A public hearing about the county's budget—which includes the school system's budget—will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Fiscal year 2013 begins on July 1.

Sign-ups to speak at the public hearing begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

The meeting will be in the Anne Arundel County Council's chambers, located at 44 Calvert St., in downtown Annapolis. The council will be reviewing the budget later this month (see attached PDF).

Much of the controversy about the budget stems from Superintendent Kevin Maxwell and County Executive John R. Leopold's argument over whether the school system was properly funded in last year's budget. The state's school board has reinforced Maxwell's position that the system was underfunded. This may force Leopold to fund the school system an additional $12 million in the fiscal year 2013 budget currently under consideration. 

The outlook on this budget could also change after a three-day special session Gov. Martin O'Malley is scheduled to hold with the state General Assembly, beginning on May 14. State officials will attempt to finish work on the budget after the passage of the so-called doomsday budget in April.

A second public hearing will be held May 14 at Old Mill High School in Millersville. That hearing also begins at 7 p.m. with 6 p.m. sign-ups.