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Municipal leaders and residents urge Dorchester County Council not to eliminate tax differential during budget hearing
Summary
During a May 6 public hearing on the FY2026 budget, municipal leaders and multiple residents urged the Dorchester County Council to retain the county tax differential, warning its elimination would harm municipal services and finances; the Council recessed the hearing and scheduled further public comment for May 13.
At a May 6 public hearing on the Dorchester County FY2026 budget, mayors, town managers and several residents urged the County Council not to eliminate the county’s tax differential, arguing the change would cut municipal revenues and strain local services.
Municipal leaders from Cambridge, Hurlock and Church Creek addressed the Council during the “Annual Meeting with Municipalities” and the budget public hearing. Lajan Cephas, Mayor of Cambridge, suggested the County could draw from reserve funds and reduce paving projects rather than remove the tax differential. John Avery, Town Manager of Hurlock, requested the Council maintain the differential and consider increasing the differential rate where appropriate. Karen Tolley, Mayor of Church Creek, asked the Council to preserve the municipal tax rebate if the differential is retained.
Why it matters: the tax differential influences allocation of property tax revenue between the County and incorporated towns; municipal leaders said eliminating the differential would reduce towns’ ability to maintain local services and infrastructure.
During the hearing, Frank Narr, board treasurer of Cambridge Waterfront Development, Inc., asked the Council to consider a $72,000 budget request from his organization and announced a CWDI open meeting on May 20, 2025 at noon in the Council Chambers. Resident Robert Aaron described Dorchester County as ranking “fourth poorest” in the State, urging careful budget prioritization. Several other residents — Sharon Smith, Cleveland Rippons, Astrida Turkopuls, Maryanne Benson and Michelle Bork — spoke explicitly in opposition to removing the tax differential and asked for greater budget transparency.
Councilman Mike Detmer cautioned against one-size-fits-all state approaches to policy, saying a “one size, fits all” approach does not fit the needs of the County or rural communities. Councilman Ricky C. Travers expressed concern about the affordability of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education package and said projected county costs exceeded earlier projections.
Council President George L. Pfeffer, Jr. closed the public hearing after hearing comments and announced a continuation of the budget public hearing at the May 13, 2025 Council meeting at 6:00 p.m. He directed staff to make appointment arrangements for residents who requested follow-up; in one instance he instructed a resident to contact the Council office to schedule a meeting.
The hearing produced no final budget vote; the Council has left the matter open for additional public comment and deliberation.
