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DLS briefing: $11.4 billion state aid package outlines Southern Maryland allocations, health department shares
Summary
The Department of Legislative Services presented its annual State Aid to Local Governments report, showing roughly $11.4 billion in state aid, county‑by‑county allocations for Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's counties, and specific local health department allocations under the governor's plan.
Delegation meeting — Southern Maryland — March 21, 2025
The Department of Legislative Services (DLS) presented its annual State Aid to Local Governments report to the Southern Maryland delegation on March 21, detailing the governor's proposed budget allocations and recent legislative adjustments.
"We prepare this report each year," DLS presenter Mr. Birch told the delegation, as he and analysts walked members through exhibits based on the governor's plan and recent Appropriations Committee actions.
DLS said the governor's plan includes roughly $11,400,000,000 in state aid to local governments, with the majority directed to public schools. The report showed per‑county allocations under the governor's plan of about $145,000,000 for Calvert County, $326,000,000 for Charles County and $184,000,000 for St. Mary's County. DLS also identified expected local health department allocations under the governor's plan: approximately $3,500,000 for Calvert County, $5,400,000 for Charles County and $4,100,000 for St. Mary's County.
DLS noted overall state aid was projected to increase by about 5.6% year over year under the governor's proposal. The briefing also highlighted program‑level details: education funding is driven by local wealth and student enrollment, police aid formulas allocate more per capita to denser jurisdictions, and local highway user revenues are projected to revert to FY 2024 funding levels in FY 2028.
The presenters summarized recent legislative changes to the governor's plan: the Appropriations Committee rejected a proposed reduction to collaborative learning funding (keeping those funds in the budget) and approved other proposed local cost shifts, including a change to property assessment cost allocation that would increase local governments' share of assessment costs from 50% toward 90% under that proposal. DLS staff cautioned that the figures presented reflected the governor's introduced budget and would be updated on the DLS website to reflect legislative appropriations.
Valerie Monroe of DLS gave a brief walkthrough of the DLS website and where delegation members and the public can access state aid charts, two‑year program tables and county reports. "Starting from the Maryland General Assembly website... select the State Aid to Local Governments tab," Monroe said, and she pointed members to county‑level breakdowns and annual reports available on the site.
DLS closed the presentation and said the materials would be posted and updated as the legislature finalizes appropriations.
