From Harford County government:
Harford County Executive Barry Glassman has proposed a fiscally responsible budget for fiscal year 2016 that is nearly $3 million smaller overall than last year with no tax increases, yet provides record funding for school system operations and merit-based pay increases for qualifying county employees. In his first budget as county executive, Mr. Glassman proposes the smallest capital budget in ten years to halt the trend of yearly increases in new debt and to allow the county to retain the highest-possible Triple-A bond rating. In addition to proposing salary enhancements for county employees, made possible through ongoing efficiency measures, the county executive’s budget also provides additional funding to raise salaries for employees of outside agencies, including the Board of Education and the Sheriff’s Office. Half of the county’s new revenue is directed toward K-12 education. The FY2016 budget, which totals $732 million overall, also includes county funding earmarked for treatment of heroin addiction for the first time ever.
County Executive Glassman’s proposed budget will be formally presented on Tuesday to the Harford County Council and posted on the county website www.harfordcountymd.gov. The text of his budget message appears below.
A Message from Harford County Executive Barry Glassman:
My first budget proposal as county executive charts a new path forward by restoring balance and fiscal responsibility for our citizens and employees.
For fiscal year 2016, revenue projections show only modest growth overall, with new money for general operations increasing by 1.6%, or $7.7 million. In addition, prior spending has drained our unassigned fund balance from $30 million to $6 million, and more than doubled taxpayer-supported debt to $500 million over the past ten years. Rising debt is not sustainable with low revenue growth. We must begin to change course.
At my inauguration in December, I said that changes would not happen overnight, and the economy would not turn on a dime, but my administration would seize the chance to make a difference. This budget begins to restore fiscal balance, strengthen families and communities, and reinvest in our workforce, even as we improve services. This is the path I have chosen to move Harford County forward as Maryland’s new center of opportunity.
My total proposed budget for the fiscal year 2016 including all funds is $731,898,044, a decrease of .4% or $2,861,350 from the current year. The total budget includes a General Fund Operating Budget of $502,604,595 and a Capital Budget of $89,641,500. Highlights appear below.
RESTORING BALANCE & EFFICIENCY
– No tax increases
– Lowest level of capital spending in 10 years, deferring large new capital projects and halting the trend of yearly increases in new debt
– Realistic six-year Capital Improvement Program, which helped Harford County retain the highest possible Triple-A bond rating and save money on financing costs
– Rightsizing of the county workforce, eliminating 67 positions thus far, and living within our means through ongoing efficiency measures
REINVESTING IN OUR WORKFORCE
– Merit-based salary increases of $1,000 per qualifying county employee; no new money is needed to fund this increase, due to our efficiency measures
– Support for employees in the Sheriff’s Office, Public Library, State’s Attorney’s Office and Circuit Court system, with increased funding equivalent to $500 per employee, and encouragement for their leaders to provide matching funds for salary enhancements
INVESTING IN EDUCATION
– Funding for Harford County Public Schools at a record level
– Half of the county’s new revenue directed to K-12 education
– Operating funding for HCPS at $228,208,971, or $5,062,039 above the Maintenance of Effort requirement
– Support for teachers, with $3.1 million in increased funding for salaries and encouragement for the Board of Education to provide matching funds for salary enhancements
– Classroom technology upgrades of $250,000 in capital funding for HCPS
– Restoration of $300,000 in operating funds for Harford Community College that had been cut under the prior county administration
STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES
– First-ever county funding for treatment of heroin addiction, with an initial $100,000
– Creation of a $50,000 EMS Community Service Training Scholarship, offering training in exchange for public service
– Increased funding of $150,000 for ambulance services provided by the Harford County EMS Foundation
CAPITAL PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
· Storm water remediation projects funded at $6 million; despite our repeal of the rain tax, this amount is more county funding than in the past 8 years combined; projects are funded by redirecting and leveraging a portion of the existing recordation tax
· Road and bridge repairs: $5,640,000
· Parks and recreation facility repairs and construction: $1,935,000
· Priority repairs for Volunteer Fire Company facilities: $600,000
· Upgrades to replace the county’s antiquated and inefficient computer software and hardware: $3,112,500
· Support for higher education with FY2017 funding planned for Harford Community College’s Edgewood Hall renovation
· Havre de Grace Middle/High School replacement project retained in the six-year Capital Improvement Program, contingent upon revenues
Relevant to this budget proposal are the actions my administration has taken in our first four months in office to revive job growth and business activity. With the help of our County Council, we repealed the rain tax, removing an unfair burden on businesses and other taxpayers. My administration also created a one-stop-shop for businesses to launch, relocate and grow in Harford County. Consolidating our Office of Economic Development at a modern facility on the Route 40 Corridor locates these vital services near Aberdeen Proving Ground and our growing knowledge-based economic sector. And we finally succeeded in implementing a hotel tax, using the proceeds for grants to spur tourism and the other businesses that flourish when visitors come to town. With these early actions we have laid the groundwork to capitalize on an improving economy.
In the near term, my administration is streamlining county operations to live within our means and better serve our customers. Actions include outsourcing, consolidating office space and using technology to improve services. In response to fiscal pressures, we are also rightsizing our workforce with a successful early retirement incentive, backfilling only essential roles and offering those opportunities to existing employees whenever possible.
Fiscal pressures are also the reason I announced in January that we would temporarily defer large new capital projects. No matter how worthy these projects may be, borrowing tens of millions of dollars must be done at the right pace to ensure our financial stability. This realistic and sustainable approach to future borrowing was recognized by the major bond rating agencies in granting us their highest possible Triple-A rating.
In closing, I want to thank the many citizens who shared their input at Harford County’s first-ever virtual town hall meeting on the budget. Along with your emails, phone calls and letters, I appreciate your help in putting together a budget that reflects our shared priorities and this new path forward.
I also want to thank my budget team, and all of our county workers who work with integrity and diligence each day in service of our customers, the citizens of Harford County.
Thank you very much for raise. At least it shows a commitment to the employees who provide the services. The recent reduction allowed some efficiencies to afford a raise,wishes the BOE would use the same process to find money in their budget. BOE is getting $5 million more than last year but will cry because they don’t get the $30million they wanted. A huge thanks for putting our humans instead of Kore shinny buildings.
Golden shinny buildings
Dissatisfied with the continued non support for deputies. I don’t even remember what is like to get a raise in this county. Memo to the CE,the Sheriff’s office doesn’t have the type of overhead and extra places to hide friends and family. Our department gets funds through HCGand it is your responsibility to provide the funding needed not only to maintain operations but provide raises from time to time not just send a partial raise and ask our department to provide the rest. We don’t have the taxing authority, your office does. We provide full service, not half service. Stop the lip service and act accordingly sinc we give our best and you give much less than needed but not even close to a minimum level. Respectfully submitted..
Its not a lack of support for law enforcement. Its the fact that the economy and the state of this county are still not that great. Most private sector jobs have not received a significant raise in over 5 years. I believe HCSO got an average of a 15% raise in 2007?? Also in 2012 for law enforcement and 2014 for corrections the master deputy position was created. Which gives a deputy with more then 10 years service a 5-7% pay raise automatically when they hit the 10 year mark.
2007.? That’s a disgrace. THAT WAS 8 YEARS AGO!!!!! What about the deputies with 8 years on. No raise since the academy?
They get almost a 10% raise after being on the job for 2 years. It’s an automatic raise. So if your going to complain at least get your facts straight.
You sure? I think that is the step they didn’t get!!!!
There are deputies who, if they were promoted to corporal today, would be making less as a supervisor than they should currently be making as a DFC. Most deputies are making at least $10k/year less than what they should be making.
There are now 5 academy classes who have graduated since any deputy last got a step increase. A deputy with 8 years of experience is making exactly the same as deputy with 2 years experience.
