The Calvert County Commissioners, from left to right, Buddy Hance, Mike Hart, Tim Hutchins, Kelly McConkey and Steve Weems.
Prince Frederick, MD – Calvert County Government staff presented their latest recommendations for capital projects to be funded over the next six years to the Calvert County Commissioners during the board’s Feb. 12 meeting. The previous board saw a preliminary plan last October. The staff-recommended Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 through FY 2025 totals $351.67 million. For FY 2020 the fiscal impact is an estimated $39.4 million. County Government’s Capital Projects Analyst Veronica Atkinson stated the plan presented to the board had been previously reviewed by the Calvert Planning Commission. “The six-year plan shows the county debt limit well below the County guideline of 9.5 percent through FY 2025,” Atkinson stated. She added that approximately 129 projects are in the six-year CIP
The largest capital project expenditure proposed for FY 2020 is for education ($10.68 million), followed by Enterprise Fund projects ($7.18 million), public safety ($6.8 million), recreation resources ($6.57 million) and public works/transportation ($4.4 million).
Atkinson noted the CIP expenses for FY 2020 total $39.45 million, which is a decrease of approximately $36.19 million for the year’s CIP adopted in FY 2019. She stated that was due in large part to the deferral of the County Administration Building project’s debt to FY 2021 and FY 2022. The project was forward-funded in FY 2019 in order for concept plans, schematic designs, design development and construction documents prepared. The county commissioners have yet to make a final decision on the project, which has been proposed for Armory Square in Prince Frederick. Another work session on the project is pending.
Among the projects currently listed in the FY 2020 budget are building replacements for the Solomons and St. Leonard fire department buildings, the Calvert County Detention Center, Ward Park and the Northern High School replacement.
A total of $74.8 million in CIP requests are currently listed as out of the plan beyond FY 2025 due to fiscal constraints. The list includes community centers in Prince Frederick and St. Leonard, Chesapeake Hills Golf Clubhouse development and development of Calvert Marine Museum’s proposed paleontology center.
Despite assurances from Department of Finance and Budget Director Tim Hayden that county government was well below its guideline for incurring debt and had a solid reputation for repaying loans, Commissioner Earl “Buddy” Hance [R-At large] indicated he was concerned about the long-term impacts. “We can’t guarantee revenue stream,” said Hance, adding that revenue generators such as Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant and Dominion Cove Point Liquefied Natural Gas Plant may not exist in perpetuity. “I want to make sure we don’t create a situation where our grandchildren can’t afford the debt we’ve created.”
Commissioner Mike Hart [R-District 1] indicated that not moving forward with the needed projects is not an option. “The infrastructure has been neglected forever,” said Hart, who used the “pay-me-now, pay-me-later” axiom as a good reason get the capital projects done now.
The proposed CIP will be presented at the March 19 hearing on the entire staff-proposed FY 2020 budget. The commissioners’ budget will be presented two months later. The commissioners and staff identified mid-April as a finalization date for the FY 2020 CIP. It is possible that work sessions on some of the projects discussed will be the subjects of work sessions until that date.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com