[0:10] Okay, we're gonna bring this meeting to order.

[0:16] Okay. Welcome to the Queen

[0:17] Annes County Commissioner's meeting.

[0:18] This is a public meeting

[0:20] that is being aired live on our local cable television

[0:23] station, QAC TV seven.

[0:24] These media broadcasts provide county citizens an

[0:27] opportunity to watch and participate

[0:28] with our scheduled public meetings.

[0:30] In addition to our live audience this evening,

[0:32] we are providing remote options for citizens to watch

[0:35] and participate in county commissioner meetings.

[0:38] Citizens may watch our meeting live on our website@qac.org

[0:41] live, or on our public access governmental television

[0:45] channel provided by Breeze Line Cable Services.

[0:48] Citizens may also participate

[0:49] by joining the live Zoom meeting by going

[0:51] to qac.org/public comment

[0:54] and citizens may also email comments

[0:56] to public comment@qac.org.

[0:59] All comments received will be read

[1:01] during the present public comment period

[1:02] on tonight's agenda.

[1:04] We acknowledge everyone's participation

[1:06] and by attending you acknowledge

[1:07] that this session is both recorded and aired present.

[1:10] Public comment will be taken

[1:12] and is limited to three minutes per person.

[1:14] If you do care to speak,

[1:15] please sign up at the information table in the lobby.

[1:18] Any comments longer than three minutes can be submitted in

[1:20] writing for the commissioner's review and consideration.

[1:23] We'll now stand and be led in the Pledge

[1:24] of Allegiance by commission.

[1:26] President Jim Moran,

[1:28] I pledge all allegiance to the flag

[1:30] of the United States of America

[1:33] and to the republic for which it stands,

[1:36] one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty

[1:40] and justice for all.

[1:49] Alright, welcome everybody.

[1:50] So the purpose of tonight's session is

[1:52] to present the county commissioner's proposed

[1:55] FY Twenty's 27 budget for both operating and capital

[1:59] and to receive public comment tonight.

[2:02] So we will introduce our,

[2:05] your county commissioners seated in the center there as

[2:08] our president at large, commissioner Jim Moran.

[2:11] To his left is Phil Duino, representing district three

[2:15] to Phil's left is Commissioner Jack Wilson representing

[2:19] district one, also our vice president.

[2:22] Seated next to me is Patrick McLaughlin,

[2:24] district two commissioner and next

[2:25] to Patrick is Chris Corino, district four commissioner.

[2:29] So I have a brief presentation that provides a upper level

[2:33] overview of the FY 2027 budget.

[2:36] So following our presentation we will be receiving public

[2:39] comments and again we have the signup sheets in the lobby

[2:42] and if you didn't sign up we will go around

[2:43] and ask anybody that wants

[2:45] to speak tonight if they have any comments as well.

[2:49] So we will get right to it.

[2:53] So again, I'm Todd Ma, the county administrator

[2:55] and this is the county commissioner's proposed

[2:57] FY 2027 budget.

[3:00] So for next year the budget comes in at $231 million,

[3:04] which is a 10.3% increase over the FY 26 budget.

[3:09] Our income tax revenue is projected to grow by 13.8%

[3:13] and property tax revenues projected to grow

[3:15] by about 10% over the FY 25 actual

[3:19] income streams.

[3:21] For those two sources, we do have some new tax revenue from

[3:24] short-term rental permitting and tax collection.

[3:27] The tax collection program associated

[3:29] with short-term rentals, that's an increase

[3:31] of over a hundred thousand dollars in revenue for next year.

[3:34] The two tax rates the commissioners control

[3:36] and set first is income tax.

[3:39] That is proposed to remain the same at 3.2%

[3:43] and the property tax rate.

[3:45] The commissioners have proposed a reduction in the property

[3:47] tax rate for next year of 3 cents per $100 of assessed value

[3:51] and the pie chart on the left there shows the income

[3:54] and property tax sector is the majority

[3:57] of our revenue streams at 86% of our total revenue.

[4:03] Some budget highlights from the operations budget

[4:06] leading off we have our Board

[4:07] of Education public school system.

[4:09] We funded them at 8.7 million above the FY 26 appropriation,

[4:13] which is about $8.9 million above the required maintenance.

[4:17] Maintenance of effort.

[4:19] We've included funding for an additional emergency

[4:22] medical systems crew.

[4:23] This will be our seventh EMS unit

[4:25] and that'll be assigned to the grasonville region

[4:28] to continue to decrease the unit response time

[4:31] for emergency services operations at $1.2 million per year.

[4:35] We've also included 16 overall new positions in the budget,

[4:39] including a bus driver for our county ride,

[4:42] an additional jury commissioner for our circuit court,

[4:45] a communications captain for the Department

[4:48] of Emergency Services

[4:50] and the eight positions for the seventh EMS unit,

[4:53] which are also included in that tally.

[4:57] For our staffing, we have included funding

[5:00] for employee recruitment and retention.

[5:03] That includes a 3% cost of living allowance

[5:05] and pay for performance.

