County Executive Bob Casley delivered a midterm State of the County address to the Harford County Council, reporting on public-safety changes, school investments and economic development at the midpoint of his four-year term.

Casley said public safety was his administration’s top priority and described a county takeover of emergency medical services after the volunteer association notified the county it could no longer operate EMS. “The resulting county run ambulance service now includes 17 full time, fully staffed, highly trained ambulance crews deployed 24/7 throughout our entire county,” Casley said, and he credited faster response times with lives saved. He described a recent resuscitation of a 62‑year‑old woman whose life was recovered after dispatch-assisted CPR and an ambulance crew response.

The county is continuing support for volunteer fire and EMS companies, including recruitment and retention assistance, tuition assistance and medical supplies, Casley said. He also said the Harford County Fire Association has asked the county to plan for adding some level of paid firefighters as volunteer forces face heavier demands; the administration is “carefully evaluating the request,” Casley said.

Casley said the administration has prioritized law enforcement funding, increasing police compensation by 14% over the administration’s first two years and funding 10 new deputy positions and new school resource officers (SR0s), with plans to increase SR0s from four to seven. He also said the county purchased and deployed web‑enhanced weapons detection systems for schools and provided $1,100,000 in rapid assistance for security infrastructure following a violent incident at a local high school.

On transportation and safety, Casley reviewed partnerships with the State Highway Administration: a three‑year I‑95 interchange project at Route 24; completion of final engineering for the Woodley Road bypass to reroute heavy truck traffic away from Perryman, pending Aberdeen Proving Ground approvals; and the county’s offer to pick up the state share to keep a critical intersection project (Route 23 and Grafton Shop Road) on the active project list.

Casley outlined education investments, saying Harford County will continue to fund schools at or above state requirements and that the county purchased land for a new elementary school intended to serve both general population students and students with severe disabilities. Locating the new school inside the state’s development envelope, he said, “qualifies for state funding which will save Harford County taxpayers about $50,000,000.” He also referenced continuing county funding toward a $174,000,000 Homestead Wakefield replacement building and said starting pay for new teachers is on track to reach $60,000 per year.

Casley highlighted workforce and economic-development initiatives: three new high‑tech manufacturers established in the county with two more planned, local manufacturers investing to modernize production, and a reported 850 new jobs and $547,000,000 in capital investments over two years. He said the county’s new apprenticeship program has placed students in county jobs and that Harford County Public Schools helped place 250 students with 168 companies in apprenticeship roles.

Land conservation and parks were also emphasized. Casley said the administration protected more than 2,500 acres of farmland through the county’s agricultural preservation program, reported 1,400 acres of preserved open space on a waterfront peninsula and noted ongoing work on an eight‑mile Montpelier Trail scheduled for completion by March 2026. He also described expanded parkland, new pickup‑ball courts, arts grants and veteran resource fairs that connected veterans to services.

Casley described the Southern County Task Force, an initiative he said targets persistent needs in Joppa Town, Edgewood and Belcamp. He said the task force delivered upgrades including regular street sweeping, 18 miles of repaved local roads, sidewalk repairs, 40 new street lights, water and sewer upgrades to more than 2,700 customers, expanded parks and a new livability code to upgrade rental housing.

Casley closed by saying the county has pursued internal efficiency efforts — vehicle reviews, building surveys, procurement negotiations, and legal‑department savings — while directing investments that aim to preserve quality of life and attract high‑paying jobs.

Casley concluded: “We’re rising together, and the state of Harford County is strong.”

Context and next steps: many of the projects Casley described require ongoing approvals, intergovernmental coordination or future funding decisions by the council and state partners. Several items he described — including the Woodley Road approvals with Aberdeen Proving Ground, decisions about levels of paid fire service, and future landfill/disposal options mentioned elsewhere in the meeting — will require separate staff reports, budget votes or permitting actions before they change county operations.