FY 27 Proposed Operating Budget

GENERAL FUND SUMMARY

ORIGIN & PURPOSE: The Harford County Charter, Article V Budget and Finance, Section 502(b) defines the term "County funds" to mean "any money appropriated or approved by the Council to which the County may at any time have legal or equitable title." The General Fund is the principal operating fund for Harford County Government and encompasses all financial resources and activities, not required by law or County policy, to be maintained in another specific fund. General Fund appropriations are used primarily to finance the administrative activities of County Government to provide services to its citizens. In addition, the allocation of County funds in support of the Board of Education, the Library system, Harford Community College, the Health Department, some State agencies, and certain non-profit and/or community programs, is made from the General Fund. Charter Section 523 (b) also states "No general fund revenues or receipts shall be dedicated to, expended for, or used to supplement appropriations from a special fund except as a loan to such special fund." Property Taxes are the largest source of General Fund revenue, followed by Income Taxes. Other sources include licenses, permits, fines, forfeitures, investments, rental income, sales, services and charges to user agencies, other local taxes, and State shared revenue. Any excess unappropriated fund balance realized at the end of a fiscal year, above the 5% Unappropriated General Fund Balance maintained by County policy, is appropriated into the next fiscal year's budget and treated as one-time funding for that fiscal year.

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