The below was submitted to the County Treasurer Pamela Howard.  We will let you know when we have answers to these questions.  We are especially interested in what answers we will receive with regard to the Port Deposit system bailout costs.  We have not been given a solid cost figure on that public expense.  It will also be useful to see what “Professional Services” are since that term is used in almost every departmental budget request, yet seldom enumerated upon or explained in terms of what actually makes up “Professional Services”:

Hi Ms. Howard,

I had some questions about the Treasurer’s Office 2011 Budget request.  If you could help me to understand it a little better that would be greatly appreciated.

1)      Can you explain what the cost to the county is for the purchase of the Port Deposit system in both the short and long term?  I realize that Schedule B only speaks to the Treasurer’s Office, but would expect that the Treasurer’s Office would also have a better understanding of the purchasing costs for the Port Deposit facility.  It is unclear to me what the actual cost for this obligation will be and I have not received clear answers on what the actual dollar amount cost of the purchase is?

2)      Can you explain the “Advertising Revenue – Tax Sale” category?  Do we charge brokers to advertise a property foreclosure or auction?

3)      With regard to the County Recordation Tax, I saw that the State of Maryland waives the tax on first time home purchasers and puts the obligation for tax payment on the seller.  Does Cecil County have a similar policy for first time homebuyers?

4)      What programs or services does the Recordation Tax money go toward or is it spread across several programs?

5)      Could you please explain the hotel tax, how it is applied, what the rate or fee structure is, etc.?

1)       What makes up the $45,750 in “Bank Fees”?  What is the rationale behind the roughly $1,000 projected increase in FY 2011?

2)       With regard to travel, what did the $5,966 in FY2010 funds pay for?

3)       For dues, publications, and memberships, could you please provide a listing of Treasurer’s Office subscriptions?

4)       For professional services, could you please provide a detailed line item breakdown outlining the $82,850 in spending?

5)       For advertising, again could you please provide a detailed line item breakdown outlining the $80,755 in spending for FY 2010?

6)       Why are there two equipment repair categories?  Is this a typo?  If not, what is the difference between the two and what expenditures are included in each category?

7)       With regard to machinery and equipment, it looks like the Treasurer’s Office purchased $8,000 worth in 2010 and will not purchase any more equipment in 2011, so why don’t the repair costs go down in 2011?  When I buy new equipment my repair costs go down, as the new equipment ages repair costs go back up.

1) Can you please explain and provide a listing of the roles and responsibilities outlined for each position.  There are many positions listed above and it would seem that job responsibilities overlap.  I would benefit from in-depth explanation of the unique roles that each employee fills.