County Executive Gardner Hosts Public Hearing for County Budget

They anticipate no property or income tax rate increases.

Frederick, MD – Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner hosted a public hearing Monday night for residents to give comment on next year’s budget.

The meeting was the first of many scheduled to gather public opinion and draft a balanced budget to be reviewed by the County Council.

“Budgets can be complicated to understand with use of budget jargon and technical terms,” Budget Director Kelly Weaver said. “But our goal is to make the budget understandable.”

In January and February, the revenue forecast will be updated along with more details on the budget. Gardner will host another public hearing in March 2020 to present more information and continue gathering public input.

“We hear over and over again that education, public safety, seniors, jobs, and community needs are the top priorities in our community,” Gardner said. “These are really the core of what we do in Frederick County government.”

During the meeting, various Frederick residents gave comment seeking representation for various needs in the budget.

Frederick resident MaryLynn Lally gave comment at the forum, requesting the creation of a community center for the deaf and hard of hearing.

“Everyone has a variety of needs,” Lally said. “And we need a place where they can receive services that are accessible in their languages.”

Gardner said the county is working on increasing their accessibility, remarking a future implementation of close captioning for their live meetings in the coming months.

Gardner will present her budget on April 15 to the County Council which will then begin their review process.

The new budget will be adopted at the end of May with it going into effect July 1st 2020.

Residents can give input at the public hearings or send them to the county offices at [email protected].

By Timothy Young