CENTREVILLE — With a lengthy process of workshops and public input still ahead, County Administrator Todd Mohn presented the first version of the proposed Fiscal Year 2025 County Administrator’s Budget to the Queen Anne’s County Commissioners March 26.
In addition to the upcoming proposed FY25, Mohn presented information and highlights on the current FY24 budget and the previous FY23 budget for comparisons.
Total revenues for the proposed FY25 General Fund budget are $191.2 million, an increase of about $7.6 million from the previous year, he said.
Income tax and property tax make up 87.9 percent of total county revenue sources.
Recordation and transfer tax estimates are 6.5 percent lower than budgeted amounts, due to home sales tapering off, he said.
Investment income is estimated at $6.5 million compared to $4.8 million in FY23, according to Mohn.
Revenue highlights for FY25 includes a 4.1 percent growth from $183.6 million in FY 24 to a total of $191.2 million, he said.
Income tax revenue is projected to grow by 4.4 percent and property tax revenue is projected to grow by 9.1 percent from FY23 actuals, Mohn said.
New tax revenue coming in includes cannabis sales tax and short-term rental permitting programs for an increase of over $500,000, he noted.
County property tax rates are proposed to remain the same at 83 cents out of $100 of assessed value and the same income tax rate at 3.2 percent.
Queen Anne’s County is proud of its real property tax rate, remaining the third lowest of the 2023 jurisdictions across the state, Mohn said.
The FY25 revenue budget includes funding for employee recruitment and retention actions and added compensation for a 3 percent cost of living and pay for performance adjustments
Just under $3 million “pay as you go” funding is slated for capital projects for FY25, he said.
FY25 General Fund expenditures are proposed at $191.1 million. The Board of Education receives the most allocation, with a total amount of $73.9 million slated for FY25, a $5 million increase over FY24, according to Mohn.
Debt funds for FY25 are $12.8 million, “which is pretty much flat from the current budget year,” he said.
The county has included funding for seven new position requests for a total of $5.9 million in the FY25 proposed operations budget.
A $45 million Capital Budget is proposed for FY25 with $14.5 million proposed for the Board of Education, including the new central office currently under construction, and school district repairs and replacements. $9.4 million is allocated for the roads department capital projects including bridge maintenance and roadway rehabilitation.
Looking ahead, Mohn presented overall perspectives of the county’s six year Capital Budget — $28.5 million is allocated for FY25 Capital projects and a total of $231.5 million is projected over the horizon — including funding for ongoing improvements to the 4-H Park, historic courthouse projects and the Cloverfields flood mitigation.
Budget work sessions are scheduled to continue driving deeper into details throughout April and a municipal tax differential hearing will be held April 9.
A budget work session to discuss programs with Chesapeake College will be April 18.
The final FY25 County Administrator’s Budget is proposed to be released May 1 and public hearings will be held May 21 and 22 with final budget adoption scheduled for June 11.
The commissioners extended their appreciation to the department heads for their efforts on putting the numbers together.
In other business, the commissioners approved:
-Revisions and overdue updates to the Queen Anne’s County Animal Control Ordinance, Chapter 9.
-An ordinance requiring approval of a variance for new piers constructed in excess of 150 feet in length. This variance included an amendment to grandfather in projects currently pending.
The Queen Anne’s County Commissioners will next meet April 9 at 5:30 p.m.
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