Bowie city manager lays out FY26 budget framework, warns of ‘tipping point’ in 2026

Byron Matthews, city manager for the City of Bowie, presented the city’s fiscal 2026 budget guidance and five‑year projections, saying the city faces a likely “tipping point” in 2026 if current trends continue.

Matthews told the council the city has maintained a flat property tax rate for 14 years while continuing to provide core services and fund new development, and he outlined personnel and fund‑balance trends that inform the FY26 framework. “We see that in this current projection, that tipping point is gonna be in 2026,” Matthews said, referring to the point when recurring expenditures could outpace recurring revenues under the current plan.

The guidance explained that personnel is the largest portion of the general fund (about 54 percent), and that personnel headcount grew an average of about six positions per year over the last decade. Matthews described the city as a “pay‑as‑you‑go” jurisdiction that finances many capital projects from fund balance rather than long‑term borrowing, and he noted proposed tax increases in the five‑year projection: a 10‑cent increase per $100 of assessed value in 2026 and an additional 5 cents in 2028 (proposed, subject to council action).

Why it matters: the presentation set parameters the city manager…