[5:07] And for our capital program we've included $4.4 million

[5:10] for capital projects out of the operations account.

[5:14] That'll be a transfer from operating to capital.

[5:18] Alright, these next couple of slides, I wanted

[5:20] to just touch on our board of education funding.

[5:22] As you know, we do receive state funds

[5:25] for the public school systems as well

[5:26] as the county appropriations.

[5:28] So this chart basically shows the state allocations

[5:32] beginning in FY 20 and the forecasts going forward.

[5:36] The state funding for fiscal year 2027 is 45 million.

[5:40] Unfortunately that's about three

[5:41] and a half million dollars less than they

[5:43] originally forecasted.

[5:44] They'd be providing two Queen Ann County based on

[5:46] the Kerwin funding plan.

[5:48] That adds to the tally

[5:49] of about $12 million less than the original funding forecast

[5:53] for for the state share between FY 22 and FY 27.

[6:00] On the county side of the funding equation,

[6:03] the county is funding the public school systems at

[6:06] $91.4 million for FY 27.

[6:10] Again, that's $8.9 million

[6:12] above the required maintenance of effort.

[6:14] That value does not include teacher pensions

[6:17] and any private daycare costs that the state has

[6:20] very graciously shifted to the counties for our pickup.

[6:24] So we've picked those up and just to give you an idea,

[6:27] over the past several years we're averaging about $7 million

[6:30] of above the required maintenance of effort

[6:33] for our public school systems.

[6:36] This chart demonstrates that the where the state funding is

[6:39] and where the county funding is.

[6:41] The chart on the left, the blue line is the state

[6:43] allocations that we've received for the public schools.

[6:46] The red dash line just above that is

[6:48] where their forecast was.

[6:49] So you can see they are a little shy of

[6:52] where the need to be.

[6:54] The green line above that is the county funding allocations.

[6:57] You can see it's well above the dashed line below that which

[7:00] demonstrates that the county has been funding the board

[7:02] of education at a much higher level

[7:04] above the required maintenance of effort levels.

[7:08] On the right hand side of the chart,

[7:10] we have the student population,

[7:12] and this is, we're not unique in this.

[7:13] A lot of the counties in the state are seeing

[7:15] a declining enrollment.

[7:17] You can see the the peak there in about 2019 at

[7:20] 7,536 students.

[7:23] That was just prior to COVID.

[7:24] Since that time the enrollment has been declining, you know,

[7:29] every every single year.

[7:30] And now in 2026 we're at 7,115 students.

[7:34] So even with our declining enrollment, we are increasing our

[7:38] spending for our public school systems.

[7:43] Okay, this slide generally shows the all

[7:45] of the budgeted revenues that we receive in addition to

[7:51] property taxes and income taxes.

[7:53] So we have over the past several years been

[7:56] somewhat conservative from our

[7:58] for our revenue projections out

[7:59] of concerns at the federal level for tariffs,

[8:03] potential federal layoffs and other uncertainties.

[8:07] However, we do continue to see income tax growth in excess

[8:12] of the state estimates

[8:13] and for next year we are forecasting an estimate

[8:16] of 105.5 million in total revenue from income tax.

[8:20] A few lines down from that our public utility tax is

[8:23] expected to decline slightly

[8:25] as utility assets are continuing

[8:27] to decrease due to depreciation.

[8:30] A few lines down we have the recordation

[8:31] and transfer tax lines.

[8:33] They are both increasing

[8:34] and that's primarily due to continued strong new home sales

[8:38] and increased home values.

[8:39] Here in Queen Annes County,

[8:42] our inter intergovernmental revenues are also increasing due

[8:46] to increased and higher 9 1 1 fee collections

[8:49] and grants for police aid.

[8:52] And under miscellaneous our interest income is expected

[8:56] to decline as the federal government continues

[8:59] to slowly lower interest rates.

[9:02] So overall $230.9 million

[9:06] for the FY 27 budget revenue.

[9:11] All right, this is where the tax dollars go.

[9:13] This is just a graphic that shows that 66 cents

[9:16] of every general fund tax dollar is allocated

[9:19] to education and public safety.

[9:21] You know the first block there on the left,

[9:24] education comes in at 43 cents followed

[9:26] by public safety at 23 cents.

[9:29] Next is the general government allocation at 9 cents Public

[9:33] works 7 cents parks recreation, natural resources at 3 cents

[9:38] and everything else, all the other

[9:39] outside agencies 15 cents.

[9:43] So the takeaway here obviously is two thirds

[9:46] of our county budget goes to education and public safety.

[9:54] This slide just provides a demonstration of

[9:56] where the real property tax rates are across the state

[9:58] of Maryland and Baltimore City.

[10:00] This shows the tax rates, the real property tax rates

[10:03] for all jurisdictions in Maryland.

[10:05] We're the yellow bar all the way to the right hand side.

[10:08] We are projected to be the lowest

[10:11] property tax rate in the state

[10:12] after the FY 27 decrease

[10:14] of 3 cents per hundred dollars of assessed value.

[10:17] Tax rates obviously go up from there.

