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Budget preview, Courthouse Square renovations and a waived tax service charge highlight commissioners' work session
Summary
County staff presented a staff‑recommended FY27 budget with $411.5M in projected revenue and a $86.2M capital program. Commissioners approved a $147,500 budget amendment for Courthouse Square renovations and voted to waive the semiannual property‑tax service charge for FY27.
Chief Financial Officer Elena Brookshire and budget staff presented the staff‑recommended FY27 budget on March 24, emphasizing a conservative revenue estimate of about $411,500,000, a proposed capital program of roughly $86,200,000 and an available fund balance of approximately $145,000,000. The presentation said the county's fund balance ratio exceeds Moody's 35% benchmark, supporting the county's triple‑A credit rating.
Key budget points and staffing Brookshire said the staff recommendation followed the county's strategic priorities and noted the proposed budget includes 44 position requests trimmed to meet essential roles. The recommendation funds one public‑safety recruiter, an assistant state's attorney and six new school resource officers so that each Calvert County school would have a dedicated SRO, according to the presentation.
Courthouse Square renovation: budget amendment The board approved a budget amendment (BA202600724) to move $147,500 from CIP 00001800 (800‑MHz installation, a closing CIP) to CIP 0000496 to complete renovations at Courthouse Square for Department of Recreation staff. Tom Jones, deputy director of Public Works – General Services, described the project as enabling consolidation of administrative staff and programming space.
Semiannual tax billing service charge waived Treasurer Amanda Delina explained state law allows certain taxpayers to pay property tax semiannually and permits a service charge to recover lost earnings and administrative costs. She said the calculated rate would be about 0.517% and that the fee would generate roughly $357,993.57 and add about $12.29 to an average second installment. After discussion and a motion from Commissioner Cox, the board voted to waive the service charge for FY27.
Why it matters: tradeoffs and next steps Commissioners asked staff to return with detailed scenarios on COLA, steps and options for funding specific requests such as turf fields for schools. Brookshire and staff said they will update the budget after the staff‑recommended public hearing period closes and as the board considers commissioner priorities.
