On Tuesday, May 14, the Board of County Commissioners unanimously adopted a balanced General Fund budget of $561,338,600, an increase of 6.4 percent over last year. The approved budget does not increase the current property or income tax rate while expanding investments in education, public safety, and recreation priorities. It also boosts employee compensation through merit and cost-of-living increases and a $750 base-pay increase for eligible full-time employees in July.

 

"The Fiscal 2025 budget underscores our dedication to meeting the diverse needs of our community, emphasizing crucial areas such as education, public safety, and infrastructure, and increasing funding for youth programs," said Commissioner President Reuben B. Collins, II, Esq. "This allocation reflects our unwavering support for our public schools, the Sheriff's Office, and the essential services provided by County Government, and highlights our commitment to addressing the needs of young people in our community.”

 

Budget Highlights

The General Fund budget funds the ongoing costs of government and includes:

• $12.64 million increase for Charles County Public Schools, which exceeds maintenance of effort by nearly $11.7 million and doubles last year’s total funding increase, in part to pay for costs associated with the Blueprint for Maryland’s future. It also includes funding to support salary increases for their employees and the opening of the Waldorf Early Learning Center for Pre-K students. The total allocation, which also includes funding for the Charles County Public Library and College of Southern Maryland, is $248.77 million, or 44.3 percent, of the General Fund budget.
• $9.28 million increase for the Charles County Sheriff’s Office, with a total allocation of $130.59 million, or 23.3 percent of the General Fund budget. It includes funding for 10 new sworn officers, the continuance of the body-worn camera program to include four new record technicians, two other positions, and salary increases for staff.
• $10.36 million increase for County Government operations. The total allocation is $100.07 million, or 17.8 percent, of the General Fund budget. New spending is proposed for emergency services with the addition of 10 emergency medical technicians (EMTs), additional staff for recreation and community services, a new position to support commercial development in the County’s Western Technology Corridor, and administrative tools and support for technology, security, equity, and accountability.
• Debt service totals $32.6 million for FY25 and remaining items are $27.4M for a combined 10.7% of the General Fund Budget.
• A total allocation of $21.85 million, or 3.9 percent, for other government functions, including the State’s Attorney’s Office, Health Department, Circuit Court, Election Board, and other local government agencies.

The fiscal year 2025-29 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget is $1.07 billion. It provides for county infrastructure, including schools, county buildings, roads, parks, water and sewer facilities, and stormwater management. A detailed summary of the CIP budget is located here.

The real property tax rate is maintained at $1.141 for County Government and $0.064 for Fire and Rescue per $100 of assessed value. The income tax rate of 3.03 percent remains unchanged.  The adopted fiscal 2025 budget details are available online.