A fiscal year 2014 recommended operating budget totaling $511.4-million was presented to the Frederick County COmmissioners on Thursday. This spending plan is $800,000 more than the base budget unveiled in December, 2012.

The budget sets aside $244,241,339 for the Board of Education. But the Board is also getting $4-million in proceeds from the sale of its surplus properties.

Frederick Community College will be getting one-time funding of $500,000.

The county also says 5% departmental reductions resulted in $1.7-million in savings, and reductions in employee cost of living allowances from 2% to 1% resulted in $1.4-million in savings.

This proposed budget could change, according to Commissioners' President Blaine Young. "We are doing our part and must now wait to see what the impact of federal and state actions will be on our careful budget planning and the allocation of scarce resources in these difficult economic times," Young said in a statement.

Budget appeals are expected to presented to the Commissioners on April 11th. A spending plan will released on April 19th.

A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for May 7th at Urbana High School, 3471 Campus Drive, beginning at 6:00 PM.

The Commissioners also discussed citizen comments from Tuesday's public hearing on its proposed Capital Improvements Program for fiscal year 2014-2019. A number of citizens asked that funding for a new Walkersville public library be moved up in the CIP. Commissioner Young said that could mean another project would have to be moved back. "If something could be done, what would have to be done, and what would that mean for another project," he said, referring to work at Waverly Elementary School.

But Regina Howell with the County Budget Office said a new Walkersville library could be moved up. "Now there is the impact fees that could help fund the Walkersville library. So it won't have as large of an affect," she said. "And the other piece we have to look into and has been one of the factors in building libraries is the operating costs."

"There's an expectation, I do believe, those fees will accrue as every year goes by to building these libraries," says Commissioner David Gray, who lives in Walkersville. "Walkersville is an area of fairly significant growth, and a fair number of impact fees going into that fund. People knew that, and they expect eventually they're going to get it."

The Commissioners are expected to once again discuss the CIP at a May 16th meeting.