I’ll be more than happy to kick the senior deputy bs to the curb if our steps would get funded (as would just about everyone in the agency except the few people at the top of the payscale who were the only ones really pushing for the senior deputy to begin with.)
Sounds to me like poor Union leadership. Did your Union support the Master Deputy rank?
HCSO has not seen ANY INCREASE in pay what so ever not even steps not cola NOTA NOTHiNg in 8 years…where do these people get their info…the HCSO would be happy with just their steps….no steps no raise …wth
A great deal of people feel as though 15% eight years ago is plenty for Deputies (Nick Jenkins). That was to actually make our salary back in 2007 “middle of the pack” aka an average salary compared to our counterparts. Say what you want about whining, overpaid, there’s no crime in Harford County, etc., but Deputies deserve to be paid there actual base salary that was promised to them when they came here and chose Harford County. This may sound cocky but the Harford County Deputies are the best of the best in the State. We are well educated, professional, and really keep the County safe. We are surrounded by high crime areas such as Baltimore/County and Cecil County, have I 95 and the Route 40 corridor yet keep this area safe. If the county government can’t even pay the true base salaries of Deputies, Teachers, State’s Attorneys Office employees, then i’m sorry but I guess you have to raise taxes then. I live here, eat here, sleep here, and work here and I don’t want to pay more taxes, but it sure seems to me like its a necessary evil to be able to claw out of this tremendous debt and actually be able to truly pay your county employees. We have a great group of government employees here whether you agree or not its the truth. It’s imperative to find a way to fund EVERYONE’s pay plan. I’m not thrilled with the $500 increase, but I’m not jumping off the Glassman bandwagon yet, he’s a smart man that has to undue the S*** Show his predecesser created, give him till at least year three of his term to right the ship, sucks but lets be honest this is not an overnight thing.
What is a Deputy’s yearly salary in HC? What is a a deputy’s yearly salary in CC and BC? How long does a deputy attend college?
The average salary is approximately $4,000-5,000 more per step in Baltimore County compared to Harford County. For example starting salary for HC is $44,000 and some change and Baltimore County is $48,000 and some change. Problem is not just the salary difference its that other jurisdictions have taken care of their cops and funded steps (maybe not all but some) so we have fallen behind in a tremendous way. As far as college, I’m not sure if that’s a dig to say “they are not even college educated” but just FYI the six month police academy was more difficult and challenging then four years of college in my opinion. FYI if you are hired and don’t have college then you earn virtually an Associate’s Degree in 6 months as far as recognized college credits. In addition to the academy Deputies attend a wide variety of advanced specialized schools, its no longer a blue collar job, instead its a recognized profession. Lastly, I think you would be pleasantly surprised as to how many of your Deputies possess college degrees (despite having tuition remission stripped from us as far as a benefit). Hope this helps with your questions!
I’ll believe it when I see it. We have lost sooo much $$$ by teaching in Harford County, and that’s $$$ we will never get back. What has happened in this county is a crime. Total disrespect for teachers.
Maybe the county would respect teachers if the teachers respected economics and government finance?
Can’t play that card. Harford County was ranked 61st county in wealth nationwide, and 11th in the state. It ranked ahead of surrounding counties, Baltimore and Cecil, whose teachers have received step increases and pay raises.
So I think the teachers really do have a legitimate gripe; if other counties, less wealthy counties, can afford to give the teachers steps and raises, something is going on that is keeping Harford teachers from getting the same. And it’s NOT because the county is poverty stricken.
Our real estate and income taxes are in line with Baltimore and Cecil, and higher than PG and Montgomery
You have the wonders of the wealth formula and the political backstabbing of Annapolis to blame for the funding issues. We have just enough money that they can ignore our needs under the wealth formula, and we don’t vote the way that would make them care to change it.
Interesting arguement because Montgomery and Howard are wealthier and have no problem giving raises. Where is the money going from these higher taxes?
hah. Can’t argue with Kharn. He will talk out his @ss and make no sense, but never admit he’s wrong. Harford County is the only county that can’t figure it out I guess.
Card – Here we go again. MD and its counties are only wealthy on paper because it has an abundance of government employees, who make so much more than the private sector. I know you don’t believe it but you cannot tax each other to pay each others salaries. It takes those ole private sector dollars to pay for all those ‘goobermint’ employees.
AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, you really think that government employees do not pay taxes? How stupid and uneducated are you really? Any person that lives in HC also pays the same taxes that YOU pay. It is always so amazing to me how stupid some people really are.
Harford County is 112th, which is a far cry from your claim. You should use current data when making such statements. We’re working our way DOWN the wealth ladder which makes budgets like this one stupid and unsustainable.
The resource I used was from the US Census Bureau, and is published as a pdf file you can download from the Harford County Economic Developement website. From this resource you can see for yourself where County stands economically. There are 3,144 counties in the US. So even if your information was accurate (which it’s not), that would put Harford County in the 96th percentile in terms of wealth. So again, the poverty card isn’t going to hold up here.
Rank Per capita
income
11 Montgomery $49,038
15 Howard $48,172
42 Anne Arundel $40,415
59 Calvert $38,260
61 Queen Anne’s $38,108
63 Talbot $38,022
80 Charles $37,277
86 Frederick $36,917
Maryland $36,354
101 Carroll $36,153
105 St. Mary’s $36,017
112 Harford $35,425
135 Baltimore County $34,374
187 Worcester $32,887
208 Prince George’s $32,344
247 Kent $31,502
362 Cecil $29,518
737 Washington County $26,532
755 Dorchester $26,388
965 Wicomico $25,378
1012 Caroline $25,211
1062 Garrett $24,932
1103 Baltimore City $24,750
2043 Allegany $21,211
2958 Somerset $16,748
Per capita income is different from median household or average household income.
If you want to use per capita, that’s fine. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Harford County income per capita was 117.5% of the national average. And again, using per capita income puts Harford County in the 96th percentile in terms of wealth.
And again I say: when it comes to paying the teachers and police officers, “we’re too poor” is an invalid argument.
Government and finance sound like oxymorons to me. Google a July ’14 Bmore Sun article on area county teacher raises. Harford consistently below neighboring counties with similar or worse demographics. Others are ahead in total compensation and still giving better raised. Harford County is a possibility poor excuse for a county.
Over-under…. Why would anybody want to work for this county? I know people don’t want to live here…. Oh, wait! That’s just MD. Could it have been the 40 new taxes and fees since 2007? How many of those are gone? How much bloated government is gone?
All you care about is that “others are ahead in total compensation.” To each his own.
Say what?
If someone wishes to remain a teacher for 20/25 years, retire, move to a state that doesn’t tax their pension and then get a real job (while earning a tax free pension) then teachers here (in Harford county) should practice better fiscal responsibility.
Most people have a spending problem, not an earning problem.
At the end of the day its all about taking care of yourself, not your students
I’d drive at least a 15 year old well maintained 4×4, not live in a cheap, falling apart 350,000 dollar cookie cutter builder c house with shingles blowing off, door knobs falling off, siding falling down, drywall screws popping out, furnace falling apart after 5 years.
How many teachers got liens on <5 year old "hot hot" stylish SUVs and cars?
Hey. You could always submit yourself into teacher of the year, hope to win and drive a gawdy stickered up piece of junk lease car from a scumbag dealership around here for a year. Am I jealous? You bet I am, but heck, I would at least entertain the idea of a cash payout instead of a lease.
Thumb me down, butt sniffers.
After 21 years, with roughly 167,000 dollars take home pay for the past 5, decided I’m retiring this Summer.
It literally blows me away what you can get elsewhere in this country for property and a house as compared to what we pay for average neighborhood lot here in this state.
