At the Baltimore County Council meeting on Friday, I voted to cut $59 million from the 
proposed Fiscal Year 2021 budget. Combined with my vote last year, I have supported cutting nearly $100 million from the budget over the past two years.
These are tough times, and county government must trim its budget like families and businesses.
The budget adopted by the County Council includes a hiring freeze and reductions to agencies identified by the County Council’s auditors. The county negotiated changes to labor agreements, meaning that furloughs and layoffs are not expected.
While the budget is lean, it does contain the county share of building new schools in northeastern Baltimore County, as well as an addition at Pine Grove Middle School. It also contains funding to advance the Towson Circulator, add parking at the Seven Oaks Senior Center, repair the Little Gunpowder Falls, and upgrade the Fullerton Fire Station.
I voted with my Republican colleagues to cut the property tax rate by a penny, but that motion was defeated. I also voted for a tax cut in 2018.