It includes a new compensation package for employees.
Frederick, Md. (KM) – A proposed fiscal year 2023 general fund budget for the City of Frederick has been released. Mayor Michael O’Connor says the spending plan totals $127-million. He says it keeps the city’s property tax rate at 73-cents per $100 of assessed value, for the tenth consecutive year, and continues the phase out of the business personal property tax.
In a video presentation, Mayor O’Connor says this budget creates a new compensation plan for city employees. “Included in that new compensation scale is the commitment to working toward living wage for all with the establishment of a new full time minimum wage of $20 per hour for city employees,” he says.
He also says there is funding to hire some additional employees. “The budget adds positions in code enforcement to support expanding needs for pro-active initiatives including the vacant property registry,” O’Connor. “I’m proposing to add needed positions in our civilian ranks in our police department with an added restructuring of the communications division to continue to ensure timely response when our residents request police assistance.”
There are also some capital projects. “My top capital priority is to carry out a project decades in the making in securing a new home for the Frederick Police Department,” he says. “My proposed budget funds the engagement of a design and build team for the new location on East All Saints Street.”
“Funds from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 will also allow us to continue the multi-year commitment to recommendations from the Army Corps of Engineers for stormwater improvement and surface flooding mitigation,:” O’Connor continues.
This $127-million general fund budget is part of a much larger spending package totaling $197.3-million, which includes budgets for water and sewer, stormwater, parking, the Weinberg Center for the Arts, the airport, the golf course and reserves.
The City will hold meetings on the budget on April 6th, April 14th, April 25th and April 28th, and May 2nd and May 11th.
Fiscal year 2023 begins on July 1st, 2022.
By Kevin McManus
