CECIL COUNTY — Government transparency has been a popular topic of discussion among Cecil County residents and, with the submission of the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) budget on the horizon, residents have the a number of options to get informed on what the future of government operations in Cecil County may hold. Here are a few resources to assist with that:
Cecil County Council Meetings
The Cecil County Council is an important resource in understanding local government operations. Bills, resolutions, amendments and proposals are just a few of the influential topics discussed and decided on at these meetings.
Cecil County Council meetings are held on Tuesday evenings with work sessions beginning at 4:30 p.m. and legislative sessions beginning at 7:00 p.m. To check if the council is meeting during a given week and to view the agenda for the meetings, visit the council section of ccgov.org.
The sessions are open to anyone to attend either in-person in the Elk Room of the Cecil County Administration Building, or virtually through Zoom. All meetings are recorded and uploaded on ccgov.org on the agenda page for the meeting.
Public comment is also welcomed at every legislative meeting. Anyone interested in public comment should arrive early to the meeting to sign up before the start of the meeting. The option to contact the council without going on the record of a meeting is also available and anyone interested in this option should email council@ccgov.org.
The council page on ccgov.org also offers an alert feature that will notify participants of council related news and updates.
Monthly Finance Reports of Expenses $500+
Understanding how taxpayer dollars are spent is an important part of being an informed citizen. As outlined in the Cecil County Charter Code Section 21-2, all records of county expenses shall be on file in the Director of Finance’s office and shall be made available for public inspection.
In addition, the County, at the end of each month, will compile a detailed statement of accounts for all of the expense payments above $500 that were made during that month. The statement shall include the name to whom the expense payment was made payable, the total amount of the expense item, and an identification of the particular item of expense. The County shall publish, within 30 days from the date of the last day of the previous month, the statement in a newspaper published in Cecil County.
Monthly expenditures over $500 can be found under the finance section of ccgov.org labeled as “Vendor Payments Greater Than $500,” or in the Cecil Whig newspaper at the start of every month.
“We welcome any efforts to make government spending transparent and Cecil County has a tremendous process for doing that,” said the Director of Administration, Steve Overbay.
Residents who are curious about specific expenses in these reports can submit a PIA/Public Information Request through ccgov.org. It should be noted that when filing a PIA/Public Information Request, the request should be as detailed as possible to ensure the highest chance of receiving a filled request with the desired information.
Upon submitting a PIA/Public Information Request, a response either denying, granting or acknowledging the request should, by law, be sent to the requester within 30-days of the date the request was initially filed. To ensure that a request was successfully submitted, a requester should check their inbox for a confirmation email from the county government.
For more information regarding Maryland PIA/Public Information Request law, visit marylandattorneygeneral.gov.
Monthly Finance Reports Expenses and Contract $100,000+
Listed on the 2022 General Election ballot for Cecil County residents was an amendment to the Cecil County Charter that would require all county purchases and service contracts exceeding $100,000 to be disclosed with a description, price, vendor, source of funding and number of bids. The amendment also required that all real-estate purchases, sales and leases be presented to the County Council during council public sessions after a contract is awarded.
These reports, similar to the monthly $500+ expense reports, will be disclosed under the finance section of ccgov.org.
“This is just another way of reporting things that are already reported just in a different way and it creates another reporting mechanism to make this information available to the public if they missed the information the first three or four ways,” said Overbay. “It gives everyone another shot to identify and understand how county dollars are being spent.”
Vendor Project Bids
To remain informed on projects within the county, signing up for notifications on when projects go to bid as well as when bids are awarded is an important way to keep track of development and the money associated with development within the county.
To see current bids and/or to sign up for bid notifications, visit the purchasing section under the government tab on ccgov.org.
The Annual Budget
Understanding the annual budget submitted by county governments is another effective way of fully understanding your government’s priorities.
On Feb. 16 at 6:00 p.m., County Executive Danielle Hornberger will hold a public hearing for the FY24 budget – drafts will be able to be found on ccgov.org after the budget is introduced. The public is welcomed to give input directly to the administration regarding their thoughts on the budget and how they feel money in the county should be allocated.
“In concert with the County Council, the budgeting and procurement processes are incredibly transparent and we welcome public involvement and interest,” said Hornberger.
After the public hearing, the budget will be submitted to the Cecil County Council for review on April 1. After the council reviews the FY24 budget, they will host a public hearing May 16 at 7:00 p.m. at Elkton High School. This process is universal for all fiscal year budget proposals. To stay up to date with the dates and times set for these hearings, visit the Cecil County Government on Facebook or at ccgov.org.
“The budgeting process and the government spending process is a very public, what I consider, partnership,” said Overbay. “It is a partnership with the public as well as all of our support organizations so we can develop budgets that meet the needs of our citizens and service providers.”
Cecil Whig Clip
https://www.cecildaily.com/news/primer-how-to-remain-informed-on-the-cecil-county-governments-spending-and-priorities/article_613cdcc2-32c3-549e-8302-693cde67131d.html
