April 18th, 2023 by WCBC Radio

On Tuesday monring on WCBC's Dave Norman Program, allegany County Administrator Jason Bennett was a guest and discussed the recent news of a budget deficit of approximately $10 million. Bennett discussed the causes for the current deficit, citing rising EMT costs with the lack of volunteer agencies around the county:

Bennett also cited a recent salary increase for county employees, to the tune of an 11% increase across the board:

In addition, state mandated education costs also have contributed to the budget deficit:

Bennett did explain that the county will be able to use the County Fund Balance to offset the deficit, but issues will persist in the coming years if changes are not made.