Bel Air commissioners review FY2027 budget; hear nonprofit presentations and consider Rockfield safety upgrades

Bel Air — The Board of Town Commissioners on May 7 reviewed proposed general-fund and capital items for fiscal year 2027, heard three nonprofit presentations and discussed several community concerns including safety upgrades at Rockfield Manor, stormwater project design and a proposed disc-golf expansion.

The session began with presenters asking the town to help fund local amenities. Kelly Cow of the Rockfield Foundation requested the town’s participation in two projects at Rockfield Manor: the installation of four parking-lot lamp posts quoted at $33,360 and a stamped-concrete pathway re‑route and repair quoted at $18,550 to shorten the distance to handicap ramps. Cow said the foundation has spent about $8,000 on path repairs over five years and asked that the town share the remaining costs.

The Historical Society of Harford County, represented by executive director Chris Pototts and newly introduced president Dr. Charles Castorro, outlined a year of exhibits and America 250 programming at the Harford History Center and asked the town to continue its operational support. Pototts also noted the society’s request — already in place as a reimbursement arrangement — for up to $1,000 annually to clear the sidewalk and small parking area in heavy snow years.

Evo Johnson, director of advancement for the Boys & Girls Club of Harford and Cecil counties, described local programming and outcomes and requested $15,000 from the town for FY27. Johnson said the organization serves more than 4,000 youth across its clubs and about 75 children on a typical day at the Bel Air branch, and highlighted teen programming and partnerships with local education and arts organizations.

Staff presentations led the commissioners through the town’s FY27 line items. Steve, a public-works staff member who presented the department budgets, outlined the Armory operating budget (about $299,428), work at town buildings (FY27 proposed total $643,592, including $250,910 in capital requests) and larger public-works proposals. For the Armory, Julia Potler asked commissioners to approve an $11,500 marketing allocation that she said supports a steady stream of event bookings; staff also noted planned floor refinishing and a $10,000 allocation to install commercial-grade toilets to avoid capacity problems at large events.

Major budget items discussed during the session included: - A proposed $275,000 design appropriation to develop a stream-restoration project along Gateway Drive and English Country Manor Drive intended both to stabilize eroding banks and to earn MS4 (stormwater) credits that can be used to meet state permit obligations. Staff said the town would then seek state grants to fund construction. - A $357,000 MS4 stormwater line item (funded from the stormwater reserve) that pays for permit-required work and staffing; staff noted some salaries associated with MS4 work are charged to that fund. - The town’s fire‑hydrant rental expense rose to $64,543 for FY27, reflecting rate increases and the town’s contract with Maryland American Water covering 304 hydrants. - Streets and sidewalk projects: resurfacing proposals totaling about $378,000 for identified streets, LED street-lighting at roughly $117,000 and a $150,000 estimate to replace an aging dump truck with plow and spreader. - Refuse and recycling operations budgeted at $1,395,713, including salaries for collection crews and a proposed $300,000 replacement residential rear-end loading refuse truck.

Commissioners flagged several items for follow-up and deliberation. The commission discussed reallocating a $1,000 line item tied to a proposed McFall Center sign and whether to reduce a supplemental $1,000 that had been included with the Boys & Girls Club request; the group did not make a final vote on those line-item changes at this meeting.

A proposed $10,000 allocation for additional disc-golf holes drew questions from commissioners and staff after residents and Rockfield representatives raised concerns about noise and the proximity of some holes to the manor’s event areas. Commissioners asked staff to gather more information about the course’s layout and the likelihood of event conflicts before committing funds in a tight budget year.

The board also debated a proposed $96,000 capital trenching project to add a redundant fiber/communications connection to Town Hall. Staff noted the town is adding alternative backups (including Starlink and team phones) and said the police department could operate with degraded capability routed through the county emergency operations center. Commissioners asked for additional technical information from IT staff before deciding whether to include the trenching project in the capital plan.

No formal votes on line-item changes were taken during the session; the commission completed the general-fund review and scheduled a follow-up work session on enterprise and special-revenue funds. The meeting adjourned by unanimous voice vote.