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Bowie council adopts 18¢ property tax rate after heated public hearing
Summary
After a full night of public comment and council debate over a roughly $20 million shortfall, the City of Bowie on May 4 adopted an 18¢ per $100 assessed-value real property tax rate with a commitment to present options within a year to reduce the rate.
Mayor Stav and the Bowie City Council adopted an 18¢ per $100 assessed-value property tax rate for fiscal year 2027 after a lengthy public hearing and several failed motions on higher and lower rates.
The vote came after residents delivered a series of public comments—urging continued funding for family services, arts scholarships and the volunteer fire department—while staff described a proposed FY2027 general fund of $98,536,300 and a capital improvement program of $11,694,100. Acting City Manager Daniel Meyers told the council staff had recommended a tax rate of 60¢ per $100 assessed value for real property to address the city’s shortfall.
That recommendation provoked debate on alternatives. Mayor Stav framed the choices plainly: "We can either adopt the full tax rate increase, preserve just about all of our core services ... or no tax increase at all, in which case we’re talking about the elimination of an entire department," he said. Council members discussed phased approaches, targeted savings, and the fiscal consequences of shifting designated reserves into operating funds.
Council rejected an initial motion to adopt the staff-recommended 20¢ increase. After negotiating targeted savings proposals and a short recess, members passed a motion to set the tax rate at 18¢ per $100 assessed value. The motion included a condition that the city will, within one fiscal year, publicly evaluate options to reduce the real-property tax rate, including examining fund balance recovery, recurring expenditure reductions, commercial tax-base expansion and other revenue measures. The motion passed with two members recorded as opposed; the council announced the motion carried.
The debate included specific budget trade-offs. Council member Dennis Brady proposed using a $2 million transfer to the equipment acquisition fund as a temporary cut to reduce the tax impact; staff cautioned that shifting those dollars could create a structural deficit next year and might concern rating agencies. Council member Wanda Rogers proposed a phased plan ("Bowie 20/30") that would pair immediate revenue with accountability and measurable savings targets.
Public commenters pressed for greater transparency and for retaining several programs cut in staff recommendations. Mary Santa DeGregory Bigginney, a longtime volunteer firefighter, asked the council to retain a grant that provides life-insurance and accident benefits for volunteer firefighters; the mayor later proposed restoring $165,000 to the Bowie Volunteer Fire Department for this coming fiscal year and scheduling follow-up meetings to discuss the long-term commitment.
The council also appointed Remington Tennessee to the Bowie Education Committee and swore him in earlier in the meeting.
The council moved to adjourn to a closed session to discuss personnel matters, potential real property acquisition and an economic-development proposal under Maryland statutory authority (General Provisions Article §3‑305). The budget ordinance and the details of the FY2027 appropriation will be finalized at the council’s next meeting when the formal budget adoption is scheduled.
What’s next: staff will return with implementation details and the council’s requested savings analyses; the formal budget adoption is scheduled for May 18.