Moving to a income tax free state, think I’ll start my next career too.
I’ll have a decent retirement pension, albeit not as good as 30, good health care and will have another job.
What will I do? Probably buy a 45′ boat and fishing charters. I can pay cash for it all, even if I’m half sucessful as I think. I’m still financially secure.
I drive a 1996 Ford Ranger, by the way. Dents, faded paint, youd never know the guy driving it was a “baller.”
Why thumb me down, haters? Because you wish you had planned debt free, money making, solid plan and got lucky without being laid off or fired?
I may even buy another education. Checking account is flush with 3.2 million.
Maybe I’ll sell my Ford Ranger and get a couple really high dollar euro sports cars. I’ll get the vanity plate “BGWANG” on it too, because, that’s true too.
There is no thumbs down anymore bozo boy which is why your other BS is just that BS. I thought you were going to Florida and earn the big bucks? What happened to that plan? However, you are entertaining.
Who’s the bozo? Me? Or you, replying a 9 month old lost? Can’t read timestamps? The “thumbs down” was here, 9 months ago.
I am in FL, making the big bucks you never will.
dream on – a bit angry are we? If you are in Florida, why are you still posting on here? What a lifestyle change you have made-none. So entertaining. I love to troll for Dagger fish, especially on the teacher pages which are the hot spots. I never get disappointed.
Eliminating 67 positions is a smoke screen. The HCSO absorbed animal control and the county buildings security positions. What did they get in return……..zilch. How many more years must public service go without a raise? How can you encourage the Sheriff to match funding for your “DAVID CRAIG STYLE BONUS” when you forced positions on the HCSO and decreased their budget? Can’t the HCSO refuse to absorb those positions without a significant increase to their budget?
Barry is funding the positions that HCSO absorbed
So we’re clear……..it’s not eliminating if you transfer funds from the county to the HCSO. The private sector…….the private sector in many cases get bonuses, unless you are referring to minimum wage jobs.
Nick Jenkins, the past 2 terms of county executives turned their backs on the county employees and poured all over the BOE. I’m sorry the governor messed up their pensions We had to suck it up and press on for 8 years with little to no compensation, unless you’re counting the “Craig Bonus.” County employees provide services To the citizens of Harford County. Reduction in pay should equate to reducton in services. I know the CE’s haven’t taken money but they havn’t kept of with inflation due to lack of colas. Essentially county employees are all a little more broke thanks to a new failure from leadership.
The county’s IT department is being outsourced, from what I’ve heard.
Not, it is not being outsourced. Where do you people hear these dumb things. That division actually became a department under Craig and now had a director and it was also moved to a newly build structure that cost millions (all done under Craig), They are not in the building that emergency services is in. Get your facts straight before posting dumb things that get passed on and are so untrue. So many things that some citizens type into this forum is totally wrong and mis informed. The sad state of affairs is that the general public is totally unaware of what is going on or has been going on. Constantly there are comments about that employees should not get raised etc. etc. Do you people not realize that country employees have not gotten raises in about 8 years, no COLAs either… they still have to contend with rising prices in groceries, gasoline… they all pay all the same taxes as you citizens do….. they pay property taxes also and college tuitions for their children. What do you suggest? that they work and provide services to you citizens without adequate pay? Too many people are truly dumb and totally disrespectful of others. Wake up and look at the things that are really wrong. One of them was total mis management of budgets and funds, like buying up land that was not needed, or building structures that also were not really necessary. And all the while the lowly employees were dismissed by saying the budgets did not allow step increases for employees. When the truth is that favorite people got raises and promotions all along during the terms of these county executives. And this same thing is going on again and continuing. HC citizens wake up and do some research and then maybe you will be able to honestly comment on some of these things.
Irene,
Your statements don’t match the rumors I’ve heard about upcoming IT services contracts.
And yes, county workers haven’t had raises or COLAs in 8 years. Guess what? Neither has anyone else. The economy has been in the dumpster since 2008, being in the government doesn’t insulate you from recession.
Does this county have any significant surplus for a rainy day fund?
Its a shame that only 100,000 dollars can be put towards a huge Heroin epidemic in this county. Is that the price tag the county is putting on the problem?
Obamacare will pay for the ambulance ride and the stay at Upper Chesapeake.
“Obamacare will pay for the ambulance ride…”
What a foolish comment. “Obamacare” is a law requiring people to purchase health insurance, not an insurance program. So if you obey the law and buy insurance, then your insurance will “pay for the ambulance ride and the stay at Upper Chesapeake.”
Now if you’re one of those highly intelligent people who haven’t obtained insurance, then you either pay out of pocket (have fun with that) or, as in the pre-“Obamacare” days, we lucky taxpayers get to pay for your irresponsibility.
SMH… it’s 2015 and there are still people who have no understanding of the ACA, or even a basic understanding of health insurance…
Even ACA enrollees don’t seem to understand what they’ve signed up for. I’ve seen several throw a fit when they were told they would have to pay bills for services rendered as they hadn’t reached their deductible yet.
Please stick my raise up your @&$
Wowzer – BLS numbers show us that the average net income of those leaving MD is $48k while the average net income of those coming into MD is under $40k. That is all you need to know. The tax base is going bye, bye. Zip, done, over. Worse yet, not raising taxes changes nothing. All the fees, taxes and regulations from the previous years remain… oh, rain tax… big deal.
Ask and ask for a government employee raise – better yet, demand it. It changes nothing. You want a raise? Find at least 10% of your fellow employees to get rid of. Maybe it will stop the bleeding so taxes can also be reduced. You need people who make a living to actually want to live here and new businesses to actually want to move here.
Well Mr Glassman …u ran on ur promise to tale care of ur teachers and HCSO…and myself along with many others voted for you and pushed for friends and family to do the same …enjoy ur time in office …because u have already failed the majority you promised to help..you didn’t do what you said you would do…so we will show you and the others that didn’t follow through with their campaign promises of taking care of our teachers and officers who allows u to keep that position you hold…are your children’s education only worth a $1000 a year…is your safety only worth $1000 a year …well remember u get what you pay for…and we will remember we get what we vote for…and you will not get our votes again….pathetic and worthless every single govt official dems and repubs…
Completely agree!
You should use proper spelling when you are advocating for increased salaries for teachers, it might give the community the impression you’re worth the money.
I bet he’s worth it when you call for help
I don’t think he’s a teacher, Kharn.
Really Kharn, I apologize for the spelling…and not proof reading..and allowing my emotions to get the best of me…technology has gotten the best of me with its spell check….however I am sure my point was made…HCSO has not had a COLA nor have they even been granted their steps now in over 7 years… NOTHING…so this means officers that were hired 7 yrs ago make exactly the same as a rookie. .. That should scare everyone in Harford county…and these officers with experience are leaving and going elsewhere… Because they can not afford to be police in Harford county ..that’s doesn’t make me feel safe …teachers have not had a raise or step increase in over 5 years…we are losing good teachers to surrounding counties …thus giving us young inexperienced teachers to teach our children…this is not good ..nor safe …where are our priorities ..it is pathetic …and completely irresponsible.. Of our state and county reps..however their pockets are still remaining full along with raises they do not deserve…
gbmch,
What difference does one teacher’s experience make, as long as HCPS can meet the goals for standardized testing and keep the AP classes full across the board?
The state established metrics across the various tested subjects, as long as HCPS meets them, they should be turning out exceptional graduates who are all able to earn a living, work a trade, or succeed in a 4-year college. Right?
It’s ok. I forgive you. I just feel that all teachers and deputies are overpaid. Our brilliant children learn on their own and Harford County is crime free. We really don’t nee them.
Need, sorry. See, technology can even throw off people like the great Kharn.
