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<section number="10-112.22" name="Duties and Responsibilities" law="code" slug="sec-10-112.22" node_id="PTIITI17PULOLAPRGECOMA_SUBTITLE_10FITA_DIV1ASPAFCO_S10-112.22DURE">
  <level label="a">
    <text>The Spending Affordability Committee shall make advisory recommendations to the County Executive, the County Council, and the Office of Management and Budget concerning:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Spending affordability;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Ways to improve the County's budgetary procedures and policies; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Other related areas upon request of the County Executive or County Council by resolution.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>On or before October 1 of each year, the committee shall submit to the County Executive and the County Council a preliminary report recommending County spending levels for the next fiscal year consistent with the capacity of the tax base and revenue sources of the County to finance public services and long-term debt. A copy of this report shall be filed with the Clerk of the Council and be made available for public inspection.</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>The report shall provide recommendations for the following spending affordability guidelines:</text>
      <level label="A">
        <text>A ceiling on total general fund appropriations for the ensuing fiscal year;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="B">
        <text>Separate maximum general fund spending allocations for:</text>
        <level label="i">
          <text>The Board of Education;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="ii">
          <text>Debt service; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="iii">
          <text>All other general government expenditures, in the aggregate, for the ensuing fiscal year; and</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="C">
        <text>Appropriate levels of general fund reserves and fund balances for the ensuing fiscal year.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>On or before January 1 of each year, the Committee shall submit to the County Executive and the County Council a final report on spending affordability guidelines for the County Executive's proposed capital and operating budgets for the ensuing fiscal year. This report shall contain the Committee's final recommendations concerning each of the spending affordability guidelines. A copy of this report shall be filed with the Clerk of the Council and be made available for public inspection.</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>In developing the spending affordability guidelines, the Committee shall consider the following factors, among others:</text>
      <level label="A">
        <text>Growth and stability of the local economy;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="B">
        <text>Growth in the assessable base and ad valorem property tax revenues;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="C">
        <text>Estimated revenues from the County, State, and Federal governments;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="D">
        <text>Changes in personal income and other measures of tax capacity;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="E">
        <text>Debt affordability indicators such as a ratio of net bonded debt to total assessed value, the ratio of debt service to general fund expenditures, debt per capita, and the ratio of per capita debt to per capita income;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="F">
        <text>The level of inflation and inflation trends;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="G">
        <text>Commercial construction, housing and other ancillary industry-related planning, zoning, permitting, financing, and sales activity;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="H">
        <text>The level of unemployment and labor force trends; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="I">
        <text>Projected population and school enrollment changes.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>In developing the proposed capital and operating budgets, the County Executive shall consider the Committee's spending affordability recommendations. If the proposed budget exceeds any of the recommended affordability guidelines, the County Executive must explain in writing the justification for exceeding the recommendations.</text>
  </level>
</section>
