February 13th, 2018 by WCBC Radio
Allegany County Chamber of Commerce Leadership Allegany! Class of 2018 participated in Local Government Day on December 13, 2017. Sponsored by Allegany County Government and The Greater Cumberland Committee, the all day event focused on how local governments, the county and municipalities, prepare to best serve and protect their residents. The 21 class members gained knowledge and understanding of the issues facing local governments today. They also engaged with local elected officials and professionals.
The facilitators, all Leadership Allegany! graduates, were Beth Thomas Tanner, Coordinator of Information Technology, Allegany County Government, Brenda Friend Smith, Executive Director, The Greater Cumberland Committee, and Pamela Twigg, Business Manager, BT Global Service.
Local Government Day had eight educational sessions.
The Local Administrators Roundtable Discussion featured two professionals with a combined 75 years of public service experience – Jeff Rhodes, Administrator, City of Cumberland, and John Kirby, Administrator, City of Frostburg. Rhodes is responsible for a city of 20,000 residents with a $34,029,466 FY 2018 operating budget. Kirby manages a $4,752,410 FY 2018 operating budget for 9,000 residents. Class members were encouraged to become involved at the local level. Public input is valued. Class members were asked to make suggestions and voice concerns. Both administrators mentioned that attendance at public meeting is minimal.
The Financial Management Session: How Your Tax Dollars Are Spent featured Jason Bennett, CPA, Director of Finance, Allegany County Government. A veteran financial manager and Leadership Allegany! graduate, Bennett is in charge of a budget of 138 million ($86,897,607 operating and the reminder for capital projects) for Allegany County’s 70,000 residents in FY 2018. Bennett discussed the budgeting process – how the budget is created, how funding priorities are determined, and where the taxpayers’ hard-earned tax dollars go. There are many valuable services and important projects – providing education, having 911, law enforcement, and other public safety services, building and maintaining roads and bridges, providing and servicing water and sewer systems, etc. which compete for funding. Allegany County Government is spending 43.97 cents of every dollar for education in FY 2018.
Bennett highlighted those services provided exclusively by the county and those services provided by the municipalities. In an exercise, class members were given physical building blocks labeled with governmental responsibilities. They placed their blocks in the appropriate section – county or municipality. This display visually demonstrated the county provided and the municipality provided services. Some services which receive funding from the county but not from any municipality include the K-12 public school system, 911, the community college, the detention center, the health department, the State’s Attorney Office, and the public library system.
The Budgeting for Boom, Bust, or Change Case Study focused on balancing the budget and providing the services the community requests. Our present reality of stagnant property tax revenue and sluggish income growth leaves us in a different position than we were in ten years ago – and prudence warrants budgeting accordingly. The class worked together to shore up reserves, budget conservatively, and prepare for whatever rain tomorrow may bring.
The Community Safety Session featured three top law enforcement officials: Allegany County Sheriff Craig Robertson, City of Cumberland Chief of Police Charles Hinnant, and Andy Farrell, County Combined Criminal Investigation Unit (C3I) Narcotics. These professionals discussed their missions and capabilities. They provided updates about community safety and strategies to break the cycle of crime. The officials stressed that in our area law enforcement agencies work together and support one another. This approach is extremely helpful.
Class members then traveled to the Allegany County Joint Communications Center to observe 911 dispatching. This unique, real time experience with emergency management and emergency response demonstrated tax dollars at work – - – public safety operations are 20.67% of the county’s operating budget in FY 2018.
Churchill’s Pub, Cresaptown, kindly provided class members and facilitators with a complimentary lunch at the restaurant.
After lunch, class members toured another public safety operation, the Allegany County Detention Center.
Class members returned to the Allegany County Office Building for the Local Officials Roundtable Discussion. Jacob Shade, The Board of Allegany County Commissioners President, and Allegany County Commissioner William Valentine, discussed why they chose to serve and how they are working towards solutions to address challenges facing our area. Allegany County has to generate revenue and must build the tax base – for property tax and for income tax. The Allegany County Opportunity Scholarship is helping to do so.
Local Government Day’s last one-hour session featured Networking with Local Elected Officials and Senior Management Representatives. A group of three class members had an eight-minute speed networking question and answer one-on-one session with the official/representative. The local elected officials who participated were Allegany County Commissioners Jacob Shade and William Valentine, Mayor of Frostburg Robert Flanigan, States Attorney for Allegany County Michael Twigg, The Board of Garrett County Commissioners Chairman Paul Edwards, and Mineral County Commissioner Richard “Doc” Lechliter. Senior management representatives were Richard DeVore, Allegany County Department of Emergency Services Director, and Paul Kahl, Allegany County Department of Public Works Director and Leadership Allegany! graduate.
Allegany County Chamber of Commerce Leadership Allegany! Class of 2018 members are: Terry L. Apple, WEPCO Federal Credit Union; Emily F. Bauer, Allegany County Department of Social Services; Emily A. Bladen, State of Maryland – DORS; Kevin M. Clark, First People’s Community Federal Credit Union; Griffin P. Detrick, Archway Station; Destinee Frankenberry, Barth’s Home Auto Sales; Heather V. Godlove, Horizon Goodwill Industries; Kara L. Hawkins, AES Warrior Run; Tina M. Hyett, Western Maryland Regional Medical Center; Christina S. Kilduff, Allegany College of Maryland; Lindsay M. Lindsay, Allegany County Historical Society; Elizabeth C. Logsdon, CBIZ; Christopher B. McGee, Allegany County Library System; Christopher D. Morin, Rehab 1st; Cheryl K. Nelson, Allegany College of Maryland; Steven M. Shipley, Allegany County Department of Emergency Services, Sudhir Singh, Ph.D., Frostburg State University; Julie A. Thornton, City of Cumberland; Penny L. Walker, Maryland Legal Aid; Denise J. Ware, Allegany College of Maryland; Teresa L. Wharton, CBIZ; and Amy L. Williams, Allegany County Department of Finance.
For Leadership Allegany! information contact Peg McKenzie, Executive Assistant, Allegany County Chamber of Commerce, 301-722-2820, peg@alleganycounty chamber.com.
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