Kharn…you just lost me at teachers and officers are over paid..you obviously have no clue and are obviously the uneducated one here…u r clueless…know what you are debating before you speak your mind …
gbmch,
Dagger doesn’t restrict posters from using names already used by other people.
In a Kharnian civilization, what is the ideal teacher and deputy salary?
Curious,
It would be subject to individual negotiation between the employee and their supervisor.
Rock star with solid history of performance? $75k+
Chair warmer? Minimum wage.
Minimum Wage? I doubt that even McDonalds employees are paid at this rate.
Right Kharn. That’s a great point about a typo. SMH at the typical Dagger Idiot Lemmings straying from the point to just post more garbage and refresh for thumbs up so they can feel good about themselves.
He’s not a teacher. Kharn maybe you should try to quit your addiction to teacher bashing. You better hit that 12 step program again.
gbmch – You’re late duder, way late. That question has been asked and answered by the giant sucking sound of good paying private sector jobs leaving the state.
You want ‘Mo money’ because you deserve ‘Mo money’ for what you believe really matters… that being you. Here’s a clue – No, No on the Mo, Mo. Elvis has left the building.
And you believed him??? They will say whatever they need to for votes. Plain and simple. He could care less about teachers in HARCO. If he did, he’d make up for the past 5-6 years.
I guess we should appreciate Barry for trying, unlike his predecessor. $1000 is a little underwhelming, especially if it’s meant to make up for 6 years. It doesn’t even beat year over year inflation. I suppose it’s crazy to assume Harford County will try to compete with nearby counties for salary. We are 7-12%behind, unfortunately the $1000 actually puts us further behind. Nice try.
Keep in mind that the “underwhelming” salary increase will be off-set by the increase cost employees will be paying for the medical benefit.
Therefore, it’s a wash (no net increase in take home pay). 🙁
Really – So, try and tell us that you haven’t been a supporter of the clowns that passed the law which screwed up the medical system. Go ahead. Tell us.
Work more with less. Can’t cut back on services. Show up early and stay late. At least once a week bosses are telling us jobs are on the line. Here’s $1000 – don’t spend it all in one place. But it’s ok to spend the money to rehab the CE’s floor in the office building and paint stairways so it looks nice on the walk up for the elite?
Fiscally responsible my a$$! Mr. Glassman, you should be ashamed.
Glad to see the $ being restored to HCC. Maybe the hack editorials in the Aegis decrying tuition increases will slow down.
Do deputies get paid overtime beyond their regulary salary?
Overtime? Lol…..technically yes, but its not readily available…..actually its a fight to get it! Some even work secondary jobs to keep head above water…..but most dont pay what a basic deputies salary pays! 8 yrs at same pay as rookies is a long time with inflation through the years!! And some deputies who came from other depts 8 yrs ago now may have 10-12 yrs law enforcement and still making rookie type.pay……all because they were told when they were hired that HCSO were to get step increases during their hears of service!!
Word is that Sheriff Gahler is NOT going to match the $500 the county is giving so basically the Sheriff’s Department is getting shafted again. And they deserve it the most. Appalling.
Good thing you endorsed Bane. Oh that’s right, he lost and now you want Gahler to kiss your rear and give you something? I hope you get nothing.
I bet this is Bane or maybe the other guy that ran against Gahler
Gahler should give corrections another $1000 and tell the DSU better luck next time.
Call me more mercenary than most, but the second “sorry, you’re due for a raise but it’s not happening” was always the sign to pack my stuff and go. They’ve made it obvious they don’t value my skills enough or they think I’m a doormat, either way, I’m gone.
Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.
I know…I’m a big ole D-BAG. Can’t help it….was raised that way.
First thing you posted that I agree with – good job!
The fiscally responsible thing would have been to come up with a plan to increase pay to market levels. Instead you will now be spending more money on training new employees as your middle experienced people leave. No wonder Cecil and Baltimore County call us their training grounds!
No one has mentioned the State’s Attorney’s Office also suffering the lack of increase and pay raises. They work diligently to put dangers to society away and to keep your communities safe with ABSOLUTELY NO RECOGNITION. So HCSO and BOE keep whining and complaining while the SAO keeps quietly working and dealing with the cards they are dealt.
I see a substantial improvement from past Executive decisions. The County cannot give you money if there is no money to be given! Stinks out loud but it is what it is! If you don’t like it move!
I think you will see a lot of deputies moving very soon…. as soon as the lateral class opens up for baltimore county pd
Buncha hillbillies at 220 who have no idea what they are doing.
What did people expect from someone whose campaign revolved around his name on the side of a cardboard sheep? I told a friend from out of town about all the “Baaaary” signs in front yards – I’m pretty sure his jaw is still hanging open.
Well, thats about par for the course with whats taken place since he’s come in office!! He hasnt done anything motivational yet…..just him and the two ‘Gods’ under him spinning out policies with no explanation! Hell, some policies coming out cant even be explained by some of the supervisors?? Its seems like “do this or ill fire you” !! Awesome!! “Thank u sir”! No steps and more stats……how much of this lube should I apply??? Lol!!
First let me say that I am not a teach, I do not work for law enforcement, I do not have children in the school system anymore and I do have a child looking for a teaching position this fall. This way everyone knows that I do not have a personal interest in these raises and am happy that my taxes were not raided this year.
You all really belived that a new adminstration would be able to walk right in and give you all of what you “Deserve” and not raise taxes or create new taxes? For heavens sake people it took time for this mess to be made and it will take time to make it right. He is taking steps in the right direction as opposed to the last eight years where we were running in the wrong direction. Having been in office for less than 100 days and you have thrown him under the buss already! I know in the corporate world it takes time for change and 90 days is normally how long it take to figure out what need to be done much less then doing something about it. So while I hear that your upset please take into consideration what what you are receiving is not being taken up by new taxes. medical insurance, we all are suffering from the increaase and most of the corporate world is not seeing much if any of an increase either. So lets get with the program, be happy with the ship being turned and be patient with the people in these positions. I trully hope and believe that he will move us even further in the right direction.. patience is the key!
People buy and live beyond their means, sinking in greater debt. Example, Buying that bigger, newer house doesn’t make sense just because, buying a smaller house appropriate size to planned income/family is better.
Teaching is a good career right out of school if you live within your means.
Work it 20 years, retire to a state like FL where one won’t be taxed their ppension, get another career going before you’re 45.
It boggles my mind why anyone chooses to stay here (in this state) their entire life.
That guy – Sanity at last. MD is in trouble, the kind of trouble where an additional tax or a government salary increase only quickens a collapse. The folks involved don’t see it because they were never educated in how the system really works. It’s sad, because many of them are responsible for teaching the next generation.
People who can’t be fired complaining the CE isn’t doing things quick enough for their liking. How about we give the CE the ability to fire any county employee for any reason at any time with no recourse? That would be the quickest way to solve the counties problems. How many of you hogs at the trough are willing to give up your guaranteed jobs for a little risk? I’m guessing zero that’s the main reason you took a government job, it has zero to do with actually working for a paycheck.
Who can’t be fired? Teachers??? Think again genius.
If what you got out of the article and the comments this is just about teachers you are retarded.
WHAT????? omg people need to read and educate themselves before commenting on these things
If you hate your jobs so much and don’t think your properly compensated then leave. There are plenty of people who are lined up to take your jobs and would be very happy with our current pay. What you are not taking into account is all the extra things you get that the private sector doesn’t. Like low cost healthcare, vacation/sick/personal pay, 25-30 year retirement, deferred comp plans, paid holidays, take home cars….etc. things that you take for granted.
We are leaving you moron. LOL. Still…SMH.
Buh Bye! Don’t let us slow you down by posting in this forum. Giddy up! Slap leather!
