def METHOD_NAME(cls, increment):
    """Increment the base offset, then return the prior value.
    Note that this filter is designed for use at submission time, and the
    environment variable will be used upon script generation. At run time,
    the base offset will be set only once (when run initializes the
    environment).
    Parameters
    ----------
    increment : int
        The increment to apply to the base offset.
    Returns
    -------
    int
        The value of the base offset before incrementing.
    """
    cls.base_offset += increment
    return cls.base_offset - increment