Queen Anne's County proposes $209.1 million FY26 budget with no tax increase; education funding rises $8.3 million

County Administrator Todd Mahn presented a proposed FY26 operating budget of $209,100,000 and said the plan is balanced with no proposed change to county tax rates. Mahn delivered the presentation at a public FY26 budget informational meeting of the Queen Anne's County Board of County Commissioners and invited public input on the proposal.

Mahn said strong property and income tax revenue are driving the county's revenue growth and that the overall revenue projection represents an 8.8% increase over FY25. "I am very pleased to present tonight a balanced operations budget for the next fiscal year without any tax increases or decreases in levels of service," Mahn said.

The budget would increase county support for the Board of Education by $8,300,000 for FY26; Mahn said $7,600,000 of that amount is above the maintenance-of-effort requirement and $644,000 reflects state cost-shifts the county will pick up for teacher pensions. Mahn told commissioners the county has been covering state shortfalls in…