Leave ? If u had over 20 years on would u leave. Your an idiot. I bet u wanted to be a cop and didn’t make it. Oh my God I didn’t spell out the word you! I must be dumb.
“Buh Bye”….and thinking I’m a cop??? God the IQ of posters on this site must be so freakin low. LOL. Why even bother. *sigh*……
LOL – “We are leaving” Since when do you use ‘we’ that does not include ‘you’ … eh?
Wow – Yes I would leave. If I had a tremendous responsibility coupled with an intolerable situation, you bet. Nothing is worth that. And, it does no good to get mad at the public at large, many of those folks are in similar financial situations. I just think it is going to get a lot worse… so why be at the tip of the spear.
So easy to say you would leave. Officers work many overtime jobs just to stay afloat. They know what kind of thankless job they are taking when they sign up. However they do it anyway. These officers understand sacrifice more than any other county employee. The first sacrifice they give is the moment they decide to become an officer. They sacrifice their lives on a daily basis, they sacrifice their time with their children and families as they work all holidays, birthdays and weekends. They can not call in sick because it is cold or snowing or snowed in, etc….they are essential personal. They sacrifice their sleep hours to go to court after mid night shift and not get pd…comp time because they county can not afford to pay them. They are treated like garbage from the very citizens that call them for help. They work as much overtime as they can get each week because there may not be any next week (which by the way is very limited). Again losing time with their families and losing sleep. Not because they live beyond their means but because they can not even keep up with the cost of living. Most of these officers work overtime that pays them no more that 15 an hr…$15 an hour in uniform to risk their lives….hell they should be going to McDonalds I hear the hr wages are 10 and the biggest threat is the drive thru window not opening automatically…These officers do not take this job for the glory. They take this job because they truly believe they can help people. And they dont care about the cost. However, when they take the job they sign a contract. Their contract lists their benifits and duties…their pay scale and their steps for their years of service. These men and women deserve every bit of what their promised. Quitting is not an option when you have on several years and your retirement is at 20 or 25 yrs. What idiot is going to leave at that age with so many years on to go start over entirely for another 20 to 30 yrs. Have any of u tried being an officer. Have you tried chasing and fighting criminals. Have you tried working shift work for 20 plus years. Have you worked 40 or more hrs a week extra to support ur family.How about all the horror they see everyday, people shot stabbed abused neglected beat, etc.. this wears your body out and lets not even talk about the amount of stress these men and women face day in and day out. All these people want is what they are promised . They still have to give 200% regardless of their pay or lack there of. they dont say well im not going to go to that break-in call …i dont get pd what i am supposed to so let them die….come on…most officers retire and go back to work full time in the private sector because realistically they can not afford to retire, but their bodies and minds can not handle another 20 -30 years of police work. All of those against the police or think they get paid to much…do them a HUGE favor….STOP CALLING them when you need help or you are to scared to deal with what ever issue you have…tell me when your child is missing or a family member is getting hurt or is dying , when someone is breaking in your home or robbing you, when a spouse is beating you or your child is doing drugs and freaking out….when you are scared and you need help…Why do you call these over paid worthless men and women? Deal with your own crap…because these over pd strangers that dont deserve a raise should not have to risk their lives for such ungrateful idiots…but…they do and they will continue too…why because that is what they do…that is who they are..because no matter what they get paid their desire to help others is more than those lousy paychecks they receive and the lies the govt feeds them as to why they cant pay them what they were promised when they chose this to be their career. They are not asking to be rich or get huge pay raises…they are only asking for what they signed up for. And jumping ship to another career after putting in 10 20 years is insane in this field of work…. people make me sick…for the record police pay does not affect me as I am not police or a teacher…but they all deserve way more then we can give back to them…at least they should be pd what they are promised when they sign up…end of rant!!
Take home cars were done away with years ago. If you have one, you should be paying for it. And if not, then you are part of the problem.
I do enjoy some of the perks we get – paid time off, low cost health insurance, etc. However, I see a different set of rules when higher ups want something such as a nicer walk up the steps to their offices, a $40K pay raise approved by the County Council before taking office, certain employees being moved around so quickly it’ll make your head spin (regardless of whether or not the department with the vacancy wants them). But we can’t order office supplies because there’s no money in the budget. There two and a half months left in this fiscal year and we need to “borrow” copier paper from other agencies!
So why do Aberdeen PD and MSP continue to have take-home cars if they’re such a drain on resources?
The Aberdeen PD and MSP have nothing to do with Harford County’s budget. They are not paid by Harford County. Are you sure you know what you are talking about? lol. I am reading so many things I truly am sitting here and lauging. But, I have to admit there are so many people that are totally misinformed and talking through their b.utt. It is ok to make comments and talk about things that might be frustrating to someone or even make them mad, but you should always be informed about the truth before commenting. It seems people here on these forums are trying their hardest to hurt others with words and ignorant remarks, even though they themselves should look at their own situations and maybe see what is going on there. Respecting others always gets a return of respect back. Anything else is just a totally worthless opinion and what is the purpose in that?
Agreed….
Irene,
My point is that those two departments seem to think take-home cars (at zero cost to the officer/trooper) are worthwhile even for officers that are not residents in the jurisdiction of their department or barracks.
Really?????Than why does HCPS still have jobs that it has not been able to fill since the first day of school. Some of them are going on a second year of being vacant? It does not look like people are lining up to take the job. Perhaps it has something to do with the “economics” of the pay situation!
I know good lawyers who have left the States Attorney Office because no salary increases over the last 5-6 years and they were only making a little over 50k. They would have stayed if they could have seen some reliable pay increases coming in the future. And they liked working for Joe Cassilly.
The “People First” slogan from the county Exec did not manifest itself this first budget go around. I think he could have done better for Sheriffs Office, State’s Attorney and other non-school personnel. I am not a county employee but trying to be an involved observant citizen.
JOey – I guess you think government employees are the only real people.
Of course a prosecutor likes working for Cassilly. Where else in Maryland can you use perjury to gain convictions with the State’s Attorney’s approval? Just ask Christopher Tabone. He can make anything he wants up and Cassilly will march to his tune all day long. Bottom Line, the Harford County State’s Attorney Office is run by a corrupt piece of garbage and his underlings have learned how to be just as corrupt as he. Cassilly is a blemish on the Maryland and Harford County Judicial System and should be in Federal Prison for all his infractions. Joe, you and Chris Tabone along with Melissa Lambert deficated on my rights under color of law. All THREE of you should be in prison……
Let’s all not forget the $40,000, yes, $40,000 raise that the previous county council president now Director of Administration approved for his bestie Barry Glassman.
Willy Wonka and the Oompa Loompas!
The raise proposal is a little too little considering the lack of any raises the last 4 years or so. It is much better than a line time bonus which doesn’t carry over and forward. Any raise would be cumulative for the years left until no longer employed. 890 employees maybe eligible if in good standing thus the total amount would be $890,000 in extra funds but their own figures and spin shows that the retirement savings equals $7 million per year. I know he said only a portion of their savings would go towards a raise, but this portion is about 12% of the yearly savings back to the employes–even a bad tipper would probably pass on an amount double that. Since the raise is coming from efficient and trimmed workforce, I would have thought an amount greater than proposed is more than warranted. I would even agree the amount as fair if teachers and deputies got the same deal but alas, the CE just fumbled the ball on this one. Great plan but the execution lacked big time. Where is the classified union on this one,? Hard to be completely unhappy but the raise ismre like a tease. More than a little bit disappointed our CE didn’t go the extra mile in showing how much he appreciates the workforce and by that I mean all departments, sheriff’s, teachers and grant funded employees who work alongside classified folks and their dedication and hard work isn’t reciprocatedin any way.
