Calvert County presents $595.3 million FY2027 recommended budget; public hearing set for tonight

Milena Brookshire, Calvert County chief financial officer, presented the commissioners' recommended FY2027 all-funds budget on Tuesday, saying the plan totals approximately $595,300,000 and is balanced. The recommended general fund is about $420,500,000, Brookshire said, and the county proposes roughly $37,000,000 in general-fund transfers, including a $12,000,000 pay-go contribution to the capital projects fund.

Mary Andes, deputy director of finance and budget, walked commissioners through the fund structure and the recommended allocations, explaining that the presentation separates enterprise funds (water, sewer, solid waste), special revenue funds, grant funds and the capital improvement plan to clarify recurring operating needs versus one-time or restricted uses. "This structure gives the board a clear view of these funds, what they support, and how they connect back to the broader 2027 budget," Andes said.

The proposed capital improvement program totals roughly $89,900,000 across a six-year plan, with education projects representing the largest share (about 32%), followed by enterprise and public-safety projects. The recommended budget includes a request to create a new Amos grant fund to track state grant dollars earmarked for emergency-services support, and a proposed special-revenue fund to separate EMS cost-recovery receipts from the general fund so volunteer departments continue to receive disbursements while career EMS costs are managed through appropriations.

Brookshire and Andes noted accounting changes affecting fund-balance appropriations and emphasized transparency: some increases reflect the appropriation of full fund balances and timing of reimbursements rather than higher operating baselines. Staff also recommended moving forward with select capital projects in FY27, including apparatus replacements and restoration work at Cope Point Lighthouse; turf athletic fields for four public high schools are scheduled for FY28 pending school-system timing.

The county will hold a public hearing on the FY2027 operating and capital improvement plan at 7 p.m. in the Chesapeake Hearing Room; the record will remain open through May 29. The board indicated it plans to vote on adoption on June 9.

Budget figures and program descriptions were drawn from the commissioners' recommended budget presentation delivered at the May 12 meeting by Brookshire and Andes. The presentation and staff memos are the county's basis for the figures cited in this report.