Virus ‘unknowns’ steer ’21 budget

Commission approves a trimmer spending plan, onewith fewer initiatives in it thanwhat’s usual.

Hedging against uncertain revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic, MontgomeryCountyCommission on Tuesday approved a trimmer 2021 budget. But leaders say the $897.6 million will still serve the needs of county residents.

“We’re used to a budget with more initiatives in it,” saidMontgomery County Administrator Michael Colbert. “The impact of COVID-19 has had an impact not just on our budget but (also) on our operations.… The county is stable, and we are able to continue to provide core services to our citizens.”

The 2021 budget approved for county offices and agencies on a calendar year appropriation is roughly 2% less than the $914.5 million firstbudgeted for this year.

Colbert, who presented the budget to commissioners, said there remain many unknowns moving into 2021, including whether new federal stimulus will reach local governments and whether consumer spending will increase or decrease.

“It was really difficult this year because of those unknowns,” he said. “We knowhowthey affected us this year, and we are hopeful that the pandemic will be under control in 2021, but we cannot assume that it will be.”

General fund departmental budgets were cut a minimum 3% across-the-board, with some cutting deeper to bring the total decrease to about 5.8% leaving $170.6 million in the general fund.

The county was able to present a budget with no layoffs or furloughs, but the 2021 budget freezes non-essential hiring and raises will go to only employees contractually due. The county is also experiencing a 7% increase in health insurance rates, Colbert said.

The county has budgeted 33 more full- and part-time employees for a total of 4,272. Of the new positions, 28 will be in the sheriff’s office, primarily jail corrections officers, Colbert said.

“Overall, we expect that personnel, because of the hiring freeze, will be pretty much flatfunded,” he said.

While the jail will get newpositions, the county is delaying a jail modernization project, Colbert said.

“We absolutely know that upgrades need to be made, but we just don’t have the funding available right now to do everything we want to,” he said. “We