When Blues is crying the blues Barry is doing his job. Hey Blue we know you already retired once from the government before going back for a second full retirement. Maybe you should look into a private sector job that gives full retirement after 20 years….. Oh that’s right jobs like that don’t exist in the real world.
Sucks that all those things you said Barry couldn’t legally do he is doing Some body call the waaaaaambulance.
Jim,
I became vested after 5 years and I can retire if I want.I just got a promotion and a decent raise with it. Crying all the way to the bank more like it. The 1k raise is nothing most most but welcomed just to make you cringe. I hope another retirement incentive comes around in 7 years or so, and at100% of sick leave you will be paying me an 85k golden parachute. Don’t mess with an Army guy. I have crapped bigger turds than you.
You’re a jacka*s, Mostly Blue.
Mostly Blows…. thanks for always being so easy to troll up and get you to publicly pull your pants down without ever realizing it.
Don’t change man…… You are the very core of what Barry is going to eliminate in government employees. Dumb and arrogant.
Go Barry Go!!!!!
CE can’t cut much more and if you look at HR jobs board a bunch of internal and external njobs were just posted. You drink the spin they sell ya. It is easier to spin you that a crack head looking for a fix. Not arrogantly at all but some of you tea bagging trolls need to be taught a lesson. The facts are what they are but you choosers to believe what juice they give you. Fact,county budget is bigger than last year. Fact, many of those jobs are being shifted to Sheriff’s. Fact, bet sheriff’s budget will be higher too. Fact, internal positions posted are replacing those leaving and external are positions left by those promoted you are a fool, that’s also a fact. Taking day of tomorrow, HCG has great paid leave, 24 days a year for me. Like a dagger on the Dagger,
I’m smart people…remember that! I think I’m smart???
Harford County has an confused, unappreciated & somewhat unmotivated collection of teachers. That is the reality & truth. How does surrounding counties figure it out yet Harco remains backwards. This collected workforce attitude was created by the constant message of “You aren’t important or appreciated” and our county leaders will make the decision to save $$$ at your expense (yet surrounding counties are opposite). 4th and 5th year teachers that are now starting families and were told that their salary would be at step 4 or 5 are still stuck at 1 with no end in sight. This is a disgrace for the state of Maryland and Harco leaders – present and past – should be ashame of yourselves for creating this.
Truth – “unmotivated collection of teachers”
You don’t pay professionals more in order to get them motivated. A professional does their best because of self respect and dignity. It is a disgraceful thing to suggest that any professional would do less than their best because they did not feel appreciated.
In the private sector folks easily change jobs every few years for a better opportunity. That is now the way of the world. If I were a teacher in HC, I would do my best, learn from my experience and quietly move on if a better opportunity came up. I wouldn’t anonymously lose my dignity bitching in some forum. (Admittedly, I would get out of MD altogether.)
I actually went to a neighboring county 2 years ago when I saw the writing on the wall, but still have many friends in HCPS. Just telling it like it is.
“It is a disgraceful thing to suggest that any professional would do less than their best because they did not feel appreciated.”….do you really believe that? After 5-6 years it’s tough.
Google anything about keeping a workforce motivated and productive. Search successful companies and see how they keep their people productive. It’s making them feel appreciated and that their work matters. What has been done with freezing salaries while all surrounding counties aren’t doing this at all sends the complete opposite message.
And I love the business world comparisions….only when it serves your purpose.
Truth – After 5 or 6 years you change companies. That’s how it is done in the real world known as the private sector. Fortunately, you have neighboring counties where you can go and still stay in government.
You are reading promotional pap if you think it isn’t dog eat dog outside the government. Right now the H-1B Visa program is used to hire low pay foreign workers while displacing our own. Folks are getting screwed everywhere. So stop bitching.
The H1-B visa doesn’t work that way. It requires extensive documentation that the wages are market level and that there is a shortage of domestic employees with that particular skill set. This visa type is usually allocated to what are typically called professions.
It sounds like you are confusing it with efforts by employers to hire undocumented workers so as to avoid paying market-based salaries, which is rather commonplace.
and illegal!!!
Truth,
Folks are moving from Harford County schools and just get enough experience, put in their 3 years,get vested and move on to a better paying school system. Same for young professionals workingfor HCG. Certainly if I was younger I would consider moving on. I am not dissatisfied with the raise but like I said, it is a bit minimal considering the savings from the recent buyouts.Sending $500 per employee to BOEand Sheriff’s isn’t equitable as the other departments do not raise revenue. The CE speaks a sensible game plan,greater efficiencies, rightsizing but not right-paying. What is right sizing anyway? No cuts in services, same pupulation to serve but less people to do the job means more work for very little in return. I wonder if he is giving back $39,000 from his $40,000 raise?if 1k raise is good for employees, it should be enough for him since he didn’t go 4 years without raises. I believe BG&E has given raises yearly most years.
Even a proffessional’s work will sufer when their employer doesn’t financially compensate them according to the agreement for going on 8 years!
You’re here crying some ideological BS. I recall something about glass houses and stones? You are quite entertaining, and you do work for free.
Karn – “Rock star with solid history of performance? $75k+”
There is an old saying that ‘everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die’. With incoming MD salaries below $40k, I guess you see the government employees as the new elite ruling class. Good work if you can get it. I guess you figure bitching in this forum is a good start.
How does a deputy or teacher reach “Rock Star” status?
Do you think there are currently any public service workers making “Rock Star” pay, or do you think they all recieve that type of pay already?
There aren’t any making that level of pay because their unions decided they wanted to be paid based solely on seniority rather than performance.
@everybody
Kharn has a point. Government employees rob 9-10 spots on Forbes Fortune list yearly. If government employees could coordinate and organize a reality show … perhaps we can earn the final spot too. Honestly, I’m starting to resent all the negativity surrounding my wealth as a government employee and tired of parking my Rover, Benz, and Beamer in my garage concealing my superior economic status. If the people don’t like supporting our wealth, they should move to another state with lower taxes rather than suggesting our relocation.
Richie-Rich…. They are moving to other states and taking their $48k average income with them. The lackeys moving into MD to support you earn under $40k (look it up at BLS). In case you are as slack at math as you are at compassion for the hands that feed you, those incomes cannot support you, let alone give you raises. If you want a short term – and I mean short term fix – get a job in a different county for a while. But even then the string is running out.
MD has the highest Median income at about 78K
I think the only way you could possibly get a realistic view of Maryland median income would be to subtract out those nose down in the Federal trough. The counties around DC contain more wealth than anywhere else in the country because the taps hemorrhaging our tax dollars are full open.
Cdev – get on the updated program with the difference between individual net income and median household income. Also, your number solely reflects the skewed data from a few counties in MD with the highest percentage of government employees in the US. In fact, out of the top 25 wealthiest counties in the US, MD has 5 and Virginia has 6. All of them are blood-sucking government counties. Instead of bitching about Harford County, why not move down there and oink up some of that fed swill while it lasts.
True I hear Kansas is thriving economiclly
What other states have high income, le me tell ya… California, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey. Oh, and they are also high taxed states. Surely, Karnh you can’t be serious, blaming the govt for all that wealth. Besides, how many of those median income stats come from teacher, police and county employees?
The proposed raise is rather minimal considering the $7 million in yearly savings from the so called voluntary retirements.
Keith & Cdev – “The H1-B visa doesn’t work that way. It requires extensive documentation that the wages are market level and that there is a shortage of domestic employees with that particular skill set.” “It’s illegal.”
That is a total lie as to what is underway. The Citizen employees even have to train their replacements in order to maintain a severance package. I guess you are just not up on things. Obviously, you are ignorant of the fact that over 92 million working age citizens have dropped out of the workforce because they cannot find a job – all the while the fat cat corporations demand ever increasing H-1B Visas.
latimes.com …. “We are concerned about the recent information that has come to light regarding the abuse of the H-1B visa program…” Sen. Durbin of Illinois, Dem. whip/Jeff Sessions (bi-partisan support)
abcnews.go.com … “companies that request the most H1-B work visas for engineers are actually facilitating outsourcing, critics say, including a firm fined last week by the Department of Justice for alleged “systemic” visa fraud.”
