents can also take small, every-day measures toward prevention such as investing into a flood insurance policy, elevating appliances twelve inches and placing them on cinder blocks, anchoring appliances that are unable to be elevated, and storing all items with high value in higher places within the home.

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MSP Plumbing, Heating & Air Recognizes Flood Awareness Month

November levy By MARLA K. KUHLMAN Wednesday March 18, 2015 12:05 PM View Larger

Gahanna-Jefferson's Middle School West will be one of the first district buildings to benefit from the 2.16-mill continuing permanent-improvements levy voters approved in November.

School Schmidt, executive director of elementary education, told the school board March 12 the first project to go to bid is window replacements at Middle School West. A pre-bid meeting will be March 23, with bids due March 31.

He said the work with architect Legat Kingscott is moving forward as planned.

Schmidt said updates would be provided in April regarding all of the projects in the district this summer.

November's levy is expected to raise about $3 million annually and is earmarked for fixing damaged roofs, replacing aging school buses and costly and outdated HVAC systems, updating classroom technology and replacing old and energy-inefficient windows.

The funds may be used only for items with a life expectancy of at least five years.

Schmidt said work also has started on the district's master facilities plan.

He said district administrators have been meeting with the architect to gather historical data, energy-conservation project House Bill 264 data, permanent improvements data and current conditions and curricular needs.

Schmidt said a 25-member committee is being formed to include school staff, parents and community members. The committee will begin meeting at the end of March.

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Improvements to begin at Middle School West

JOLIET A years-long transition to digitize material remains a massive undertaking for public libraries across the U.S. but that changeover can decelerate quickly when faced with flat funding, space constraints and a constant need for upgrades and repairs.

Libraries are further behind the technology curve than leaders want them to be, making it harder to serve communities.

The Joliet Public Library is addressing some of these challenges this year.

Library leaders are in the early stages of developing a strategic planning program. Last week, the library system hosted focus group sessions at the downtown location and its Black Road branch to gain input from the public.

A balancing act in Joliet

The Joliet librarys $6.83 million budget coupled with the librarys $5.73 million property tax levy that hasnt budged in five years leaves little wiggle room for capital improvements and future planning, said Kevin Medows, Joliet Public Library director.

We have two primary concerns. One is keeping the building operational. Our normal annual budget needs to be able to do that, Medows said. Then theres sort of this big picture, and that is shaping our whole physical space to serve our public the best way possible. Thats going to happen through renovations.

Years of flat property tax revenue have forced the library to use its reserve funds, Medows said. The library is eyeing a tax increase in 2016 to avoid depleting its operational and capital improvements reserves, he said.

This year, the library pulled $650,000 from cash reserves to pay for a long list of capital expenditures and slated equipment replacements. The library has a faulty HVAC system, an aging roof and other much-needed building repair and maintenance issues.

Some of that money also will go toward expenses related to service contracts and increased workers compensation.

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Maintenance costs, tech upgrades a balancing act for cash-strapped Joliet Public Library

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DEMAREST The Northern Valley Regional High School District will hold a $13 million referendum March 10 on a funding proposal for upgrades to Demarest High School and Old Tappan High School.

In addition, the project would construct a new building at Demarest for a self-contained special education program that has outgrown its current facility in Closter.

The district was able to qualify for 36 to 40 percent in state debt aid, which means that taxpayers would be responsible for only 64 percent of the costs, said Interim schools Superintendent Larry Hughes.

The costs would be split among the seven sending districts of Closter, Demarest, Harrington Park, Haworth, Northvale, Norwood and Old Tappan. A 15-year bond would be arranged. The estimated tax impact per year would range from $49 for the average household in Closter residents to $65 for Old Tappan residents.

Hughes emphasized that the changes are sorely needed and that the board was thrifty with property owners tax dollars. Its a carefully planned project, he said. These are necessary improvements.

Among the improvement slated for both high school campuses are renovations to the tennis and basketball courts and track, HVAC unit replacements, auditorium updates and classrooms renovated into STEM Labs.

Now was the ideal time to borrow money because of low interest rates, said Hughes. The district also was able to qualify for 36 to 40 percent in state debt aid, which means that taxpayers would be responsible for only 64 percent of the costs, he said.

Hughes said he is optimistic residents will vote in favor of the project and that he has seen no opposition to the ballot proposal thus far.

We have fantastic facilities, but they are aging, he said. People move here for our schools, so we need to maintain and support them.

If the referendum approves funding, construction would begin as early as May, he said, adding that work will be done during the summer so that it will not interfere with instruction. Work is expected to be completed by 2017.

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Northern Valley Regional High School District to hold $13M referendum on upgrades

Montgomery County could face difficult decisions if the state doesnt help fulfill the school districts funding request for capital projects, officials said Monday.

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett has recommended approving the county school boards requested $1.74 billion fiscal 2015-20 Capital Improvements Program. Leggetts recommendation banks on the success of a state bill to direct more school construction money to the county.

The county wants to secure an added stream of state aid within the six-year capital program time frame, said county spokesman Patrick Lacefield. Theres no alternative to the continued efforts to get additional revenue, he said.

A meeting Monday between school officials and the County Councils Education Committee was part of an ongoing push for more state funding. County leaders want Maryland legislators to ramp up school construction dollars to support Montgomery projects that would add space amid rising enrollment and repair aging buildings.

County Councilman Craig L. Rice emphasized on Monday the countys reliance on state aid to fund the school district.

Its my hope that not only our representatives in Annapolis, but also our governor, certainly understands that the largest school system in the state, and one of the best school systems in the nation, is at risk, and its at risk of really losing ground when it comes to making sure that were continuing to be able to meet the need of our constituency, said Rice, the council committees chair.

If the Maryland General Assembly doesnt pass the school construction bill in the current legislative session, the county school district could face a cut of $213.3 million from its requested six-year capital program.

The school board has asked for an amended capital program totaling $1.74 billion. The boards request is $223.3 million higher than the previously approved program of $1.53 billion.

School board President Patricia ONeill said Monday that if the district doesnt get the capital money it requested, it might need to delay revitalization and expansion projects, additions and projects such as roof replacements and HVAC equipment.

In Annapolis, Leggett, ONeill and interim Superintendent Larry Bowers urged state lawmakers on Feb. 18 to support a bill to establish a Supplemental Public School Construction Matching Fund Program.

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Montgomery County officials continue plea for state school aid -- Gazette.Net