St. Mary's County, MD Commissioners' Time, 24 Aug 2021

Previous Meeting Next Meeting

⏯

youtube image

►

From YouTube: Commissioners Time 8/24/21 - Hewitt

Description

No description was provided for this meeting.
If this is YOUR meeting, an easy way to fix this is to add a description to your video, wherever mtngs.io found it (probably YouTube).

A

um You know, there's there's a term that uh people use a lot and it says everybody's different and.

A

That's good thing: you know, because it wouldn't be good in the world if everybody was the same.

A

It's important to be different or do what you think is is the right thing to do for.

A

Whatever you're doing it for last week at mako, it was an excellent conference. I didn't get to.

A

Attend saturday my niece had a bridal shower and my wife attended. I don't do bridal showers. Sorry.

A

I know they're co-ed these days or whatever, but I just don't do bridal showers, so we came back.

A

Late friday afternoon and but while we were there, I have to say it was a very interesting conference.

A

I had meetings with department of the environment secretary grumbles, department of health.

A

Mr schroeder secretary schroeder, mdot deputy secretary sean powell, also with the public.

A

Service commission all important things to saint mary's county, important things to our residents.

A

To our constituents now some people thought it was. You know important to go to those things and.

A

Some people didn't and that's okay, because people are different and you got to do.

A

What's different today, I personally believe that, while I'm very worried about the coved.

A

19 delta variant and I strongly believe people need to get vaccinated. I also believe.

A

Of choice- and I do believe we need to get back to normal and the more we let this thing.

A

Take over our lives the harder it's going to be to get back to normal. Now, like everybody else, I'm.

A

Surprised at the rising rates- lord knows it's it's it's something that we have to be concerned about.

A

But I do believe we need to get back to normal. I'd also believe in personal choice. If you've.

A

Been fully vaccinated and you want to wear a mask, do so, but if you've been fully vaccinated and you.

A

Don't want to do then, don't wear it. It's up to personal choice. It's what's made this country.

A

Great, it's a it's a great nation, and it's because we can do what we want to do well back to mako. I.

A

Think they talked about a session, they went to on saturday and I missed it and I'm sorry. I did.

A

But I went to one on friday or I'm sorry on thursday, and I thought that was probably the.

A

Most interesting session I went to out there the whole time the people involved were the financial.

A

Director or the cfo chief financial officer for anne arundel county- and there also was.

A

The director of revenue forecast for the office of the comptroller for the state of maryland.

A

And lastly, was the retired director of revenue forecast for the general assembly? Now I've sat.

A

In the seat during the last budget session and talked about the need to be conservative, with our.

A

Estimates that one day we're going to have a day of reckoning for this covet down when.

A

We were all in home, doing puzzles and watching netflix and doing whatever we did in economic.

A

Activity was very stagnant, and the point is is that I understand that it takes a while for that.

A

To come, but what we're seeing is good revenues revenues well, above our projections.

A

This county is liable to see 25 to 30 million dollars, if not more, of a fund balance.

A

The school board's liable to see 16 to 17 18 million dollars in fund balance and people would.

A

Say, commissioner hewitt, your conservative approach to this is keeping people from paying our deputies.

A

As much as we could- and I want to pay him as much as any deputies out there can get, I want.

A

The best deal for our teachers we can get in our county employees, but I don't want to put recurring.

A

Costs paying with money that may not reoccur. So I was very interested to hear what these three.

A

Gentlemen had to say about the post-covet economic environment and what was very interesting to me.

A

Was the director of revenue forecast? His name is andrew and I'm sorry. I can't pronounce his last.

A

Name, I could spell it for you, but I won't bore you with that, but they called him andy and he was a.

A

Very delightful person, but he said this recovery has been like a nike swish boom and back up, but.

A

He said what we need to be careful of is probably in the next 18 to 24 months. It's probably going.

A

To continue, but then there's going to be his term a precipitous drop-off in revenue growth that if.

A

You're spending it now, you may want to be wary because you may either have to cut services or.

A

Increase taxes to accommodate what happens in 23 and 24., it's always easy to say, hey. I got it now.

A

Let me put it out there, but it's important that we're it's important, that we make sure we don't.

A

Spend it his term was we're on a sugar high right now in the last 18 months, I was surprised to learn.

A

That the federal government, the stimulus money, has been 70 billion dollars to the state of maryland.

A

He said the people who had the low income jobs that were laid off or weren't working were the.

A

Ones in the hotel industries or the ones in the restaurant industries, the the lower paying jobs.

A

And that those jobs did not impact our income as much, but those people received their unemployment.

A

Plus six hundred dollars or three hundred dollars or whatever the amount was stipends.

A

Above they actually had take-home pays. That was above what they had when they were working.

A

So they were able to spend. Other thought was: is people in high income jobs? Let's say doctors.

A

Lawyers, engineers professionals, those people; well, they tell it worked, they got paid government.

A

Workers contractors uh they all got paid now. The interesting thing was: is people couldn't.

A

Spend they couldn't go on vacation, I'm sorry, I'm taking so long and I'll get to my point.

A

The point is that there was a lot of money that was built up in the economy, and people are now.

A

Spending it and we are seeing this economic activity that is well above what we expected.

A

That's a good thing, thank god we're seeing that, but we're going to have a day of reckoning.

A

And it's important to know that it's probably going to be in 18 to 24 months and that we need.

A

To be prepared for that, they told us instead of spending your money on reoccurring funds recurring.

A

Expenses, you should concentrate on increasing your fund balance. You should concentrate on paying down.

A

Or paying up your op, your retirement funding and you should concentrate on paying pay, go.

A

Don't borrow money to do projects because you have to pay interest and plus you got to pay.

A

It back but try and pay cash. If that's the term, I should use pay, go pay as you go, and I thought.

A

That was very good advice. Now, let's segue into the hollywood volunteer fire department.

A

My wife joined the ladies auxiliary a couple years back she likes to meet people. We had.

A

Retired she wanted to meet new people. One of her friends joined she joined with her friend and.

A

It is just taken up her time now. Thank god I mean it's wonderful, but saturday she had to go to that.

A

Bridal shower for my niece, so she asked me to work her shift up there. Oh, my goodness,.

A

We were so busy, they said it was the busiest night they've ever had at a carnival. We worked our our.

A

Heads off- and it was amazing that the amount of people that were out, I think, honestly, what it was.

A

And they've talked about it, it was people who just wanting to get out. They want to get back to normal.

A

They want to get to the carnivals and they want to get to the rides and all the children.

A

And grandparents it was really wonderful. We worked again sunday. Now we get there at six.

A

We don't get home to almost midnight, it is so busy and the dedication of those people at hollywood.

A

Volunteer fire department and all the fire departments. It's just amazing and it's honestly.

A

Very encouraging it warms my heart to see it and I'm very glad to do it. Hey my wife.

A

And I are doing the ice cream stand this week, thursday, friday saturday and sunday.

A

As I say, come by and I'll serve you a cold one. Now let me uh earlier today.

A

Good friend died unexpectedly, he was in the hospital and it was all gonna be. Okay. Excuse me.

A

It was gonna, be okay and it wasn't. I apologize, but it hurts. Thank you.