CECIL COUNTY — Nearly three years after being elected Cecil County Executive, Danielle Hornberger recently reflected on her time in office and her administration as a whole, which she said is simply common sense government.
“Common sense government is about people and money – we can’t serve the people unless we have money and, at the same time, the people provide the money that we use and the support to our administration,” said Hornberger. “It is about being good stewards of the people’s money and treating it like your own while putting citizens first.”
In putting citizens first and exercising what she calls “conservative spending principals,” Hornberger has matched Maryland’s Constant Yield Tax Rate – the state-determined tax rate a county would have to impose to obtain the same amount of property tax revenue as it did the previous year – and lowered taxes for residents of Cecil County each year she has been in office. The FY24 budget shows a reduction in property tax from $1.0143 per $100 of assessed property value to $0.9924 per $100 assessed value, once again matching the Constant Yield rate.
“The reality is that now more than ever, we are seeing inflation at a high level where people who were comfortable are complaining about the price of eggs,” said Hornberger. “I believe that we can provide the services that are needed by the residents while being incredibly responsible with our dollars and even give back to residents.
To complement her tax cuts, the FY24 budget outlines a rebate program for owners of “improved properties,” an initiative which reimburses property owners for the taxes they spend on their property if the state assesses their property at a higher tax value.
“We are not here to hoard taxpayer dollars, which is why we are being creative this year and providing property tax rebates to improved property owners,” said Hornberger. “[A tenet] of mine is to make sure the money is spent responsibly and provide tax relief when we can and we have done that.”
Other tenets that Hornberger said she based her 2020 campaign on were economic growth and public safety – both of which Hornberger believes she has delivered on.
“Our biggest thing with economic development is the diversification of all of our sectors,” said Hornberger. “We do not want to put all of our eggs in one basket because we want to be thoughtful and diversify so that our county is positioned well for when sectors are booming or tanking.”
Hornberger credits projects like Northrop Grumman’s Hypersonic Center of Excellence and Great wolf lodge – a project that was in the works before her time as executive – as milestones in Cecil County’s development portfolio.
“Great things were already happening when I became executive,” said Hornberger. “I have been fortunate to continue moving the ball forward on economic development.”
But in the same breath, Hornberger explained that with economic development, she feels that she has upheld her promise of keeping a balance between development and rural preservation.
“Land preservation has been an important part of my administration and my goals since the start of my term and the list of preservation continues to grow,” said Hornberger.
In terms of rural preservation, Hornberger said she is proud of the county’s ability to utilize state programs like Maryland’s Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation to preserve hundreds of acres within the county.
Hornberger noted several other accomplishments during her administration that she takes pride in:
- The creation of the Domestic Violence Unit within the Cecil County State’s Attorney’s Office;
- The creation of a specialized drug enforcement prosecution task force that is outlined in the FY24 budget;
- Her ability to cut emergency response times in the southern end of the county down to an average of seven minutes by purchasing an additional ambulance for the Department of Emergency service;
- Broadband expansion within the county;
- Increasing funding for local non-profits from $400,000 to $700,000;
- The construction of the new North East Middle and High Schools;
- The Belvidere Road I-95 interchange;
- The use of ARPA funds to fund infrastructure in the county;
- And to have the county assume the certification authorization of the well and septic program- eliminating the need for residents to go through both the county and the health department when they need well/septic work done.
Hornberger noted that economic development, tax cuts and rural preservation and other accomplishments in Cecil County are all great, but they do not matter in an area where citizens are not safe, which is a reason she said she has prioritized public safety.
“In the current national situation, it is a really tough time for law enforcement and all of our emergency services, which is why we provided the $10,000 salary increase across the board of emergency service professionals,” said Hornberger.
Since the start of Hornberger’s term, salaries for public safety positions in Cecil County – primarily law enforcement salaries – were noticeably behind salaries in much of the rest of Maryland and Delaware. Hornberger said that, while making public safety salaries competitive with nearby areas was a top priority, when she was elected it was important to her administration not to immediately start spending large amounts of money.
“It was very important for me, with decades of our public safety professionals being behind the curve with compensation comparatively in the state of Maryland, that we not move too fast,” said Hornberger. “I can’t imagine how reckless it would be for me to step into this office and begin with a large increase in spending.”
Hornberger explained that she took office right after the first surge of COVID-19 – which she believes altered Cecil County’s economy and workforce – solidifying a lot of uncertainties in the county that hinged upon fiscal responsibility.
Hornberger’s conservative fiscal principals have also drawn concerns and criticism from the community regarding her funding of Cecil County Public Schools (CCPS).
“I think the frustration is misplaced, because it is really the state that determines the level of funding that is provided to give a world-class level education,” said Hornberger, referring to Maintenance of Effort – the state-mandated minimum threshold for a county to fund its schools at.
Hornberger took aim at CCPS officials, saying that county leadership is a collaborative effort.
“Throwing money at a problem is not the answer,” said Hornberger. “The answer is for leaders to be leaders and make difficult decisions. I am not their leader, but I call on the superintendent of CCPS to be a leader and work to fix the problems because leaders do not point the finger, they take action.”
Moving forward, Hornberger said that she wants to continue to deliver on her campaign promises of fiscal conservation through efficient spending, putting more money in taxpayer’s pockets through tax cuts and attract more businesses to Cecil County to create a robust place for families to grow.
“I care about the people and I want to run this government like a well-oiled machine for the people,” said Hornberger. “One of the wonderful things that we have in Cecil is that we are still a small enough community that you can reach out to the council president or the executive and have a conversation and actually be heard.”
Cecil Whig Clip
https://www.cecildaily.com/news/hornberger-reflects-on-economic-development-schools-fiscal-policy/article_473548bf-bbec-596f-aee8-54b039ba66cb.html
