Subcommittee reviews Maryland Department of Planning budget, historic tax credit and Maryland250 spending

The Transportation and the Environment Subcommittee of Appropriations met Feb. 19 to review the Maryland Department of Planning's fiscal 2026 allowance, including the department's requested staffing changes, a federal drone pilot grant, the $22 million historic revitalization tax credit reserve and funding for the Maryland 250 commission and heritage-area grants.

Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Bridal told the panel the fiscal 2026 allowance for the Department of Planning is $52.7 million, a $3.3 million decrease from the prior year, with roughly 80% from general funds. Bridal said much of the decline is the loss of one-time federal funds used in fiscal 2025, including about $1.8 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation for a drone pilot to move health-care supplies between Crisfield and Smith Island, and $1.5 million for the Maryland 250 commission.

The budget includes $22 million deposited into a reserve fund to back the historic revitalization tax credit program, Bridal said, noting $20 million is for the competitive commercial program and $2 million for the…