Council hears $1.05 million in FY26 supplemental appropriations and Medicaid staffing impacts
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Summary
Administration presented Bill 7-26 (supplemental appropriations totaling $1,047,000) including $500,000 backfill to a food bank and funding to address federal Medicaid eligibility changes that shorten retroactive coverage and increase reenrollment frequency, which county health officials said will require more eligibility staff.
County administration presented a package of supplemental appropriations and transfers at the Feb. 10 work session that would move $1,047,000 into this year’s budget to address three reconciliation items.
Budget officer Chris Trumbauer said the bill appropriates $868,400 from the unappropriated general fund balance reserved for federal impacts and $178,600 from the Pimlico and Laurel Racecourse fund. One reconciliation item was backfilling a $500,000 commitment the county executive made to a food bank last fall when SNAP benefits were disrupted; the administration used CAO contingency funds at the time and the bill would make that backfill.
Public-health impacts drove a second element. Dr. Gedden of the Health Department told council there are roughly 102,000–103,000 county Medicaid enrollees and that recent federal/state changes shorten retroactive coverage windows (to 30 days for expansion adults, 60 days for others, down from 90) and add reenrollment and work-reporting requirements for expansion adults. ‘‘We will need to increase staff’’ to handle the higher cadence of eligibility checks and reenrollments, he said, and the FY26 request uses reserves while a recurring FY27 funding request is anticipated.
Council members asked whether the supplemental uses one-time reserves for recurring costs; administration said the FY26 funding is one-time and departments will seek recurring funds in the FY27 budget process. Trumbauer agreed to double-check aggregate totals for the food‑bank commitments and to provide clearer fiscal arithmetic before the public hearing.
What’s next: Administration will provide additional fiscal detail before the public hearing; departments plan to request recurring staffing funding for FY27 where needed.
