Tight Anne Arundel County Budget Includes One Tax Change, Help For Workers

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Income taxes are slated to remain the same, while property taxes are set to fall under Anne Arundel County's budget proposal released Thursday.

Democratic County Executive Steuart Pittman unveiled his $2.401 billion fiscal year 2026 spending plan in front of a packed County Council chambers filled with elected officials and community activists.

Highlights of the budget include investments in public safety and education. Pittman also emphasized services to protect laid-off federal workers.

"Budgets reflect values," Pittman said during his speech, which was streamed online. "But county budgets also reflect what's happening at the state, the nation and in the world, so we are in a defensive posture. Direct and cruel attacks are being launched every day by the federal government ... Our job … is to protect our people."

Public Safety

A total of $497.7 million is earmarked for public safety in the proposal.

"Public safety is the most fundamental obligation of government to its people, so we will do more," Pittman said.

The police department's budget has grown by $77 million over the past six years. That trend continues by creating five more positions to add a fully staffed second shift at the new real-time information center.

Pittman added five new positions to the fire training academy and enhanced summer staffing on the county's new fireboats.

The county executive plans to support the sheriff's push to expand courtroom coverage by creating two civilian positions that allow deputies to serve where they're most needed.

The proposal also continues the "community-led violence interruption work that is saving lives and creating opportunity both in Eastport and in Severn." Both were pilots that would be funded as ongoing programs under this budget proposal.

"I'm relieved income or property tax rates remain static while investing in public safety. The Council will review the budget to find savings and efficiencies, but this is a solid starting point," Council Member Nathan Volke (R-District 3) told Patch in an email.

Education

Pittman's spending plan would give schools $52 million more than last year, the largest year-over-year increase in his two terms. Pittman has increased school spending by at least $35 million each year during his tenure, except in the pandemic year, wherein the school budget rose by $16 million.

"Even with this record investment in public education, I will note that the $52 million of new funding is only half of what our bipartisan board of education unanimously requested. Getting that number to a level that we could afford took many hours of work," Pittman said.

The county executive said he worked with Superintendent Mark Bedell, the school budget officer and the county budget officer to identify priorities and fund those first.

Pittman said he and Bedell agreed on the importance of paying staff and expanding services for its students most in need.

"There's never been a time where we've fully funded their request. It always works this way," Pittman told Patch in an exclusive interview after his speech. "It's important that they identify what would ideally be funded, knowing that they're not going to get all of it. So going into the process, they know they're going to be asked what their priorities are."

Pittman's plan calls for a step increase, or a raise, and an inflation-driven cost-of-living adjustment for all school employee bargaining units.

The proposal funds an additional:

• 28 special education positions that combine with the couple of dozen existing vacancies
• 10 English language arts positions
• Two bilingual facilitators
• 14 community schools program managers
• 11 social-emotional learning workers

Pittman also shouted out the agriculture students watching his speech live streamed online. He confirmed that the budget proposal includes the $70,000 in funding that they requested.

"In my very first meeting with the County Executive in 2022, he promised me that he would do everything he could to invest in the students of our county and in moving our school system forward," Bedell said in a press release. "He has been a great partner, and this budget is yet further fulfillment of that promise and a significant step forward as we continue to help every student Belong, Grow, and Succeed."

Anne Arundel County Public Schools would get $1.181 billion under the proposal. The community college would collect $60.8 million, while the library would receive $40.7 million.

Protections From Federal Government

The county executive previously told Patch he is preparing for an increased reliance on social services as President Donald Trump continues to slash spending via the Department of Government Efficiency.

Pittman fears how DOGE's layoffs will affect tax revenue come tax day in April 2026, and he's uncertain how many federal grants the county will lose.

To counteract the upheaval, Pittman ramped up local protections in his budget proposal.

“Nobody knows how far this federal government will go in its efforts to dismantle the public and private sectors that have made our nation great, but in Anne Arundel County, we will protect our people," Pittman said. "The foundation of that protection is financial. It is how we tax and how we spend the public’s money."

Related: Schools, Parks Face Uncertainty In Anne Arundel County Amid DOGE Cuts

Pittman set aside $10 million for those most affected by the federal government downsizing. A multiagency task force will decide how to spend this money, and it can only be disbursed after County Council approval.

