Rising Sun adopts balanced $2.36 million fiscal 2022 budget, preserves 0.46 tax rate

The Town of Rising Sun’s mayor and board of commissioners voted June 23 to adopt the town’s fiscal 2022 budget and collection rates, keeping the real‑estate tax rate at 0.46 per $100 of assessed value.

Town Administrator Calvin presented the budget and said the primary governmental fund projects roughly $2,358,401.66 in revenue and $2,341,700.40 in expenditures, yielding “a surplus of roughly $16,701.26,” and the proprietary funds show projected revenue of $2,253,850 and expenditures of $2,236,411.35, for a projected surplus of about $17,438.65. "We have a balanced budget. With roughly a $16,000 surplus in the budget," Calvin said during the presentation.

The resolution adopting the budget (Resolution 20 21‑04) cites a taxable net assessable real property base increase of roughly $5,498,014 as reported by the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation and projects total real‑estate tax revenue of $939,627.63 under the maintained rate.

Major items called out in the budget include placeholders for projects that could be funded with federal programs such as the American Rescue Plan and the American Jobs Plan; capital work such as a potential new Town Hall roof; relocating the public works garage to the wastewater treatment plant; a planned aggressive street repaving program with engineering estimates Calvin gave between $700,000 and $950,000; and equipment purchases including one replacement police vehicle and a new dump trailer for yard‑waste collection.

Calvin also said the budget includes funding to bring the police department up to full staffing by adding two officer positions and raises to make starting salaries more competitive. On utilities, he explained sewer and water revenues were modeled at the current rate structure and said the sewer fund is running at near‑minimum reserves. He cautioned that hiring an in‑house wastewater operator would carry overhead and testing costs and that the town relies on third‑party operators partly to manage regulatory risk.

Calvin noted the town continues to offer a 2% discount for residents who pay real‑estate taxes in full by July 21, 2021, and emphasized the town’s personal property tax (90¢ per $100) has not changed.

A motion to adopt Resolution 20 21‑04 was moved and seconded; the board voted in favor and the measure passed. The meeting concluded with commissioners thanking staff for a clearer, more readable budget presentation and the mayor adjourning the session.

The resolution and supporting budget documents state several line items are conditional on receiving federal grant funds; if those funds do not come through, the town indicated it will not proceed with those projects.