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Dorchester County Council introduces FY2024–25 budget, schedules public hearings
Summary
The Dorchester County Council introduced the 2024–25 Annual Budget and set three public hearings (May 14, May 21, May 28) leading to a legislative hearing and adoption on May 28; the meeting also introduced county code updates to align building, mechanical and plumbing codes with 2021 model codes.
The Dorchester County Council on May 7 introduced the 2024–2025 Annual Budget and set a three-step public hearing schedule ahead of an adoption vote on May 28, 2024.
Clerk Donna F. Lane introduced the ordinance to place the county’s FY2024–25 budget before the public. "For introduction is legislation to introduce the 2024-2025 Annual Budget and Appropriation Ordinance," Lane said during the meeting. Finance Director Karen Tolley provided an overview of the proposed FY25 budget and the Council agreed to hold a public hearing on May 14 (regular session/public hearing), a public-only hearing on May 21, and a legislative hearing and adoption on May 28, 2024.
The budget introduction is the first formal step in the county’s adoption process; Council members and staff told the meeting the hearings will allow the public to review and comment on spending priorities and any proposed tax or fee changes. The minutes record no total appropriation amount in the meeting text; readers seeking line-item detail should consult the budget documents published by the County Finance Office prior to the May 14 hearing.
In the same legislative introduction, the Council agreed to publish a public hearing on proposed updates to the Dorchester County Code (Chapters 65, 102 and 119) to bring the county’s building, HVAC and plumbing codes into consistency with the 2021 International Building Code, 2021 International Residential Code, the 2021 International Mechanical Code and the State Plumbing Code. Donna F. Lane introduced that ordinance and the Council approved proceeding with publication for public comment.
The Council’s next procedural step is the May 14 public hearing; final action on the FY2024–25 appropriation is scheduled for the May 28 legislative session.
