HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Child care providers and retired public safety employees in Howard County could receive thousands of dollars in property tax relief under two bills Howard County Executive Calvin Ball signed into law Thursday.
The legislation expands tax credits for child care centers to up to $10,000 and makes about 128 retired public safety employees newly eligible for a credit of up to $2,500.
Ball signed Council Bill 52-2026 and Council Bill 53-2026 on Oct. 15 after the Howard County Council passed both measures earlier this month.
The expanded benefits are intended to help child care businesses remain financially viable and provide additional property tax relief to residents who spent their careers serving the county.
"Through these pieces of legislation, we are ensuring our community remains a vibrant place where creativity can flourish, where everyone can travel safely, and where we deliver real support for the people and public servants who care for us," Ball said.
Under Council Bill 52-2026, eligible day care centers could receive property tax credits of up to $5,000, while larger child care centers employing at least 25 people could qualify for credits of up to $10,000.
The changes replace an existing tax credit of up to $3,000, limited to improvements or additions to child care properties.
According to the county, the previous program issued only six tax credits over the past five fiscal years.
The expanded credits will become available during the tax year beginning July 1, 2027, affecting the county's fiscal 2028 budget.
Howard County currently has more than 400 child and adult care providers, but officials said the number is insufficient to meet demand, particularly for families with infants and children younger than 3.
Waiting lists also remain for before- and after-school programs serving school-age children.
County officials hope the expanded credits will help existing providers remain in business, encourage additional child care services and support working families.
If all current providers qualified for the maximum available credits, the program could provide about $3.2 million in annual property tax relief, according to the county.
That amount is a hypothetical maximum based on the county's assumptions, not a projection of actual credits expected to be awarded.
A separate measure, Council Bill 53-2026, expands an existing property tax credit to include qualifying retired public safety employees.
The credit provides up to $2,500 in property tax relief.
Previously, the county's public safety tax credit was available to qualifying active personnel, including police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, correctional officers, sheriff's deputies and emergency dispatchers.
The new legislation expands eligibility to retired employees who served in qualifying positions with Howard County public safety agencies.
It also explicitly includes retired public safety dispatchers in the definition of qualifying public safety employees.
According to the Howard County Department of Finance, approximately 128 retired public safety employees could become newly eligible under the expanded program.
The tax credit is intended to help reduce housing costs for residents who previously worked in public safety.
Unlike some other property tax relief programs, the public safety officer tax credit does not have a fixed expiration date under the existing program.
However, residents must meet the applicable eligibility requirements to receive the benefit.
Howard County residents seeking more information about available credits and application requirements can visit the county's Department of Finance tax credit webpage.
The county's website also provides information about property tax credits for older adults, disabled residents and other qualifying homeowners.
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