Board of Town Commissioners

MINUTES BEL AIR BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BUDGET WORK SESSION MEETING MAY 7, 2025 The Board of Commissioners Budget Work Session Mee�ng was held on May 7, 2025, at 4:30 pm. PRESENT: Commissioner Paula S. Etting, Chair Commissioner Mary F. Chance Commissioner Steven T. Chizmar Commissioner James B. Rutledge, III Commissioner Jakob D. Taylor IN ATTENDANCE: Edward Hopkins, Town Administrator Stephen Kline, Director of Public Works Michael Krantz, Director of HR & Administration Lisa Moody, Director of Finance Jane Sudbrink, Recording Secretary I. CALL TO ORDER Chair E�ng called the mee�ng to order at 4:30 pm and read the roll call of commissioners. II. ROLL CALL III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Commissioner Chance mo�oned to approve the agenda. Commissioner Taylor seconded the mo�on. Mr. Krantz asked for a vote on the agenda. Ayes: Commissioners Rutledge, Chizmar, Taylor, Chance, E�ng. Nays: None. Mo�on carried 5–0. III. FISCAL YEAR 2026 BUDGET DISCUSSION A. Presenta�ons 1. Bel Air Recrea�on Commitee Dave Care�, Vice President of Finance, reported to the board that the rec commitee is reques�ng $115,250 for FY26, a $13,250 increase over last year. He proceeded to detail how the rec commitee operates, where the money goes, and highlights from the past year. Mr. Care� said the rec commitee has roughly 7,500 par�cipants including 5,800 children, 1,200 adults, and 400 volunteers. Mr. Care� highlighted new partnership programs, including programs conducted by Bel Air Middle School teachers that cover interac�ve media, coding, engineering, and theater. He said all programs are scru�nized for feasibility. Mr. Care� said the rec commitee installed new bleachers at Tucker Field and highlighted the success of youth sports programs. He also said the Fes�val of the Arts con�nues to be a successful fundraiser with 400 booths. Mr. Care� said some of the programs at the rec commitee are designed to give back to the community, like canned food drives. Mr. Care� reported that the primary expenses for the rec commitee are maintenance, referees, and uniforms. He said the rec commitee is considering 1 contrac�ng with a single uniform provider to save on expenses. Mr. Care� said this year’s budget request will offset costs for registra�on expenses and expenses internal to the programs. Commissioner Chizmar commented on the great value of the rec program and that he fully supports their request. He ques�oned whether it would be possible to have sponsors pay for the uniforms. Mr. Care� said he would take this sugges�on under advisement. He noted that it is a challenge to have a sponsorship across the en�re rec program, with most sponsorships currently based on parents in individual programs. He said uniform costs are generally covered by fundraising. 2. Bel Air Independence Day Commitee Representa�ves did not atend the mee�ng. B. Con�nued Detailed Review of General Fund Expenditures 1. Bel Air Armory Mr. Kline reported that $16,500 has been earmarked for general maintenance and u�li�es for the armory’s garages. He said that $237,960 is budgeted for everyday opera�ons of the armory, including salaries, benefits, u�li�es, and overall maintenance. Mr. Kline reported that there are no capital projects budgeted for the armory. Mr. Krantz spoke on behalf of Julia Potler. He said that $10,400 is budgeted for promo�on and support of events at the armory. In par�cular, Ms. Potler is reques�ng $6,530 for WeddingWire and $1,560 for WeddingWire May and June of 2026. Mr. Krantz reported that this represents a 20 percent increase per month but noted that adver�sing on WeddingWire has proved very lucra�ve for atrac�ng weddings to the armory. He said the armory is now completely booked through 2025. Commissioner Taylor asked how many bookings result from WeddingWire. Mr. Krantz said he would ask Ms. Potler this ques�on as well as Commissioner Taylor’s follow-up ques�on regarding where the clients come from—Harford County and otherwise. Mr. Krantz said Ms. Potler is reques�ng $1,400 for a yearly adver�sement on Zola, $282 for armory brochures, and $600 for miscellaneous adver�sing. Mr. Krantz elaborated on the increased rental of the armory with bookings for 2026, inquiries for 2027, rentals by fundraising groups, and high registra�ons for classes and lecture series. Commissioner Chizmar asked if the town is “breaking even” with the armory. Ms. Moody replied that the budget is $255,000 and revenues from the armory and the marketplace are $160,000. Mr. Krantz emphasized that the armory is foremost a community center and not a profit center, although some people have envisioned it that way. 2. Town