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Staff-recommended FY26 budget shows $15.4 million shortfall; commissioners say they will not raise taxes
Summary
Calvert County staff presented a FY2026 recommended budget that projects a roughly $15.4 million general‑fund shortfall; commissioners said they will seek cuts and other measures but pledged not to raise taxes and set a public hearing for April 29.
Calvert County officials on the first public step of the FY2026 budget process heard that the staff‑recommended budget projects a general‑fund gap of about $15.4 million before any anticipated state or federal realignments.
"The general fund expenditures that are projected are $402,900,000. The general revenues are $387,500,000, and again, this difference is $15,400,000," Bruce Miller, the county's director of finance and budget, told the Board. Miller warned that if state realignments materialize as projected, the county's shortfall could grow.
President Hantz said the board would not respond to the shortfall by raising taxes. "We are not gonna raise taxes," he said, adding the board will work with staff to avoid relying on fund balance when possible and to protect essential services.
Miller described a set of balancing strategies that staff will use as the board and administration refine the budget over the coming weeks, including a three‑year lookback, averaging of expenditures, review of local service requests, and evaluation of vacancy and attrition trends. He said the county intends to preserve fund balance for one‑time capital needs and to avoid new debt where feasible.
The commissioners scheduled further public input as part of their timeline: the BOCC's public hearing on the recommended budget is set for Tuesday, April 29 at 7 p.m., and the board left the record open for additional written comment through close of business on April 11, 2025.
