St. Mary's commissioners advance $360.1 million FY27 recommended budget to public hearing

The Commissioners of St. Mary's County voted to accept the recommended FY27 budget and authorized public hearings on the budget and related fee changes, moving the plan to the next step in the county's annual budget process.

Finance staff presented the spending plan to the board, saying the recommended expenditures total $360,099,861. The presentation also listed an unassigned fund balance of $16,908,163 proposed for nonrecurring uses and a capital improvement program allocation of $76,466,830 for FY27 with $396,925,899 projected for FY28–33. The recommended budget includes 13 new positions, eight of which are in emergency services and five in the general fund, staff said.

"Staff comes to you today requesting approval for the recommended budget," the finance presenter said, describing the projections and the department's request to proceed to public hearing. Commissioners also authorized separate public hearings on county fees and charges and on an increase to the Bay District Volunteer Fire Department tax rate.

Why it matters: accepting the recommendation and scheduling hearings does not finalize spending. The approval starts the public‑input phase; commissioners can revise the plan after hearing public comment and department appeals in May. Finance staff said the recommended budget will be heard at public sessions, with a scheduled budget public hearing set for April 21, 2026.

What happened next: Commissioner (unnamed in the transcript) moved to approve the FY27 recommended budget as presented; the board recorded an affirmative vote and passed three related motions to schedule the public hearings and the fee hearings.

The next procedural step is the public hearing on April 21, 2026, after which the commission will review appeals and consider edits before final adoption.