In his annual state of the county address last week, Howard County Executive Kenneth Ulman painted a bleak picture of the county's budget and laid out some of his spending priorities.

Below, a few local officials and citizen group leaders offer their response and what they think the county should focus on in the new year.

County Council Chairwoman Mary Kay Sigaty, Democrat, represents District 4:

Sigaty said Ulman's speech necessarily stayed away from proposing new initiatives, as the anticipated lean budget would make paying for new programs difficult.

"The best you can really do is to hold on to the status quo," she said. "It's going to be difficult because we're going to be balancing some very real priorities -- the priorities of people who are hungry and homeless, with educating our children, with keeping our citizens safe.

"Ultimately the question is going to be -- does everybody reduce across the board or are some priorities more important?" Sigaty said.

Sigaty said she thinks the county should focus its resources on helping residents who have been hard-hit by the economic recession. Nonprofit organizations, which do much to aid needy residents, should not be forgotten in the mix, she said.

"They are picking up a lot, trying to help people through difficult times."

County Council member Gregory Fox, District 5, the council's sole Republican:

Fox said the county was quick to spend money when the economy was doing better, but now needs to rein in costs.

"Obviously we've got to focus on the financial situation and making sure we're keeping spending in check," Fox said. "I was happy to hear he's asking the department heads for a flat budget.

"It's unfortunate that we weren't tightening our belt two years ago during his first budget ... We're finally getting back to where it's closer in line."

Grace Kubofcik, co-president of the Howard County League of Women Voters:

"For me, there are three priorities. One obviously is safety, the needs of fire and police. The second big one, as far as I'm concerned, is the needs of those who can least help themselves. ... My third priority is education."

Kubofcik said the county needs to make sure it provides enough money for social services, as the demand is likely to increase due to the poor state of the economy. The county also has an excellent library system and it should do its best to at least maintain the same level of service.

"If we're lucky, it's a flat budget," she said. "I'm very glad I don't have to make those tough decisions."

Bridget Mugane, president of the Howard County Citizens Association:

The General Growth Properties plan to redevelop downtown Columbia is one of the biggest decisions facing the county this year and raises a host of questions, Mugane said. She is especially worried that the amount of traffic generated by the project will be greater than predicted.

"I think right now there's concern about planning for transportation and transit," Mugane said.

"We're being very short-sighted. We need to encourage developers and agencies to look more broadly at the big picture to see what is possible and what's not possible."

She wants the county to give residents more time to digest and comment on recent changes to the plan suggested by General Growth.

By Derek Simmonsen
dsimmonsen@patuxent.com

Howard County Times
Posted 1/22/09