SALISBURY, MD – After an intense, sometimes mudslinging campaign against the Wicomico County Council members who last week voted to not fund the construction of a new Bennett Middle School, councilwoman Stevie Prettyman (R-2) has changed her mind and is supporting a re-visit of the Bennett Middle issue. Tomorrow morning the Wicomico County Council will hold a special legislative session where Prettyman is expected to flip her vote and join fellow council members John Hall (R-4), Matt Holloway (R-At Large), and Sheree Sample-Hughes (D-1) in approving construction of the school. This also locks the council in to a 7 cent increase in the real property tax rate (along with the corresponding 10% increase in personal property and inventory taxes)
Prettyman’s motivation may center around word from the County Executive’s office that it is now possible to finance the school without dipping into previously bonded funds earmarked for the new Bennett High School and other projects. Council members, and the public, may question how this money – approximately $14 million – suddenly appeared in the county’s coffers. Is this real, or is this phantom bookkeeping by County Executive Rick Pollitt and his Finance Director Andy Mackel? The answer appears to be that it is real.
Rather than using monies already borrowed for other projects (which would require that the Council pass, and the Executive sign, two additional pieces of legislation before the funds could be legally used) new monies will have to be bonded. This is expected to add approximately $300,000 to the cost of the project to taxpayers over the next 10 – 20 years.
UPDATE – Meeting will be at 11 AM in the council chambers.
[...] Delmarva items, Politics, State of Conservatism According to published reports in both the blogosphere and mainstream media, Wicomico County Council is holding yet another meeting tomorrow morning to [...]