The problem isn’t raises for government employees who, despite what many believe, actually work really hard and put up with a lot of bs for their pay. Rather, it’s the entitlement junkies that recieve free hand-outs that exceed the actually incomes of government employees. If we want to fix the problem, we should subsidize work not housing. When someone goes to social services, they should connect them with an employer who doesn’t care if you are bi-polar and got out of bed at 10 am and couldn’t make it until 12 pm. He or she can fold pizza boxes for 8 hours and leave. Then the state can send them a minimum wage check for their 40 hours of work. They can work at the public library stocking shelves. They can cook lunch and dinner at a local nursing home, they can wax and polish pews at local churches, they can help janitorial staff at public buildings, they can cook for the local prisoners, they can rake leaves and pulo weeds at local parks, the jobs potential is endless and contrubite to a better overall community. Plus, the money can be taxed. Making those people contributing tax payers too. Giving a hand up is much better than a hand out.
Assuming that social workers don’t work hard listening to the plight of the leeches and have an obligation to give them a handout that exceeds his or her pay is frustration.
Assuming that police cruise around site seeing with little conflict is insane. They encounter the entitled who think it’s not enough, and job others for the rest. It may only be 1 criminal at a time, but it’s still stressful risking your life, waiting for one to pull a gun or knife at you.
Then the teachers, who apparently have the easist off all, actually have it harder that the other two parties. One, because those families are looking from entitlements from the school too, and two, because the criminals the deputy’s are dealing with were in fact acting like criminals in the classroom too,but not with s 1:1 ratio, and no equipment or training to protect themselves or the students in the class.
Frustrated
The law and government programs aren’t created by employees! HCG doesn’t give anything away from tax payer funds,at least we employees don’t give it away.. Social services is a state and federal finds,not county funds, same for housing, social security, medicare,medicaid,food stamps, energy assistance. The entitlement mentality also exists with taxpayers that think a tax rates from 12 years ago can pay for today’s costs. The disconnect is with a government mentality. You the voters choose your representatives and they create the programs. I like to see less entitlement and more personal responsibility but surely HCG didn’t create the problem, it is systematic of the whole. The CE is not passing any of the$7 million in yearly savings and the tax payer isn’t getting a tax break either. You should hold your elected officials accountable but most just rather blame county employees for their incompetence.
Please stick my raise up your %#*
WOW – … Can’t stick it up there – no room because that is where Owe Malley’s tax bill is crammed.
Card –
You’re a card, in specific the joker. Either you are ignorant of what wealth really is or you are just kicking up dust. Perhaps you should start by accepting the fact that the very democrat politicians in the state recognize that we are in trouble. None of them are touting how wealthy the state is. They know MD is a house of cards with no load baring walls.
Here is what they know:
wallst.com/special-report/…. “Maryland ranked 3rd… working for government: 25.5%.”
top50states.com/… “Welfare Statistics… % poverty MD… 10%.”
In short, almost 40% of MD works for or is dependent on government. That explains why MD income is 51% sustained by government money. That is a disaster. MD launders other people’s money. It has virtually no inherent wealth.
You can gin up all the bitterness that you want. You can try and victimize the private citizenry all you want. It changes nothing. Also consider: usgovernmentspending.com/ “Fiscal Year 2015 in $ billion… Pensions 4.8…. Welfare 5.2.” MD spends more in welfare than in the pension system. Add in the fact that they are only shifting the rain tax to other taxing measures and you have nothing more than a big government tax and spend state that is actually wealth poor because the good paying private sector jobs have fled the state.
Maryland, like Virginia, has such a high percentage of government workers because of our close proximity to DC. Most of those workers are Federal Government employees. I bet when you look at state and county employees alone and compare it to other states we are on par. The Federal government is not going to close up shop. Even if they privatize more jobs, the people that had the federal government job will get rehired. Is it your position the federal government is going to collapse?
Cdev – Nobody suggested the feds would collapse, just the state – but where do you think we are now with so little private sector income? If all the fed money has made us so wealthy, where is the money? After 40 increases in fees and taxes since 2007, shouldn’t the state be flush with cash?
Is it because those isolated wealthy districts skew the numbers while the rest of the state is a drain? Or is there a giant mattress in Annapolis where the money is hidden?
All we really need to know is that with any down tick in fed spending there is an immediate choke chain on the MD economy. The resulting foreclosures, increased taxes and the higher income private sector jobs leaving the state should tell you all you need to know. To each his own if you want to believe the fed gravy train will continue at the same level – because even with the current fed spending we are hurting.
This state is financially solvent, it’s counties are
15 counties in the top 10 % in wealth
90% of bonds are rated AA and AAA
We have a constitutionally mandated balanced budget.
We have services we must pay for. To do that you raise taxes/fees if the cost goes up.
In some respect the private sector is dependent on the wealth of public sector employees because they are a govt contractor or they have customers whose wealth is derived from providing services to the citizens.
The government is not going to bankrupt us. We have bigger problems if it does than our local economy. No county in this state is going bankrupt. We are funding our obligations we have rainy day money. You live in the richest state in this nation. The cost of living is high in the Washington/Baltimore area. get over it!
Cdev – You display complete ignorance on civics and capitalism. As I have posted earlier, the politicians running this state aren’t dumb enough to make the claims you do.
And the core of your stupidity is this… “In some respect the private sector is dependent on the wealth of public sector employees because they are a govt contractor.” That is government money and no real wealth was generated that actually creates taxable wealth. I know… I know… the concept escapes you.
This will go way over your head… but for those who do get it let me explain: All government wealth comes initially from the private sector or the government goes deeply in debt to cover its expenses. Only the feds can print money to make up for the deficit – which they do – but that ruins the currency.
The balance sheet of MD as well as the income of government employees or government contractors may look good on paper but it is the financial shuffling of the deck chairs on the Titanic. All of it drains wealth and demands ever increasing taxes or ever increasing printing of money to sustain itself.
You can continue to ignore the foreclosures, to ignore the fleeing from the state of private sector jobs and to ignore the inability of this state to cut back any of the onerous taxes and fees. But the slightest squeeze of the fed faucet has already had its affect, with more to come.
MD is made up of government employees, the poor and part time private sector employees. Even your buddies downstate see this as a problem. You don’t. I guess that makes you a useful idiot.
Stop selling your republican lies. Like religion, they might make you feel better, but only until reality hits you.
Approximately 81% of those working in Maryland are employed by the private sector, while federal, State, county and municipal governments employ 19% of the workforce.
Government employees in Maryland in 2013 numbered 487,073. Of these, 144,612 were federal workers, 100,379 worked for State government, and 242,082 were employed by county and municipal governments.
In 2013, Maryland had more than 166,317 businesses that employed over 2 million workers with an annual payroll of nearly $106 billion. In the manufacturing sector, sixteen of twenty industrial categories are represented with corporate headquarters of well-known businesses, such as Black & Decker, McCormick, and Lockheed Martin located in Maryland. Other businesses with their corporate headquarters in Maryland include Under Armour, Choice Hotels, and DAP. Financial services is a growing sector in the Maryland economy. Brokerage firms, insurers, and other financial companies maintain their home operations or a significant presence in the State.
http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/01glance/economy/html/employ.html
Is it a republican lie that the unfunded liabilities of state and federal employees are unaffordable? You people are in for a rude awakening down the road. But keep telling yourselves that you aren’t part of the problem.
