Towns ask Worcester County for higher FY26 grants, community-center and public-safety funding

Representatives from five towns and the Ocean Pines Association presented Fiscal Year 2026 funding requests to the Worcester County commissioners at the March 4 meeting, seeking increases to unrestricted grants and project-specific awards for public safety, infrastructure and community facilities.

The requests arrive as municipalities and the county contend with rising costs for materials, staffing and equipment and as county assessable base changes following recent property reassessments.

Key requests and details: - Pocomoke City asked for $833,604 in total assistance (letter dated Feb. 12). The city's request included $567,787 in an unrestricted grant (a 5% increase) to support general operations including public works, police, water and wastewater. Pocomoke also requested an additional $72,000 to support EMS and fire operations and a restricted infrastructure grant of $49,338 for security upgrades to multiple city facilities. - Town of Berlin requested a 7.5% increase to its unrestricted grant and a $150,000 county contribution to advance a new community center on Flower Street. Berlin reported $370,000 already in a dedicated account for the project, a CDBG grant for architectural/engineering work, and a pending federal earmark application (roughly $476,000 at the time of presentation). Total FY26 request was stated as $687,500. - Town of Snow Hill sought continued county assistance with a Bank Street redevelopment project, pedestrian-safety improvements near schools (including new sidewalks on Morris Street), and additional support on flooding remediation at Bird Park; specific dollar amounts were not requested during the presentation. - Ocean City asked the county to increase its undesignated grant by 2.9% (the presenter tied the request to the Consumer Price Index) and requested a one-time public-safety grant of $1,139,100 to offset the initial-year cost of hiring and equipping 10 additional full-time police officers and to implement a take-home vehicle program after the state eliminated a seasonal provisional police officer program. Ocean City said West Ocean City accounts for over 21% of its EMS calls and requested ongoing funding formulas to reimburse West Ocean City services. - Ocean Pines Association requested funding across three categories: public safety, roads and bridges, and parks and recreation. The association asked the county for $150,000 to support roads and drainage repairs in the 82-mile community, $40,000 for parks and recreation maintenance and continued grant support for the Ocean Pines Police Department; Ocean Pines noted it cannot participate in the state LEOPS pension system and uses an enhanced 401(k)-style retirement plan for officers.

Why it matters: Several town requests include infrastructure and public-safety needs that, if approved, would affect the county's FY26 budget planning. Ocean City's request for more than $1 million in start-up police costs drew particular attention because it ties to statewide changes in provisional officer rules that the town said have ended its seasonal-officer recruiting pipeline.

Board reaction and next steps: Commissioners asked clarifying questions, noted the county budget process is ongoing, and thanked presenters for their work. No final funding decisions were made at the March 4 meeting; presenters were invited to supply additional information as requested by county staff as the commissioners prepare budget recommendations.

Details from presenters: - Pocomoke emphasized increased costs for fuel, materials and staffing that drive the 5% unrestricted grant request. - Berlin highlighted community fundraising (flag sales) and other grants that are supplementing the town's community-center account. - Snow Hill described applying for State Safe Routes to School funds for pedestrian improvements and noted Bird Park serves a regional boating and recreation function. - Ocean City said the loss of its seasonal officer program will require hiring 10 full-time officers and the associated first-year cost; the town proposed a county grant equal to 50% of the one-time startup cost. - Ocean Pines detailed operational responsibilities that fall on its homeowners association, including roads, bridges, pools and public programming, and requested funds proportionate to those services.