Baltimore County executive presents FY2026 proposed budget, pledges no tax increase

County Executive Catherine Klausmeier presented her proposed Baltimore County Fiscal Year 2026 Responsible Budget to the County Council, saying the plan avoids a tax increase while funding schools, public safety, libraries, parks and senior centers.

Klausmeier told the council the budget was developed with department directors, the county administrator’s office and community input, and that it responds to state-level reductions, the end of federal COVID aid, inflation and federal tariffs that are raising costs for the county and residents. "Because of this, we cannot ask Baltimore County residents to pay more taxes, and I'm not going to," she said.

The proposal includes a mix of targeted capital and operating investments. Klausmeier said the budget continues record support for education and provides more than $350,000,000 for school improvements, funds toward long‑awaited Towson and Delaney high schools, and keeps Baltimore County above the state-required minimum funding level for public schools. She said the county would continue the practice of increasing starting pay for first-year teachers, which she described as the highest in…