I rrould ltle to offer a fEURv observatlons legatdltrg the Ftsca.l Year 2014 County Brdget etrd tbe couEty executlvers stateuests that the goverE eat hse beeD rrdeftned by uedlocrltyl and has fallea "ray behlDd lD culture, attitude s.nd fuvestoent.it Ttese dl6lnaeduou6, feckless clal.us are urtethered frou the facts. Targeted, atreteglc inyeat[eflte that Ey Aahid6tretloll Eede oveE the past six Sclence, TEURchnology, 8trgltreer1ng atrd l{ath prograo atrd a E1ddle )'ear6 lacluale a school parentlng- progrs at lnre Anradel Co@urlt, Co11ete, locreasEURd fudlil8 for tratnhg atrd retrelalng for the gorkforce DeveloFent Corporatloa, uote than 3,000 acles of land preserved throughout the County, turf fie1d6 at every colttrty htgh school, an ethlettc fteld for lndtvldual6 ylrh dt6ablllries at Lake l{aterford Palk ill Pa6adetra, coloaoscoDles for 1o*-l.ncone Eeo and rroEed that have saved lives aad post-trauDattc EURtrese eFdrone fundtng for returEtng weterae fr@ Ireq aad AfgbaliEURtan. The cor.ruty executlve ha6 rflse1y declded to co[tlnue to EsiiDlze the propettT tax reverue perEltted under the taf, cap, as I dld io each of ny sir budget years T\ro prevlous courty aalD-ltrlstrattoDs lDprudeEtly fa11ed to do thls, thus los1llg nllllolla of dollars, coopolmded yeai after yeat, that vere lost to coutrty coffers, The i-ocone tar rate of 2.56 percent has beetr raintalned, thus contlnulEg Ey cohltDe[t to keep our rate the louest tn the DaltLoore-Wa6hlngtos reglotr. Tlle property ta! rate reoaltrs the 1or.e6t ll1 the reglon, as rre1l. Ihe budSEURt has coltinued Dy priorlty of lncreasi[g the number of school regoutce offlce!6 i,D our Dtddle 6choo16. Every studeat ls eDtttleal ro a safe erd secure learBlDg eavlro@ellt a6d hopefully, ln the futute, every uiddle school sil1 hawe aE. SRO. fhe comltDent I nade to ,nclude a ner pollce tratDlng facllity lD the c5pttal ras reSrettably Dot agreed to by the eoullty executlve. ltre deplorable coidltloEs at the outEoded faciUty in Dayldsoavllle, tucludtog congtaot probleEs l'lth the heatlng aad a1r cotrdltloDing sy6ten aad elt quallty health conceros, require attedtion. I l,as pleased, hosever, that Dy prloritles for a tre, Lake Shore Ftle Statlor and a boat ianp at fort SEallvood ?ark rere ltrcluded ln the budget budget. A dererved pay itrcr:ease for couoty eBployees is ircluded Ln the budget' but it should be troted tha! over the past slx yeers, we ieduced spendtEg by over f70 nil1ton, iDcludlEg county enployee furlougha, ilr order to exerclse the DeceEsary flscal disctpllDe ln a dorrnturtred ecorory. Thls belt tighteDiog aad e-tlployee sacrlflce helped eoable the pay raisea dou beiog offered. Whtle the safety aet prlorltles of hunger, hdelessBess aod domeatlc violetrce are cottirued at the 6are frnillnS levels I establtshed ln the Don-proflt goverrttseat gre[ta ?rogr{r&, there are certaitr shifts ln prograr priorltles whtch the Courctl should revlen, bcluding reductioDs to Arundel Eabitat for Eusaalty, the A re Arurdel l{eotal Ee-a1th Aaercy, the Clsco Cetrter troundatloa, Ioc., Pets on gheelE aod the Wlley Bates Legacy CeDter. ltre eotlre graEts progran ts futrded at SI,256,500, the exact dollat &ount conEelned ln ny AdritlBtretioE's FLBcsl Yeat 2013 Budget. tA-- A' i'-?'1 JOETT R. LEOPOID \ for[et County Executlve