Leonardtown, Md. — The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County approved the FY2027 recommended budget on March 31 and scheduled a public hearing for Tuesday, April 21 at Chopticon High School to receive resident input on the spending plan, proposed fee increases and a hike in the Bay District Volunteer Fire Department tax rate.
The meeting opened with an invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by approval of the consent agenda. Commissioners then issued proclamations recognizing Fair Housing Month, Maryland Flood Awareness Month, National Public Health Week, National Healthcare Decisions Day and Work Zone Safety and Roadside Awareness Month. They presented retirement commendations to Raymond Pilger for 20 years of service and Randy Miedzinski for 25 years of service.
The main agenda item focused on the FY2027 budget. The recommended plan includes general fund expenditures of 360,099,861 dollars and uses 16,908,163 dollars of unassigned fund balance for nonrecurring expenditures. The capital improvement program budget totals 76,466,830 dollars. Commissioners approved four motions to advance the budget: approval of the recommended budget as presented; authorization for the Finance Department to schedule the public hearing on fee and charges increases; authorization for the hearing on the Bay District Volunteer Fire Department tax rate increase to 0.056; and authorization for the overall FY2027 recommended budget hearing.
The public hearing will take place at 6:30 p.m. April 21 at Chopticon High School in Morganza. The FY2027 Recommended Budget Book will be available for public review online by the close of business April 8 at the St. Mary’s County government website.
Commissioners received an update on MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital from Dr. Mimi Novello, president and chief medical officer. The presentation covered staffing, community efforts, improvements and the hospital’s capacity to meet local needs.
During County Administrator time, the board reviewed future meeting agendas and took several actions. No Commissioners meeting will occur April 7. The next session is set for April 14, with a joint meeting with the St. Mary’s County Board of Education at 9 a.m. followed by the regular business meeting at 10:45 a.m. Both will be held in the Commissioners Meeting Room on the first floor of the Chesapeake Building at 41770 Baldridge Street in Leonardtown.
Other approvals included a Courtroom Equipment Grant for the Circuit Court in the amount of 15,896 dollars with no county match required. Commissioners approved three agreements between the St. Mary’s County Health Department and the Sheriff’s Office Detention and Rehabilitation Center: the FY2026 Substance Abuse Treatment Outcomes Partnership grant, the FY2026 Maryland Community Criminal Justice Treatment grant and the FY2025 Day Reporting grant extension. The total award for these grants is 665,257 dollars, including 25,000 dollars in county funds.
The board also approved the FY2027 Performance Incentive Grant Fund application for the Sheriff’s Office in the amount of 259,320 dollars to continue employment of two contracted nurses at the detention center. A multi-year memorandum of understanding was approved between the Sheriff’s Office and the Friends Research Institute for a study involving individuals re-entering the community from jail. The agreement provides a 25,000 dollar fee to the Sheriff’s Office for each of four years and focuses on individuals with medication for opioid use disorder.
Additional actions included approval of a supplemental agreement with the State Highway Administration to complete design of the Cornfield Harbor Bridge replacement, with the county allocating 149,091 dollars for its portion of the design costs. Commissioners approved proposed amendments to the construction, operation and lease agreements between the YMCA of the Chesapeake and the county that clarify county ownership of the property and building. They also authorized a non-substantive correction to Ordinance 2026-05 regarding day care operations in the Resource Conservation Area zoning. The original language restricted the facility to existing buildings only; the corrected version specifies buildings legally existing as of October 14, 2025.
The meeting included a legislative update from the Office of the County Attorney on the status of St. Mary’s County-related bills and the state budget. Commissioners then entered closed session to discuss personnel matters.
Commissioner Eric Colvin noted in his March 31 update the success of the St. Mary’s County Recreation and Parks Easter Egg Festival and the Stuffed Ham Recognition Marker ceremony during the previous weekend.
Meetings are open to the public and can be viewed live on TV Channel 95 or streamed at youtube.com/@StMarysCoGov. Decisions and related documents are available on the St. Mary’s County government website by clicking Board Documents from the home page.
