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Commissioners direct one-time fund balance to transit pilot, SDAP expansion and library support; debate over commissioner's reserve
Summary
As part of budget work-session trade-offs, commissioners agreed to use fund balance for a one-year free-fare pilot ($200,000), a $356,000 expansion of the Specialized Demand-Response (SDAP) transit program and $118,000 in library materials and utilities, while commissioners debated whether to reduce the commissioner's reserve.
During a lengthy May 6 budget work session, St. Mary's County commissioners agreed to direct several one-time fund-balance allocations to selected operating priorities and discussed trade-offs to preserve contingency reserves.
Staff and commissioners confirmed three fund-balance uses: $118,000 for the public library (materials and utility costs), $356,000 to expand the county’s Specialized Demand-Response (SDAP) transit service to cover more areas and times, and $200,000 to fund a one-year pilot of fare-free local bus service. County staff confirmed that those items, if paid from fund balance, would temporarily restore revenue or cover operating costs without adding recurring general-fund obligations for the current fiscal year.
Allison Swint, deputy director involved in transit operations, described SDAP and how the program differs from ADA paratransit: SDAP covers eligible riders whose origin or destination falls outside a three-quarter-mile fixed-route buffer and provides scheduled trips under current operating windows. Swint said the expansion would allow elderly and disabled clients who live outside the fixed-route buffer to travel during more hours and that the county currently collects “just under $200,000 a year in fare box revenue.” She and transit leadership told commissioners the county expects hiring efforts (including training non-CDL drivers to CDL) to support service expansion.
Commissioners discussed trade-offs to fund the items, including reducing the commissioner's contingency reserve from historic levels. One commissioner urged caution about lowering the reserve below $500,000 after recent weather-related expenses; another proposed lower levels (including $250,000) to free funds for one-time needs. Staff said the fund-balance impact of the decisions would leave the county near a roughly 16% reserve level after the proposed uses.
Commissioners also discussed nonprofit requests, college and special agency appeals, and asked county administrators to refine numbers and return updated spreadsheets for final action at the scheduled May 20 budget adoption. The county agreed that appeals not explicitly funded at the session should be treated as not approved and that staff will follow up where directed.
