Chesapeake Beach council approves FY2027 budget after tense debate over pay transparency

The Chesapeake Beach Town Council adopted its amended FY2027 general-fund budget on May 21 after intensive debate about how and when the town should present employee pay information to the public. Council members split over whether to delay final approval to allow a fuller public review of salaries and benefits, but ultimately approved the budget as amended.

Resident Debbie Buckingham opened public remarks during the hearings by asking the town to “explain how employee salaries, administrative compensation, accrued leave payouts, severance obligations and related personnel costs are reflected” so taxpayers can understand the town’s total compensation obligations.

Town Treasurer Dan told the council the budget packet includes a salary schedule for each employee and described benefits as “roughly 50%” of salary, covering health, dental, vision, life and retirement plans. “The salary line item in each fund includes the amounts that are listed on that schedule and then the benefits are about 50% of that,” Dan said.

Council members debated whether to move the general-fund ordinance to a special meeting so the council could publicly review a proposed framework for employee pay and possibly adopt a resolution establishing transparency rules. Supporters said a separate meeting would let the public weigh in and allow the council to adopt a timeboxed plan before the next budget cycle. Opponents and some staff warned that calendar constraints — notably a June 18 county deadline for tax-rate submission — and charter waiting periods would make immediate changes difficult and could risk service disruption if the budget missed statutory deadlines.

After several amendment votes, the council added a document to the budget package describing staff salary projections while rejecting a motion to publish employee names in the posted exhibit. Council members opted instead to include job titles in the public exhibit and made clear that full name-level detail remained available via Maryland’s public-information procedures.

The council also moved several line items between funds: the Harbor Road well project was shifted toward the utility fund, and smaller capital items (a proposed fitness court and public‑works heater) were added. Council removed one $1,000 grant request to a national organization that had been proposed in the community grants line.

Treasurer Dan briefed the council on other fiscal items during the meeting, including the water-park bond sale, noting the town issued tax-exempt bonds that produced proceeds roughly equal to $5.99 million. Dan said the sale carried an interest rate of about 3.94 percent.

The council approved the general-fund budget as amended by voice vote. The town administrator and staff said they would return to the council with a clearer, timeboxed plan and potential ordinance language to lock in the transparency framework for future budgets.

What happens next: The council passed the mitigation-fund and wastewater fund budgets in subsequent votes. Staff will post the amended exhibits and follow up with more detailed materials on compensation reporting and the schedule for any required ordinance changes.