Black and decker is owned by stanley and their hdq is definitely not in MD. And every independent contractor and company that solely is in business like Booze allen may be considered private sector but the reality is they are all government workers.
The exodus from Maryland that you speak of is not happening. The sky is not falling.
http://www.businessinsider.com/2013-moving-map-2014-1
B the pension system is well funded. It is so well funded governors from both parties like to borrow from it! Perhaps the taxpayers should pay back the money they took and its interest it didn’t earn!
Good night Irene Good night –
“HC citizens wake up” …. You need to wake up. Gee! How come MD still leads the nation in foreclosures? How come virtually all the new jobs in the state are part time with no benefits? Not going to ask you to be grateful for what you have – you lack the capacity.
Is my buddy, Jim in Hickory your average overweight, balding middle age white american male who clings to fox news for a good tin foil hat story while hanging out at the local WaWa eating a chickem’ sammich’ over top the trash can?
Intolerant? Stereotype? Yep, that’s me.
Keep trolling “Go Barry go” when you have no clue how anything works.
Don’t forget to quote imaginary prices for Harford County equipment (like the dump trucks and trash truck for Parks/Rec) because you can use google.
Yes he is.
Stop –
Republican lies? Glad I’m not one. Incidentally, I understand the first stop the Scooby van made in Ohio was a gas station so the candidate could ask what it was.
.baltimoresun.com/ Baltimore without a ‘500’ company
“Chicago-based Exelon Corp. has struck a deal to take over Constellation came as something of a psychic blow to the city. If the $7.9 billion deal passes regulatory hurdles, and the parent of local utility BGE is absorbed by its out-of-town suitor, then Baltimore will lose its sole remaining Fortune 500 company headquarters…”
“Just two years ago, the region was home to three such headquarters. But then Black & Decker was acquired by a Connecticut company in March 2010 and folded into Stanley Black & Decker.”
” …when Maryland tried to attract a trophy company, such as Northrop Grumman, those efforts failed.”
Maryland’s image is “that its tax rates and regulatory climate drive out existing businesses and scare away new ones.”
Not only that, but your numbers are questionable from the self promoting MD website. The MD website considers state universities as private employers. Not the least of which is the University of MD. This is no doubt one of the reasons you fail to account for the actual 25.5% of government employees.
“The problem is Baltimore isn’t generating the new companies the way cities like Houston or Seattle are,” Kotkin said. “You don’t create new companies, but you’re losing the old ones.”
State universities are private employers, the system gets some public funding but mostly from tuition fees. Their employees aren’t government employees. Same goes for UMMS which used to be state owned but is now a private employer still receiving funding for shock trauma for the most part since it is a public service. By your reasoning I would be a private employee because my salary is paid by taxes that taxpayers paid. Your rationale is faulty. We all get paid from someone else’s work and service unless you grow it, fish it, hunt it or mine it. You do know we are mostly a post- manufacturing economy? maryland’s tax burden for business is no higher than most other well to do states. Southern States have a lower cost tax wise but their economy isn’t as prosperous. Sometimes you just have to pay more to be near your market and have access to trained employees, roads and infrastructure…. We know you built it but you still Ned a market to sell your stuff. You can’t just show up at the flea market and get a table, you must pay to enter and pay for your table.
Rocco –
I suggest you go to the University Human Resources webpage (uhr.umd.edu….) and take notice that the university employees are part of the ‘State Retirement and Pension System’ with all the inclusive benefits, including medical. Please note the downloadable PDF files as well as links to (sra.state.md.us/Employers/ContributoryRates.aspx). All through the university webpage are the references to the faculty as “retired State employees” and “State health benefits.”
Talk to a former HCPS teacher today she left 2 yrs ago for the city schools and is making 20,0000 a year more with just two years on…..sad HCPS
So like, $65,000? Smells like BS.
Prove it, and I’ll lay down like a bia. Like a what? Like a bia.
That is 100 percent true, look up their pay scale.
Shouldn’t they make more? It’s a much crappier job if you ask me. If you want to deal with the problems of a city school, I feel like you deserve a raise. A better argument is Cecil or Carroll county making more if that’s the case.
Which they do!
The BOE offered a mere 1% COLA to teachers yesterday and no step….now for 6 out of the last 7 years. Unbelievable! They basically told Barry to go f himself. How can the BOE members believe they can place the blame of the crumbling school system on him? He cut county departments. He found money to give raises to his employees and to teachers. What part of that do the BOE members not understand? The school system is too big. It needs to be downsized so it can stop the loss of its quality teachers and attract the best candidates. The BOE members are either too lazy to find places to cut the budget or too afraid of the community’s reaction to cuts and think they can blame any failures on the CE. Thankfully most of them will be gone in just a couple of months, but unfortunately the damage is already done. Instead of being proactive and downsizing HCPS, we are going to have to wait for the system and the county to fall apart before the necessary changes are made. The community needs to come out in full force on Monday 4/27 to the BOE meeting at 6 pm and tell the BOE that their proposal will lead to the continued deterioration of a once fantastic school system. See you there!
HCPS Sucks! You’re absolutely right! As a parent and an employee, you are absolutely right! Downsizing is something the BOE should look into. In my ten year tenure at HCPS the department under which I work has more than quadrupled, not in support staff, but in supervisors! And these many supervisors cannot even produce a CCSS curriculum that does not have the word DRAFT as a watermark over every page. Yes, as a teacher I could attend BOE meetings, but as Mrs. Cannavan has told me several times in her scripted video messages- she cares about me! (Please insert sarcastic tone here.) In fact Ms. Reynolds and Mrs. Cannavan, you neither care about me as an employee nor my children that attend HCPS.
I recently received an email from the superintendent’s office asking me to come and celebrate my 10 years at HCPS. Celebrate what? Six years without a raise, or the stripping of my passion for a career that 7 years ago I could not imagine leaving, or the sub par education my children receive from HCPS! Coming to HCPS has been the worst decision I have ever made. I will celebrate when I move to another county which values my commitment and professionalism. Harford County Public Schools, you do suck!
On behalf of every dedicated school teacher and employee of Harford County Public Schools, F.U. Board of Ed. and F.U. Superintendent Canavan. You have F’ed all of us these past seven years, and I wish you nothing but the same pain and misery you have brought upon all teachers and employees of your lousy f’ing school system!
I agree with you, but you also need to recognize that the same was done to the lowly employees of HCGvmt. And I am saying lowly employee, because managers, supervisors, friends and family HAVE not endured this same fate. They were promoted into positions they knew nothing about, raises and promotions were handed out to many people. The top kept getting fatter and fatter with more and more supervisors etc. (totally not needed) while the employees that actually do the work and have been for many years, got nothing and got shafted and treated like dirt, while all the whole the top keeps saying how wonderful the HC workforce is. It is all a political game to get votes from the general public that has no idea what is really going on and also does not care about what is going on. They will vote for the snake oil salespeople over and over, as long as nothing is affecting them, And that is the game that has been played in this county and his governing body of administration for many, many years and I do not see any kind of change in the future. It is already continuing on the same path with this new administration.
Don’t mind me, I’m just replying to a 9 month old article because I’m a dumbass.
Lured your @zz in didn’t I? just like shooting fish in a barrel bozo boy. I love messing with all of you Dagger trolls. Doesn’t hardly take a baited hook. Cheap entertainment angry old man. Fish on! Ha Ha
Huh
Don’t worry fishin, he is easily confused. He can’t even figure out his own user name so he just steals others.
No problem. I just love the entertainment value.
Makes me long for the good old days of Phil Dirt and The Lagmeister.
Me too.
Play nice my children, or I will have to return. Remember there is only one Lagmeister, and I am the one.
Laggy, and all along I thought that was Neo? I learn something new everyday especially when the Lagmeister is in the house.