Commissioners agree to reallocate within CIP to cover $1.6 million Chatham Khan High request

St. Mary's County commissioners indicated consensus May 12 to fund a $1.6 million supplemental request for Chatham Khan High School by reprogramming capital funds within the county’s five-year CIP, rather than drawing on undesignated fund balance or increasing bond debt.

Vanetta Van Clee told commissioners that bids for the project had been opened and that state funding commitments had been completed, making the county’s $1.6 million request actionable. She presented four options: do not fund; reallocate undesignated fund balance to add $1.6 million in PAYGO; reallocate within the CIP (staff proposed moving $2.6 million from the sheriff’s headquarters phasing); or increase bond-funded projects by $1.6 million.

“Miss Kim Hao just shared with me that they have completed the conversations with the state, and the state has met their funding request,” Vanetta Van Clee said. Commissioners expressed concern about keeping project timelines intact but favored smoothing FY28 bond and project boluses. One commissioner said, “So I guess, I'm good with option 3 only because it doesn't impact our schedule.” Another commissioner agreed, noting the project had been on the books for a long time and that keeping it on schedule was a priority.

The chosen approach (internal CIP reallocation) was presented as a way to preserve project timelines while realigning debt capacity projections; staff said the change would not materially delay the sheriff's headquarters project on paper and would help smooth upcoming bond obligations.

Next steps: Staff will implement the CIP reallocation and reflect the adjustment in the FY27 budget materials to be presented for approval next week.