Rising Sun approves FY2026 budget, holds real estate tax at $0.46 per $100

The Rising Sun Mayor and Board of Commissioners on June 2025 approved Resolution 2025-12, the town’s fiscal year 2026 budget, keeping the real estate tax rate at $0.46 per $100 of assessed value and authorizing related service charges.

Town Administrator Calvin summarized the budget as a near-balance of projected revenues and expenses and said staff organized the document into priorities, secondary items and optional items to make trade-offs easier. “You’re going to see it later on in the resolution. But basically we have $3,767,582 of projected revenue and $3,764,097 of expense for a fund projected fund balance at the end of the year of $3,485,” Calvin said.

Calvin told commissioners the proprietary (water and sewer) funds show projected revenue of $2,573,156 and expenditures of $2,524,317 for a combined projected surplus of $48,839. He said a significant portion of water and sewer charges goes toward debt service from earlier utility investments.

The budget includes proposals to fill vacant staff positions (the town is budgeted for 14 staff but operating with nine), funds for road paving and public-works vehicle replacement, continued funding for community events (Sunfest, Spooktacular, Winter Extravaganza and the tractor parade), and downtown investments including demolition and temporary parking at properties the town is acquiring. Calvin said the town plans demolition and temporary parking at three acquired properties and expects to use grant funds to help cover demolition costs.

Calvin also highlighted long-term fiscal context: Rising Sun’s total assessed value rose from roughly $236 million last year to about $243 million in the current assessment, and the town’s median home value is about $393,000. He said Rising Sun’s median effective property tax rate is 0.81 — below Cecil County and the state median — which the administration uses to argue the town remains competitively affordable.

The resolution keeps the town’s 2% early-payment real estate tax discount (payment deadline noted as August 1 on the printed resolution), maintains existing tangible personal property and utility assessments, and continues the town’s existing utility-rate schedule as adopted previously.

Commissioners moved, seconded and approved the resolution by voice vote; the clerk recorded “Aye” and the chair declared the budget passed.

The adopted budget authorizes the mayor and commissioners to collect taxes and assesses the budgeted appropriations for fiscal year 2026. Staff said they will publish the budget summary and proceed with the capital and staffing actions described in the resolution.