Commissioners keep 0.336 tax differential for Chesapeake Beach and North Beach

The Coward County Board of Commissioners voted March 18 to maintain the existing tax differential of 0.336 per $100 of assessed value for residents of Chesapeake Beach and North Beach for the coming fiscal year.

Mary Andy, the acting budget deputy director, summarized the state-authorized mechanism that reduces county property tax for town residents on the premise that municipalities provide certain services countywide. She told the board the county’s FY2025 real property tax rate is 0.967 per $100 of assessed value and that staff recommended keeping the town differential at the current 0.336 for FY2026. Mayor Benton and the mayor of Chesapeake Beach emphasized the value of the differential to their residents and thanked the board for continuing the arrangement. One mayor said, “we appreciate the tax differential is huge for our residents” (speaker 10).

Commissioner [functional_label: Committee member] moved to maintain the existing differential; the motion was seconded and carried with all commissioners voting “Aye.” The motion was presented as maintaining the status quo rather than changing rates; staff noted that for FY2027 the towns will be asked to submit detailed proposals for any change to the setoff level.

Why it matters: the differential reduces county property taxes for town residents because municipalities provide some local services. Maintaining the current rate preserves the current division of revenue and responsibility while staff and town leaders plan any future proposals. The board recorded the motion and outcome as routine budgetary action; no roll-call breakdown of individual votes was provided in the transcript.