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Allegany County presents balanced FY27 preliminary budget; modest capital return
Summary
County Administrator Jason Bennett presented a balanced $118.6 million preliminary FY27 budget that restores $2.1 million to reserves, includes about $1 million in capital PAYGO and avoids property‑tax rate increases; commissioners will hold a public hearing May 28 and must adopt the budget by June 30.
County Administrator Jason Bennett told the Allegany County commissioners that the county’s preliminary fiscal 2027 budget is balanced at $118,626,011 and does not rely on a property‑tax rate increase.
“We have a preliminary budget for you guys to review that’s balanced, for the first time in many years without a lot of cuts or pain within it,” Bennett said, and said about $3.0 million in additional property‑tax revenue reflects assessment growth rather than a rate change.
Bennett outlined several drivers that shaped the draft. Income‑tax receipts have risen after last year’s local rate decision, state funding changes trimmed a supplemental teachers pension shift (about $816,000), and exceptional flood recovery costs last year left the county drawing on reserves. The proposed plan would restore roughly $2.1 million to the county’s fund balance while still leaving the balance smaller than a year ago.
On the expenditure side Bennett flagged higher costs for emergency medical services tied to the Georges Creek ambulance takeover, employee health‑insurance and cost‑of‑living adjustments, and detention‑center contract changes that increase retirement costs for correctional officers. He said debt‑service transfers are down about $700,000 from a one‑time spike last year and that the county expects to show a modest capital outlay line for the first time in several years.
The presentation also included a breakdown of major recipients of county dollars, with education, public safety and public works among the largest shares. Bennett said some one‑time moves—transferring leftover bond funds into a revolving building fund—helped create room for operating and pay‑as‑you‑go capital projects.
Why it matters: the draft budget sets the fiscal framework for the coming year, restores a portion of reserves depleted by last year’s flood response and preserves existing tax rates while passing through only county and state required costs. Bennett said documents will be posted online and the county will hold a formal public hearing on May 28; the commissioners plan a final vote before the June 30 adoption deadline.
The county’s next steps are procedural: the document is out for public review, a hearing is scheduled for May 28, and budget adoption is currently slated for the June 4 meeting with a statutory adoption deadline of June 30.
