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Board reviews preliminary FY27–32 CIP, approves $27 million bond authorization request
Summary
County budget director presented a preliminary six‑year CIP and recommended a $27 million bond authorization request; commissioners debated debt capacity, PFAS uncertainty and high‑cost projects including a potential $150 million Liberty High School modernization before voting to authorize $27 million.
The Carroll County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 15 reviewed the preliminary recommended FY27–32 capital improvement plan and unanimously approved a $27 million bond authorization request to submit to the Maryland General Assembly.
Ted Zaleski, the county budget director, framed the document as a starting point for deliberations and stressed the county’s operating plan is currently unbalanced. “This is what we call the preliminary recommended CIP,” Zaleski said, adding that the plan reflects both maintenance of existing assets and a handful of larger proposed projects.
Zaleski listed priorities that are largely upkeep — roofs, HVAC, roads, technology — while also flagging larger projects such as pre‑K additions, Piney Run Park improvements and emergency management communications upgrades. He also highlighted an unresolved, potentially large capital need: “I don't think we have a really good idea of how much [Liberty High School modernization] is gonna cost, but we're talking about a $150,000,000 kind of project,” Zaleski said.
Board members debated whether to request a larger bond authorization to preserve flexibility for future projects or to limit the request because of debt‑service capacity. One commissioner argued leveraging debt can reduce long‑term inflation costs and accelerate necessary projects; Zaleski cautioned, “If you issue more debt, you have to be able to pay more debt service.”
Zaleski also warned of regulatory uncertainty on PFAS remediation that could require costly future work. He said current set‑asides — including roughly $11 million for the Northern Landfill — may not be sufficient depending on forthcoming federal or state standards.
After discussion the Board moved and seconded a motion to approve a $27 million bond authorization request for FY27; the motion carried with a unanimous voice vote.
The Board directed staff to return with more detailed budget recommendations in March and noted a public hearing and adoption steps scheduled later in the spring.
Questions raised during the presentation included timing changes for school projects, the possibility of funding feasibility studies (requested during public comment for Liberty High School), and whether funds earmarked for road projects could be repurposed to priority corridor projects such as Route 26.
