BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Improving and expanding public schools took priority over libraries, prisons and affordable housing in the Anne Arundel County Council’s version of the proposed fiscal 2009 budget.

“We took a budget that was not focused on top priorities and turned it into the biggest success in recent history,” said Councilman Jamie Benoit, D-District 4.

For the council, shifting more than $30 million in the $1.22 billion operating and $400 million capital budgets was needed to keep pace with the growing demands of the school system.

For the drafter of the budget, County Executive John R. Leopold, the moves are considered detrimental to the county’s services and financial future.

The council took away all but $500,000 of Leopold’s $2 million affordable housing initiative that would have provided financial assistance to low-income homebuyers, as some council members said it was untimely for new initiatives while the school system had a $20 million funding shortfall.

“It would appear that the majority of the council is more concerned with protecting out-of-state residents than they are assisting public school children and providing much-needed work force housing for those struggling to live and work in this county,” Leopold said.

The council also threw out an unpopular 3 percent increase in the hotel tax that could have generated $6 million.

“In light of the economy, that may not have generated additional revenue,” said Councilman Ron Dillon Jr., R-District 3.

The library system lost nearly $1.5 million.

Part-time librarians who were receiving full benefits now will receive benefits based on their employment status. The fledgling nonprofit foundation aimed at generating private dollars for the library system will not get seed money. And $1 million from the library system’s materials account will be cut as the system has failed to use the entire account in the past year, officials said.

Some of Leopold’s initiatives were saved from the budgetary ax. The county will spend $300,000 for a baseball field designed for children with physical disabilities. More than $500,000 will help build a science, technology, engineering and math center at Anne Arundel Community College.

Leopold also called the council’s actions “fiscally imprudent and troubling” because much of the funding the council steered to education are one-time monies that he said may not materialize next year.

“[The funding] is not going to be there next year. I strongly recommend austere management of the money given this year, because it could be more dire next year,” said Councilman Ed Reilly, R-District 7.

But Councilman Ed Middlebrooks, R-District 2, said, “I don’t think next year the sky’s going to fall.”

jflanagan@baltimoreexaminer.com