Buildings/Hydrant Rental a. Town Buildings Mr. Kline said he is reques�ng $538,782, which includes $164,000 for capital projects. He reported that regular opera�ng expenses for the town buildings (except the armory) are budgeted at $374,782 and this includes salaries and benefits for the custodians, u�li�es, and rou�ne maintenance. Mr. Kline listed the building capital projects. These include updates to the public works and planning offices; replacement of loading dock overhead doors, which are forty years old; floor installa�on in the break 2 room; replacement roof on the parks and rec building; and replacement roof on the Rockfield playground pavilion. Ms. Moody added that the parks and rec commitee has been informed that they are to pay half of the roof replacement, $30,000. Commissioner Chance said this is a big cost request to the rec commitee. Ms. Moody said this is also a big cost for the town and the town does not use the building, so she felt the 50–50 cost split was fair. She confirmed for Commissioner Chizmar that the rec commitee does have other sources of funding like the county. Mr. Kline explained for the commissioners the technical reasons why the roof replacement is so costly. He also told Chair E�ng that his es�mates for the updates to the public works and planning building are “guess�mates” based on previous jobs and he would rather es�mate on the higher end. Mr. Hopkins added for Commissioner Chance’s edifica�on that he was in contact with the president of the rec commitee in December 2024 regarding the roof replacement. In addi�on, the president had offered to pay for the roof upfront and then seek reimbursement from the town. Mr. Hopkins and Ms. Moody decided it would be best to split the costs. Ms. Moody confirmed for Commissioner Rutledge that the budget of $538,782 will come from current revenues and the $164,000 for capital projects will come from the capital reserve. b. Hydrant Rental Mr. Kline said that $55,584 is in the budget for hydrant rental with $165.75 per hydrant for 304 hydrants. Commissioner Chizmar asked about the property tax surcharge of $5,500. Ms. Moody referred to the “impound” with Maryland American Water. She said the company has to keep up with the annual cost so if it is short on paying addi�onal property taxes, it will add a surcharge to the bill. She said this analysis is done yearly so the cost will fluctuate depending on whether the company is covering its costs with changes in property taxes on the impound project. She noted that residents and the town itself are also affected by this surcharge on their water bills. Mr. Hopkins said that in the past Maryland American Water did not maintain the hydrants properly. Mr. Hopkins and Mr. Kline have remained persistent and the company is now more proac�ve about maintaining the hydrants. 3. Public Works Department Mr. Kline reported that the proposed budget is $1,333,926, which includes salaries and benefits. He said for the MS4 Storm Water Management, $85,000 is requested. Mr. Kline stated that this line item has gone down from $130,000 to $85,000 and consists largely of the environmental engineer’s salary. He said it is funded through an MOU with the county. Mr. Kline said the mowing contract to maintain larger parks and grounds is $40,550. Commissioner Chizmar asked about the $35,000 for building inspec�ons. Mr. Kline replied that this fund pays for building inspec�ons conducted by Harford County for town projects. He reported that the increase in this line item is due to the new proper�es under construc�on in town. He said there will also be more permi�ng costs, the majority of which the town will collect and pass on to the county. a. Town Shop Budget Mr. Kline said the requested amount for this budget is $543,680. This fund covers the salaries and benefits for three employees and the opera�onal and maintenance expenses of 70 vehicles and over 60 pieces of equipment. He listed the various account line items like repair parts, gasoline, diesel, etc. and said they are all integral to sustaining the efficiency and longevity of the vehicles and equipment. Mr. Kline noted that the shop does repair work for the police vehicles, but the police department pays for the parts. 