The Anne Arundel County auditor has recommended the County Council shave $9.2 million off its operating budget and reduce capital projects to protect the county from inflating debt.

County Auditor JoDee Dickinson laid out her analysis at a meeting Tuesday, where she raised concerns about long-term county debts and out-year rate increases.

“I am concerned about the growing size of the bonds in the” capital budget, Dickinson said during her presentation at the Arundel Center in Annapolis.

Her recommended operating budget cuts — across a variety of departments — would givethe council about $5 million in unallocated funding to place elsewhere.

The other $4.2 million was linked to one-time funding that she recommended be kept separate from recurring expenses.

The auditor’s proposed cuts may represent a path for the council, as a majority of members are looking to add teachers to the county budget. The council cannot add to the operating budget unless they are meeting Board of Education requests or adding to county reserves.

The council is scheduled to finalize the budget on Thursday.

Many of the auditor’s reductions were linked to previous funding expenditures. Her largest operating budget cut proposal is for about $2.4 million; it would involve moving a fiscal 2020 state retirement agency payment to fiscal 2020.

On the capital budget, Dickinson recommended the council remove the $28 million that would be used for “advanced land acquisition.”

This money was proposed by County Executive Steve Schuh to buy land that could be used for parks or future school sites. One potential site was the Belle Grove Landfill, which would cost an estimated $22.5 million.

Dickinson was skeptical of this purchase, saying its use as a landfill could cause development problems and increase cost.

She also raised concerns about Schuh’s administration’s not releasing the budget to the auditor’s office before the May 1 reveal.

“This is the second year that the administration did not release any budget information to us until May 1,” Dickinson said during her testimony. “This has hampered our efforts and affected the amount of analysis we can perform for you.”

The Schuh administration rebutted Dickinson’s portrayal of the debt burden as worrisome but agreed that the county should be judicious about its capital projects.

County budget officer John Hammond also opposed several recommended cuts, one of which included a decrease in funding for county facility and repairs. The auditor recommended cutting $50,000 from that budget. It is cheaper to start the projects now as the costs of construction exceed the cost of interest rates, Hammond said.

“We are fighting the clock on cost increases,” Hammond said. “We have to have that discipline going forward. That is why we put together a five-year plan for the capital budget.”

Schuh officials also defended the $28 million proposal for the land acquisition fund, saying it helps the county prepare for future land needs.

During the budget review process, Democrats and some Republicans on the council have said they want to hire more teachers and increase education funding, but the scope of that hiring and what to cut will differ among individual councilmen.

If the council wants to funnel the money into new teachers, it will cost about $75,000 per position, school officials said.

Councilman Andrew Pruski, a Gambrills Democrat, said his constituents have been laser-focused on class sizes.

“I definitely see the feedback coming from parents and teachers concerning class size,” Pruski said. “The priority in the budget is to fund those teacher positions that aren’t funded.”

The exact number of teachers that could be added to the budget isn’t known at this time. Obviously, the higher the number the higher the cost.

Councilman Pete Smith, a Severn Democrat, said he would like to hire as many as 50 to 60 more teachers.

The school system had requested 106 teachers to deal with increased enrollment.

Schuh budgeted for 50 more teachers, a majority of which would target what he called “crisis” classrooms that were excessively large. But education officials said his proposal wouldn’t decrease overall class sizes because it doesn’t come with teachers to deal with increased enrollment.

“If I can get 50 to 60 teachers, ideally I would be supportive of that,” Smith said. “Once we understand what the [cost] is, we will make that decision.”

Councilman Derek Fink, a Pasadena Republican, said he was hopeful the council would find more funding for mental health professionals within the school system.

Several high-profile school shootings — including one at Great Mills High School in Southern Maryland — have prompted calls for counselors, psychologists and other mental health professionals. Educators and parents are hopeful these staff members could prevent violence.

This tactic — which has been part of a national call — has been criticized by some as laying school violence at the feet of students with mental illness.

ccook@capgaznews.com