The St. Mary's County Alcohol Beverage Board approved its fiscal year 2019 budget at the Dec. 14 meeting, adopting staff proposals that do not raise operating expenses and that add a $250 transfer/new‑license filing fee effective July 1, 2018.

Tammy Hildebrand, the board administrator, told members the budget does not request additional expense funding and that the new $250 fee — applied to transfers or new licenses — is projected to generate approximately $5,000 in additional revenue for FY2019 based on estimated transaction volume.

Hildebrand reviewed internal revenue tracking and performance measures included in the packet; she noted total alcohol sales revenue recorded in a recent year as about $98,700, with the corporate town (Leonardtown) share noted separately as roughly $13,100 (net Leonardtown figure listed as $85,600 in packet accounting). Hildebrand said these figures and the standard performance measures were included to show license and enforcement activity trends.

The board voted to approve the FY2019 budget as presented. Board members were given one month to request any adjustments before finalization; no changes were requested during the meeting.

Ending: The approved budget will take effect in the next fiscal year; staff will issue updated reports and incorporate the RQIN computer reports into the final packet when available.