3  Mr. Kline explained for Commissioner Taylor that the varying increases and decreases of gas and diesel costs are a result of higher prices not a drop off in usage. Mr. Kline said these numbers can fluctuate based on the weather. Mr. Kline then detailed that he is reques�ng the purchase and installa�on of a pumping system to monitor fuel usage at a cost of $35,000. He then discussed the proposed purchase of a new tool box of $35,000. He explained the importance of this tool box to the shop and that the current one is thirty years old and breaking down. b. Streets Budget Mr. Kline reported that the proposed amount for this budget is $2,196,962. He highlighted some of the expenses including “tree work by others,” which he said is an increase of $10,000 to $50,000 to ensure the necessary funds for this line item. Mr. Kline then discussed street ligh�ng and traffic control. For curb and guter repairs, he said this number tends to fluctuate depending on the amount of road work. Mr. Kline discussed street maintenance and sidewalk maintenance materials, which he said increased to $60,000 due to the sidewalk cu�ng program and concrete replacement. For snow and ice removal, Mr. Kline said the cost is $34,915. He said it is a substan�al savings because the town piggybacks on a contract with Harford County and the county rebid the contract at a lower price. Mr. Kline then outlined equipment purchases under this account. He is proposing to purchase a new u�lity trailer for $35,000 and sell the old one at auc�on for $3,000. The purchase of a new street clock on Main Street will cost $12,000. For vehicle purchases, Mr. Kline is proposing to replace the no. 22 dump truck at a cost of $265,000 and sell the old one at auc�on for $10,000. He said he would like to replace the no. 8 mini dump truck used for plowing snow at a replacement cost of $80,000 and an auc�on price of $6,000 for the old vehicle. Mr. Kline explained for Commissioner Taylor the reasons for replacing these types of vehicles. In par�cular, rust and salt are damaging, thus resul�ng in an 8- to 10- year lifespan at best. He said that if the town con�nues to hold on to them, repair costs will go up and sale at auc�on will be much less. Mr. Kline noted that in contrast the jet vac truck is 15 to 20 years old because it is used much less o�en and does not have environmental specifica�ons on it. He said his office evaluates each piece of equipment twice a year and he maintains a comprehensive vehicle replacement schedule. Mr. Kline moved on to new street construc�on where the requested budgeted amount is $430,000. He listed the streets with the total square footage that will get new resurfacing under this budget. He reported that another road was added due to addi�onal funding. Mr. Kline alerted the commissioners that he will be bringing forth another contract for FY25 that will take advantage of extra money that came in from state highway. He told Commissioner Taylor that the order of the streets to be resurfaced will be determined by the contractor. Ms. Moody confirmed for Commissioner Chizmar that the total highway user funds on the revenue side are $805,000 and they cover many items in the streets budget, except salaries and benefits. c. Refuse Mr. Kline reported that the total requested amount is $1,015,649 for which $763,130 goes to salaries and benefits. He said $249,411 is the trash and recycling contract with Casella for the apartments and condominiums. Mr. Kline discussed the $117 �pping fee per ton to the county at a total cost of $133,380. He explained for Chair E�ng why the apartment complexes use dumpsters at a central loca�on. He said he es�mated that it would cost the town approximately $1 million to buy dumpsters and two 4 accompanying u�lity trucks but noted that in four years this outlay would be paid down when considering what the town currently pays Casella. Commissioner Chizmar ques�oned how many households are actually in the condominiums. He said that the town is alloca�ng a quarter of its refuse budget on these condominiums but doubted that a fourth of the town’s popula�on lives in them. Commissioner Chizmar suggested that the commissioners should consider having the town take on this opera�on. Mr. Kline explained how the town piggybacks on a contract with Casella through the county and that Casella will be raising its prices. Commissioner Chizmar added that the �pping fee is almost half the cost and that is also very high. Mr. Kline explained the process for Commissioner Rutledge should the commissioners decide to approve taking on the condominium refuse. He said the process would take two years because the trucks need to be ordered a year out, one used, one new. He said adding this refuse task should not nega�vely impact opera�ons and he has sufficient staff. Mr. Kline advised that another op�on is to not piggyback on the county’s contract and the town would put out its own bid to other businesses, like Harford Sanita�on and Republic. He noted that the town would s�ll have to pay the �pping fee. Commissioners agreed to start planning for this refuse transi�on. Commissioner Taylor said the numbers are challenging but not in�mida�ng. Commissioner