Funding Requested for New Wilde Lake Middle School, Bike Master Plan

School system representatives requested additional funds in next year's budget to offset new pension costs and build a new Wilde Lake Middle School while bike advocates asked the county to implement the bike master plan at County Executive Ken Ulman's fist public budget hearing Wednesday night.

About 75 people attended the meeting at the George Howard Building in Ellicott City. The meeting is the first in Ulman's last budget cycle as county executive.

Ellen Flynn Giles, the chairman of the Board of Education, said the school system is requesting additional funds in the next budget to cover additional pension costs being transferred from the state to the county. She said the shift represents an additional $2.9 million that the county didn't pay last year.

Giles said the school system plans to request $96.4 million for capital needs from the county and state combined in fiscal year 2015.

"Important [capital] funding includes replacement for the Wilde Lake Middle School," said Giles, referring to the recently approved plan to construct a new middle school. In addition, Giles said the school system needs funds for "badly needed" renovation at Deep Run Elementary in Elkridge and Patuxent Valley Middle School in Savage.

"We hope that this year you can continue to provide the generous support that the county has in the past," said Giles.

Superintendent Renee Foose said the county will need to provide for an estimated 500 new students with the next budget and an expanding pre-kindergarten population. Also, developing common core standards and principal evaluations are expected to impact the upcoming budget, said Foose.

Foose said creating the best education system in the world is "an imperative."

A cycling advocate had the county executive and much of the room laughing during his testimony. Bill Kelly did get to the point though, he said he has been testifying since 2007 to improve cyclist safety in the county, but nothing has been done.

"The bicycle master plan has been on your desk for two years," said Kelly, "and nothing has been done."

He asked Ulman to put $250,000 in the budget to begin implementing the plan that would add bike lanes and signage around the county.

"Please get that done," said Kelly, "we have virtually no bike lanes in Howard County."

"You made me smile," responded Ulman. "You're going to get some money in the budget."

A second budget hearing is scheduled for March 2014, after which Ulman will submit his Fiscal Year 2015 budget to the County Council for approval.

Additional Requests

• Advocates for the West End in Ellicott City requested funds to prevent flooding in the Historic District.

• Brent Loveless, a PTA member of Forest Ridge Elementary in Laurel, asked that the county link infrastructure funding with development "so we can rid the school system of modular trailers."

• Andrea Ingram, the executive director of Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center, asked for funds so the center can continue its work aiding the local homeless and needy. "The trend is clear," said Ingram, "local jurisdictions are going to have to take more responsibility funding local services."

• Ian Kennedy, a Columbia resident and former county administration staff member, asked Ulman to consider creating a neighborhood investment fund that could support housing, economic development and community programs. Ulman joked that Kennedy should write a comprehensive plan about the idea (although, it's possible he wasn't joking.)

• Valerie Gross, the CEO of the Howard County Library System, asked for additional funding to help the library fund its HiTech program, which provides local students with creative projects that revolve around science, technology, engineering and math. Anne Markus, the chair of the library's board of trustees, thanked the county executive for funding capital projects to renovate the Savage, East Columbia and Central Columbia branches as well as to build a new library in Elkridge.

• Representatives from Howard Community College asked for additional funding to build a new engineering and science building as well as to handle increased enrollment. The college's president requested $15 million to build 750 additional spaces in the east parking garage.