Calvert County staff present FY2026 draft budget showing $15.4 million gap; commissioners warn of cuts

Calvert County staff on Tuesday presented the fiscal year 2026 staff-recommended operating and capital budgets to the Calvert County Board of County Commissioners, saying the county faces a projected $15.4 million budget shortfall and potential additional state funding changes that could increase the deficit.

The staff-recommended draft is the first formal step in the commissioners’ budgeting process and reflects departments’ level-of-service requests for FY2026. County Administrator Mark Willis told the board this is a staff recommendation and “a starting point from which the Board of County Commissioners will develop a final budget.”

The presentation matters because the projected gap, combined with possible state “realignments,” could force reductions to county services or use of one-time fund balance. Finance Director Bruce Miller said the staff estimate does not include anticipated state adjustments; staff currently expect state realignments to range between $6 million and $12 million and warned that those changes could push the county's total shortfall substantially higher.

Staff described the FY2026 approach as 0-based budgeting, requiring departments to itemize expenditures rather than roll forward prior allocations. Bruce…