Caroline County outlines $79.7 million in FY26 requests; staff warn of multi‑million dollar shortfalls tied to state cuts

Caroline County Deputy Administrator Daniel Fox and budget staff presented commissioners with department and agency FY2026 capital and operating requests totaling about $79.7 million during a workshop on Feb. 18, 2025. The capital packet totals roughly $11 million, and staff said the county faces a roughly $3.7 million gap on capital needs alone.

The presentation covered each department’s capital asks — servers for IT; a proposed rear parking expansion and ballistic windows for the Circuit Court; a transport van and control/intercom updates for corrections; ambulance and cardiac-monitor requests tied to the county’s BLS fund; bridge-design set‑asides to meet future 20% matching requirements; and school and college capital items, including local Board of Education HVAC planning and a…