Calvert County commissioners present FY26 budget with $17.8M reductions; public comments focus on parks, EMS and schools

Commissioner Hans, president of the Calvert County Board of County Commissioners, opened the May 6 public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2026 (FY26) budget and told residents the current recommendation balances the budget without new taxes or “pass along” costs to county taxpayers.

"There are no tax increases or, other pass along cost to our citizens that we're gonna impose tonight to balance this budget," Commissioner Hans said, announcing the public hearing and that the board will accept public comment through 4:30 p.m. on June 9 before a planned adoption vote at the board's June meeting.

The county's commissioner's FY26 proposal reflects a roughly $17.8 million revenue shortfall after $2.2 million in state pass-through costs were shifted to the county, finance staff said. To close that gap, administrators and finance staff described a package of near-term reductions and funding realignments: about $17.6 million in departmental operating cuts, a $6.8 million reduction in PAYGO capital funding, an $840,000 decrease tied to the state's maintenance-of-effort for the Board of Education, projected attrition savings of $2.7 million, elimination of $2.4 million in vehicle requests, and other non-mission-critical reductions (training, mileage, subscriptions) totaling roughly $660,000.

Beth Richmond, senior adviser for the Department of Finance and Budget, summarized the meeting's agenda before the staff presentation and noted the board asked for a zero-based budgeting approach this year. County Administrator Mark Willis said the board moved to a zero-based review "to ensure that every dollar is intentionally placed" and to align spending with the commission's strategic priorities.

Bruce Miller,…