At every budget town hall, the food bank asked for $1.5 million to address the "economic injustice that is coming their way."

A family protection initiative would support children who lose a parent or guardian to deportation. It would also provide legal services and due process for "our most vulnerable people."

Pittman hopes community groups will step up with support where possible, so he funded two positions to staff the new Crownsville nonprofit center.

With housing potentially an issue for laid-off workers, Pittman eyed affordable housing improvements.

The Affordable Housing Trust Fund will grow by 40% via the tax on real estate transfers.

The money will allow the county to hire an administrator for the new moderately priced dwelling unit program, support eviction prevention, assist families experiencing homelessness, and "continue the momentum that we are celebrating this year with ribbon-cuttings at a record seven new affordable housing developments in the county."

"This reflects many of my priorities," Anne Arundel County Council Chair Julie Hummer (D-District 4) said of the budget proposal. "We need to, at this uncertain time in our country, to be protecting our most vulnerable people, so I am encouraged that that is a top priority in this budget."

Tax Breakdown

Pittman said the county will have a "very healthy" $105 million in new revenue over what was budgeted last year, but he still called it a "tight budget year."

"Most of that new money is absorbed by increasing costs, things we are legally obliged to pay for, not much left to fund new projects," Pittman said.

The county executive asked agencies to identify justifiable cuts that didn't reduce services and limit supplemental budget requests to only things that affect services for residents. He was adamant, however, that services for laid-off workers and the most vulnerable residents be maintained.

The balanced budget fully funds the rainy day fund, stashing away the maximum 8% allowed. The county now has $178.8 million in its savings account that it can only access if revenues fall short of projections.

Pittman said he "budgeted responsibly, taxed progressively," helping the county to its third year of AAA bond ratings, the highest affirmation of financial standing.

"This budget does not raise taxes. Our proposed income tax remains lower than all central Maryland counties and includes a progressive structure to protect our lowest income earners and ask a little more from those at the very top," Pittman said.

The property tax rate is slated to decline from 98.3 cents to 97.7 cents for every hundred dollars of assessed property.

"Our neighbors pay from a dollar-ten to over $2. If your property is your primary residence, our county's homestead credit is far more generous than most. Increases in your assessed value above 2% per year are not taxed," Pittman said.

Republicans were pleased that Pittman held the line on taxes.

"A budget proposal with no tax increases is a good starting point. I will be unpacking the budget by department, but am happy to see investments in public safety, as that has been one of my priorities. I look forward to working with my colleagues to make improvements that will benefit the residents of our county." Amanda Fiedler (R-District 5) said in an emailed statement to Patch.

Under a multi-year plan tied to inflation, utilities are scheduled to rise by:

• 6.0% for the water/sewer rate.
• 5.4% for the solid waste fee.
• 10% for the capital facility connection charge.

These fees can only be applied to their designated utilities. They cannot be transferred to fund other government projects.

"Like our property and income tax, they also tend to be lower than our neighboring counties," Pittman said of the utility fees. "Not a lot of change in those."

The Watershed Protection and Restoration Fee will remain the same.

The tax paid at parking lots and garages will increase from 60 cents to $1, marking the first hike since 1999. Drivers parking at the airport make up most of those paying this tax.

"There's going to be a small increase there," Pittman said in his interview with Patch. "It's mostly going to be paid from out-of-county people.

Other Highlights

Pittman emphasized the importance of paying county employees, pointing to "fair and competitive contracts already negotiated for all bargaining units." He said county workers not represented by a union would get a 3% cost-of-living adjustment plus a merit-based raise.

The public campaign financing system, which provides public dollars to candidates relying only on small donors, would get a one-time $1.5 million boost.

New park rangers and maintenance employees will add five positions to recreation and parks.

A health ambassadors and healthy communities program will now get recurring funding to connect vulnerable residents to all health services, including mental health and addiction treatment. The initiative was previously funded with federal recovery dollars.

Information technology is on track for an upgrade after a "cyber incident" stymied county services starting this February. The county plans to spend $4.3 million over last year to make IT "more efficient and more secure."

"It ain't cheap," Pittman said. "But backing away from the progress we've made would cost us far more."

Anne Arundel County will host budget hearings on May 14 and 21. The County Council must approve the final budget. The fiscal year starts on July 1.

More details are available at aacounty.org/budget. Pittman's speech is posted here.