Tax Proposal 'Solid Starting Point,' Anne Arundel County Weighs Spending Plan

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — With income taxes unchanged and solid funding for public safety, County Council members agree that Anne Arundel County's budget proposal is a "solid starting point."

Democrats applauded protections for laid-off federal workers. Republicans remained silent as Steuart Pittman (D) jabbed President Donald Trump's government downsizing as the Anne Arundel County executive unveiled his $2.401 billion budget proposal on Thursday.

School officials cheered the funding for students, though they didn't get every dollar requested.

Income taxes remained the same as last year, and property taxes decreased slightly from 98.3 cents to 97.7 cents for every hundred dollars of assessed property. The parking tax and utility rates both increased slightly.

"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.

Related: Anne Arundel County Budget Proposal Aids Public Safety, Schools

Council Chair Julie Hummer (D-District 4) said, "It's a really good budget for the uncertain times we're facing."

She pointed to Pittman maxing out the county's rainy day fund, bolstering its savings account that can only be tapped if revenues fall short of projections. Hummer further welcomed the $10 million reserved for programs most affected by federal cuts in Anne Arundel County. She also supported the "good compensation increase for the school system staff, as well as all county employees."

"We need to ensure that our budget will protect the services that we currently provide," Hummer told Patch in a statement. "[Pittman] does that in this budget, he bolsters our social services and establishes a contingency fund that will be [used] specifically to fill gaps if we lose federal funding."

Anne Arundel County Public Schools requested an operating budget worth $138.4 million more than last year. AACPS, however, received $52 million more than last year. That's still the largest year-over-year increase in Pittman's two terms.

"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 budget 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 $1.181 billion school budget 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

"My initial reaction to what I have seen thus far is that the County Executive and his team have worked very hard in what are complex and difficult financial times to continue to support the students of our county and our AACPS employees," Anne Arundel County Board of Education President Robert Silkworth (District 2) said in a press release. "We will obviously dive deeper into the proposal in the coming weeks, and I look forward to working with the County Council to continue to make our school system even better."

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

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.

"Public safety is a fundamental government obligation, and we are thankful for the continued investment in the Anne Arundel County Fire Department so we can fulfill our commitment to our communities and be ready as highly trained and educated Fire and EMS professionals," department spokesperson Capt. Jenny Macallair said in an emailed statement.

The sheriff's office said the proposal includes "two civilian positions to help expand courtroom coverage[, allowing] our deputies to be deployed where they are most needed."

"We appreciate the County Executive's support of the Sheriff's Office," Sheriff Everett Sesker told Patch in a statement. "While the proposal does not include everything we had hoped for, we recognize the challenges of budgeting in difficult financial times. As we have done in the past, we will continue to collaborate with the County Executive and remain committed to our mission of keeping our communities safe."

Patch contacted the police department for a comment. We also contacted the police officer, firefighter and sheriff's deputy unions. None replied. We will update this article if they respond.

Most constituents supported Pittman's plan in what he called a "tight budget year." Opinions varied on specific programs within the proposal for fiscal year 2026, which starts this July 1.

"I welcome the news that the County Executive has proposed to not increase taxes, and I look forward to working with my Council Colleagues in the coming weeks as we dive deeper into the details of the County Executive's full budget proposal," Council Member Shannon Leadbetter (R-District 7) told Patch in an email.

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