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Calvert County presents nine-item legislative package to state delegation, seeks roughly $80 million in new bonding authority
Summary
Calvert County commissioners presented nine legislative requests to their state delegation, including about $80M in bonding authority for schools, wastewater upgrades and infrastructure; proposals also covered emergency‑services taxation, historic tobacco‑barn tax credits, volunteer benefit increases and statutory updates for the local hospital.
Calvert County officials on the evening presented a nine‑item legislative package to their county delegation, led by County Attorney John Norris, who described roughly $80 million in requested additional bonding authority and a set of policy and funding proposals for the 2026 Maryland General Assembly session.
Norris told county senators and delegates the package splits the bonding request into approximately $54.7 million in general capital authority and about $26.3 million in enterprise authority. Projects named include finishing Northern Middle School, roof and HVAC work at Hall Aquatic Center, countywide paving, the Prince Frederick Loop, upgrades to the Solomons Wastewater Treatment Plant to enhance nutrient removal, sewer collection rehabilitation and landfill/transfer‑station work. Norris said protections are in place so the county would remain under debt‑service and debt‑to‑assessed‑value limits if the full authority were sold at market rates.
Why it matters: The bond request would fund school construction, public‑safety apparatus and infrastructure projects countywide. Delegation members asked for a project timeline and clearer indication of what amounts are design money versus construction money so legislators can evaluate schedule and stewardship of carryover balances.
Delegation questioning highlighted timing and capacity concerns. Danielle Russell, capital improvement projects and grants manager, confirmed the project list was reviewed with department heads and is the county’s current list, with some items already under construction or in design. A delegation member requested an expected start and completion date for each project and flagged roughly $24–30 million of unutilized authority carried from prior years.
The package also includes policy proposals beyond bonding: authority to impose a dedicated emergency‑services tax (with a statutory maximum of 22¢ per $100 assessed real property and 10¢ on personal property, and a required offset to reduce the county’s general property tax rate by the same amount); a reinstated tobacco‑barn tax credit modeled after neighboring counties; amendments to volunteer length‑of‑service awards (including raising the death benefit from $10,000 to $14,000 and increasing per‑year payments); proposed authority to seek preliminary injunctions against advertised large 'nuisance' gatherings; a statutory name update to allow funding for Calvert Health Medical Center (formerly Calvert Memorial); and a requested ability to extend long‑term maintenance contracts for infrastructure to preserve continuity.
What’s next: Delegation members asked the county to provide project‑by‑project timelines and clearer fiscal detail so the legislators can weigh the requests during the session. The county and delegation concluded the presentation without formal votes on the package at the meeting.
Quotes: "We appreciate your attention to the matters that are so important to us here at home," John Norris said as he introduced the requests. Danielle Russell said the capital list "is current" and was reviewed with department heads.
The meeting closed after a brief public comment period and procedural adjournment.
