Charles commissioners approve $644.2 million fiscal 2027 budget

“This is probably single-handedly the most important thing we do as a board of commissioners,” Commissioner Gilbert “BJ” Bowling (D) said. “It’s how we spend the public’s money.”

The approved operating budget, which kicks in July 1, includes funding for a drone system for the Charles sheriff’s office and several new positions throughout county government, Commissioner President Reuben B. Collins II (D) said.

The 2027 capital improvement projects budget is over $171 million and projects over the next five years total over $1 billion, including new tennis courts and improving lighting at parks.

“The budget itself is more than numbers on the pages,” Collins said. “They reflect our priorities, our values and our responsibility to the people we serve.”

While there is no increase in property, income, recordation or transfer taxes, residents will see increased fees for government services.

There are 11 fees for water and sewer including noncompliance fees, fees to limit work being done by unlicensed contractors and fees to account for staff’s time to review cross connection permits and pretreatment permits.

Higher household water and sewer fees cover the cost of maintaining the county’s water and sewer system, new vehicles and equipment, and new lead and copper and polyfluoroalkyl substances mandates, Sam Chiriaco, chief of budget, said during a commissioners’ meeting last month.

The quarterly water and sewer connection fee rate is $269.23, a 9.4% increase, and there is a 3.6% increase to the school construction excise tax due to school construction costs per square foot, Southern Maryland News previously reported.

There are also 13 changes to fees for recreation, parks and tourism including increases to cancellation fees, costs for individual registration for adult leagues and season passes for Gilbert Run Park and Chapel Point.

The office of the inspector general is a new budget item for next fiscal year, Dyer said during the April 29 meeting. The proposed budget for the coming year is $800,000 as the office is established. How the funds will be allocated is unknown until the county starts the office and selects an inspector general.

The budget continues to invest in education, infrastructure, economic development, public safety and quality of life, Collins said.

“All efforts designed not only to address today’s challenges, but to strengthen our county for the long-term,” he said.

In other businessOn Tuesday, the commissioners also approved a nearly $3 million request from Charles public libraries for fiscal 2028 for the new La Plata Branch Library. The commissioners approved $1 million for fiscal 2027.