Rutledge said it is prudent to take on this opportunity now since the town has the shop, the personnel, and the infrastructure. Ms. Moody said that this topic has been at the forefront of discussions with Mr. Kline and Mr. Hopkins for the last two budget cycles. She said she spoke to a sales representa�ve at Casella recently. Ms. Moody was unaware that Harford County had renewed its contract with Casella last July un�l she received a rate increase in January. She said that Casella increased its rates 3 percent for the county and 6 percent for the town. Ms. Moody found this unjus�fied considering that the town’s contract is only for dumpster service and was able to convince the sales representa�ve to match the county’s 3 percent rate increase. She confirmed for Chair E�ng that the town is part of the county’s 3-year contract with Casella and there are two years le�. Chair E�ng asked about an escape clause. Ms. Moody said she would check and said the finalized contract should come before the commissioners soon. Commissioner Taylor noted that the 2-year contract �me is the necessary lead �me that they will need to formalize the refuse transi�on. Ms. Moody recommended that payment for the dumpster trucks should come out of the capital reserve in a year. She warned that the Casella cost and the purchase of the vehicles will all be in one budget. Ms. Moody, Mr. Kline, and Mr. Hopkins said they will prepare for this transi�on and review their previous work on this topic. 4. Appearance & Beau�fica�on Commitee Mr. Kline said the Appearance & Beau�fica�on Commitee (ABC) is seeking a budget alloca�on of $41,265, a five percent increase over last year and the first in nine years. He explained the costs covered in this budget, like holiday decora�ons, and cited the significant benefits to the community that come from this commitee’s work. Commissioner Taylor vouched for the commitee’s hard work and said they are very responsible stewards of the money. He said most of the increase in funding is for the gardener. Commissioner Chance asked about the fla�ron project. Mr. Kline explained the ABC’s plan for this area that includes removing the old plan�ngs and enhancing the look with plants from their own gardens. He noted that state highway may s�ll make changes to this area, but the ABC will adjust and use the plan�ngs elsewhere. He also explained for Commissioner Chance that funding for the brick sidewalk 5 replacement is proposed to come from a community legacy grant. Mr. Kline said the brick will be replaced by stamped concrete and new beds. C. Discussion by Commissioners on Budget Issues Mr. Krantz reported that Ms. Potler told him in real �me that 60 percent of the armory’s wedding business comes from WeddingWire and if this adver�sing were to be cut standard social media and word-of-mouth would not be sufficient. Chair E�ng said the commissioners will not cut this fund. Mr. Krantz said that, according to Ms. Potler, armory rentees come from Bal�more City and County, and Pennsylvania, but the majority come from Harford County. Ms. Moody discussed the outstanding budget item list. Ques�on 3. Ms. Moody said she sent balances for the general fund reserves and the unassigned fund for fiscal years 2020 to 2024 to the commissioners. In answer to Commissioner Chizmar’s request, Ms. Moody provided a detailed descrip�on of the three reserves. She said the capital reserve is used exclusively for capital projects like vehicles and equipment. She reported that the stabiliza�on reserve is an emergency fund with specific criteria that need to be met to access this money and she provided examples of emergencies. She explained for Commissioner Chizmar how these funds would be used during an emergency and noted that they cannot be used for normal day-to-day opera�ons. Ms. Moody said the unassigned fund is used for one-�me type expenses and not for capital nor day-to-day expenses and provided examples. She said Ques�on 2., which she is s�ll working on, will provide more understanding of these balances and the governmental recommenda�ons and standards. She noted that if the stabiliza�on reserve is spent, the unassigned fund can then be accessed. Commissioner Chizmar asked about the amount of money put into these funds yearly. Ms. Moody replied that the money put into the unassigned fund and stabiliza�on reserve is according to each policy and processed by a formula. She then explained how money is put into the other reserves like the capital, leave payout, and stormwater management. Ms. Moody said for the seized property reserve, property that does not go back to the owners belongs to the town a�er three years. She said any monies go to the police department but not