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Colmar Manor council adopts FY2027 budget, adds $45,000 in program funding
Summary
The Colmar Manor Town Council unanimously adopted Ordinance O12026 to approve the FY2027 budget and levy, keeping town tax rates at the constant-yield level and adding $45,000 in council-approved allocations for a vendor market, tree-box pilot, civic engagement, conferences, murals and pollinator training.
Colmar Manor’s Town Council adopted its fiscal year 2027 budget and levy on May 19, approving Ordinance O12026 after a public hearing and a series of council amendments.
At the start of the hearing, clerk-treasurer Mr. Baden outlined the budget’s key numbers: a residential tax base of about $119 million and a commercial base of about $28 million, with proposed constant-yield rates of 70.79¢ per $100 for residential property and 74.5¢ per $100 for commercial property. The proposed budget uses about $250,000 of General Fund surplus and budgets $5,003,972 in total for FY2027.
Revenue highlights Mr. Baden cited included higher-than-expected income tax receipts (an additional $30,000 projected), speed-camera revenue estimated at $215,000 and stop-sign enforcement revenue estimated at $450,000. He also reported about $1.5 million in grant funds earmarked for three major projects, including Larracy Park and Town Hall improvements and paving funded via CDBG.
Council members spent much of the meeting proposing modest additions and clarifications to the draft budget. The council agreed to consolidate and clarify the community-support line item and to add specific pilot or program funding: $15,000 for a farmer/vendor market program (June–October), $5,000 for a tree-box beautification pilot, $5,000 for a Town Government 101 civic-engagement cohort (initial block-captain recruitment and workshops), $5,000 to increase the conferences/travel line, $10,000 for art initiatives and murals, and $5,000 for rain- and pollinator-garden maintenance training for public works. Those changes totaled $45,000 and were incorporated into the ordinance.
Council member Melinda Mendoza moved to add the agreed items and to adopt Ordinance O12026 as amended; the motion was seconded and the council approved both the amendments and the ordinance by voice vote. Mayor Monica Casanhas declared the budget adopted.
The council and staff noted the budget can be amended later if needed. Town staff also said the town expects to receive a $750,000 bond appropriation for capital improvements to Town Hall; those proceeds would cover several planned capital uses described during the meeting. The county requires finalized tax rates to prepare property tax bills, which is why council action occurred at this meeting.
The council also discussed, but did not enact, a commercial tax-rate increase; staff advised that a 5¢ rise in the commercial rate would yield approximately $14,415 in additional revenue, and council members said such a change should be discussed earlier in the budget process and with affected property owners.