toward salaries. She advised that the town should not use reserves for opera�ng expenses because the town will not have money for opera�ng expenses the next year. She explained for Commissioner Chizmar the financial picture regarding the reserves in FY24 and how these funds increase and decrease over �me. Commissioner Taylor asked if the capital reserve were to become too low, could it be replenished with funds from the unassigned balance. He said he asked this ques�on in reference to the poten�al $1 million refuse project. Ms. Moody replied affirma�vely but with hesita�on saying that the capital reserve policies specify how it can be funded and such a transfer is not permited. She said policies would have to be changed and the unassigned fund would have to s�ll maintain its recommended percentages. Commissioner Chizmar ques�oned whether it could just be completely funded from the unassigned rather than doing a transfer. Ms. Moody replied that this is not how the unassigned fund balance should be used and the capital reserve is in place for such needs. Ms. Moody clarified that this refuse project is a one-�me project and the town could conceivably transfer a quarter of a million dollars out of the unassigned fund for this purpose and replenish the capital reserve. She noted how the capital reserve has con�nued to grow and up to 75 percent of revenues over expenses goes into this fund. 6  Ques�on 7.d. Ms. Moody said this ques�on will be addressed at Tuesday’s budget work session, wherein all department heads will atend to answer any lingering ques�ons. Ques�on 10. Ms. Moody said Mr. Small reported that no cyclists have been observed or counted in that area. He noted that there may be no cyclists because there are no bike lanes. Ques�on 13. Ms. Moody reported that Mr. Small spoke with one of the affected property owners and this person is opposed to the trail. He le� messages with the other property owners. Ques�on 14. Mr. Hopkins has taken the lead on contac�ng John Carroll School and the ques�on is s�ll pending. Ques�ons 18., 19., 20. Ms. Moody said these will be discussed next week under the parking fund. Ques�on 21. Mr. Krantz reported that elec�on costs will total $7,500 and he will break out the specific costs and send this informa�on to Ms. Moody tomorrow. Ques�on 22. Ms. Moody said this is not a typo, and she will revise the descrip�on in the budget. Ques�ons 24., 25., 26. Ms. Moody said she added these items to indicate increases and decreases in the proposed budget. Ms. Moody said there is a savings of $3,000 because ac�ve shooter bags will be purchased in FY25. Mr. Kline said the town would like to install a port-o-pot near the pickleball courts at Homestead Park at a cost of $2,500. For Ques�on 26. specifically, Ms. Moody said Mr. Small provided updated numbers for Alice Anne Park: an increase of $19,705 to make the total es�mate $109,705, and a reduc�on in grant dollars to $84,705 to account for a town match of $25,000. Ms. Moody said this $25,000 will have to be found in the budget. Commissioner Taylor proposed to not increase the legal budget and to leave it as originally budgeted at $129,000, a number he feels “comfortable with.” Commissioners agreed with this proposal. Chair E�ng said the two bike lane proposals totaling $60,000 should be set aside, thus freeing up money for the fire company. Ms. Moody pointed out that the original conversa�on was to delay a decision on the Tollgate Road bike lanes un�l FY27. Regarding bike lanes for MacPhail Road, she said this would require a discussion with the Planning Commission and she suggested speaking to Mr. Small first. Commissioner Rutledge said these bike lanes could be struck from the budget but not denied. Commissioners confirmed that they are contempla�ng not doing the walking trail from Giles to Maitland but will wait to hear from the other property owners and make a final determina�on with Mr. Small next Tuesday. Ms. Moody noted that she has means to make sure the budget is balanced but needs direc�on from the board. Ms. Moody said that LASOS will present on Tuesday and she has yet to hear back from the Harford County Educa�on Founda�on about doing a presenta�on. She said she will try to reschedule the Bel Air Independence Day Commitee to present next Tuesday as well. She said the two enterprise funds and special revenue will be on the agenda for discussion. IV. ADJOURMENT Commissioner Chizmar mo�oned to adjourn the mee�ng. Commissioner Rutledge seconded the mo�on. All in favor. The mee�ng adjourned at 6:47 pm. 7 APPROVED: May 19, 2025 Signature on file _____________ Paula S. E�ng, Chair Board of Town Commissioners Signature on file_____________ Michael L. Krantz, Town Clerk 8