[10:20] Most of the counties are over a dollar

[10:22] and Baltimore city all the way to the left hand side.

[10:25] Well over $2 per a hundred dollars of assessed value.

[10:29] So just to give you a perspective where we are statewide.

[10:34] Alright, this next series

[10:35] of slides shows the proposed budget expenditures for all

[10:38] of our county departments, outside agencies

[10:41] and our miscellaneous accounts.

[10:43] And first I'll say that our departmental

[10:47] increases are expected to rise about five to 7% generally

[10:51] due to staff salaries, health insurance

[10:53] and benefit increases.

[10:54] We'll highlight a few additional sections here

[10:57] that are going above that slightly.

[11:00] First, under county administration our legal services are

[11:03] increasing due to continuation

[11:05] of some anticipated litigation that we're engaged in.

[11:08] Now our budget

[11:10] and finance office is up due

[11:11] to the additional accounting support for our town of Ville

[11:15] water and sewer operations that we recently acquired as part

[11:18] of our water

[11:19] and sewer division, along with increases for post post

[11:23] expenses and tax bills and tax delinquency bills.

[11:28] Our human resources now includes a new peer-to-peer

[11:30] counseling program for our public safety employees

[11:33] and volunteer firefighters.

[11:35] So that increase is included there

[11:38] and our public housing shows a higher increase

[11:41] to cover the hiring of an additional employee

[11:44] for maintenance services at our public housing stock.

[11:48] Alright, this next slide shows our Department

[11:51] of Public Works and Parks and Recreation.

[11:54] So we have a larger increase

[11:56] for animal services under public works

[11:59] that includes additional kennel equipment,

[12:01] emergency lighting and safety features

[12:03] for our animal services shelter.

[12:05] And under parks and recreation you'll see the airport

[12:08] and golf course both with significant decreases that's due

[12:11] to the reduced general fund support needed

[12:13] to balance their budgets.

[12:14] And we recently had closed on an airport loan for

[12:17] for the runway and we're receiving much greater revenues

[12:21] from the golfing fees at our Blue Heron Golf course.

[12:24] So some good news there.

[12:28] Here we have our outside agencies on this tally

[12:33] we have the Board of Education at the top there they've

[12:35] increased by 10.6% as mentioned to cover increase in costs

[12:40] mandated by the blueprint

[12:41] for Maryland's education future which we are compliant with

[12:46] our state's attorney's office shows a larger increase

[12:49] to cover new case management software for their agency.

[12:53] The circuit court will be getting an additional jury

[12:55] commissioner as mentioned earlier next year to help

[12:57] with their increasing caseload

[13:00] and our board of elections has an increase, higher increase

[13:03] to cover the leasing of additional poll book equipment

[13:06] for the election program.

[13:09] Lastly, I'll mention that the Soil Conservation Service

[13:12] is lower next year due to a reduction in their workforce

[13:15] by one and a half full-time equivalents.

[13:21] Alright, This slide shows other miscellaneous

[13:23] expenditure accounts for debt other and transfer.

[13:27] Our debt for the board of education is higher next year

[13:30] to cover debt service for the new administration building

[13:33] and two roof projects at matte elementary

[13:36] and matte middle schools that are now complete

[13:40] under the other category.

[13:42] Our intergovernmental expenses have increased due

[13:44] to continued increases for the state assessment office,

[13:48] which was another cost shift from

[13:50] the state over to the county.

[13:51] That's a Maryland agency that we now pay for also increases

[13:55] to town rebates via the tax offset program

[13:58] and an increase in the state pension administration fees.

[14:02] Our general insurance is up also due to increasing premiums

[14:06] and the addition of the public housing authority facilities

[14:09] under the county's overall umbrella

[14:11] and under the transfer sections as I mentioned earlier,

[14:14] we have a capital fund increase to for the pego support

[14:18] to the capital projects account for FY 27.

[14:21] And lastly, our ag transfers shows a decrease due

[14:25] to a reduction in the anticipated funding support

[14:27] that would be necessary for next year.

[14:33] Okay, so what's changed from FY 26 to FY 27?

[14:36] This is just a simple tally that shows the FY 26

[14:40] allocations, the budget

[14:41] and then the total change in revenue.

[14:42] On the left hand side you can see income tax leads the way

[14:46] followed by property taxes

[14:48] and then at 21.5 million overall new revenues for FY 27

[14:53] and the corresponding expense on the expenditure side.

[14:55] On the right hand side of the chart the board

[14:58] of education at 8.9 million followed by the transfer

[15:01] to capital at 3.8 million

[15:03] and then the public safety group in the center there

[15:06] of the chart, $2.3 million for the expenditure tallies.

[15:12] Okay now we can move into the capital project section

[15:14] of the budget.

[15:17] Once again leading off with our board

[15:18] of education we've included funding for design

[15:21] of the new Centerville Middle School here in Centerville.

[15:23] Obviously HVAC replacements at Kenard

[15:27] and Centerville Elementary,

[15:29] a roof replacement at Kenard Elementary, a repaving

[15:33] of all the surfaces at the Kent Island High School,

[15:36] some bus replacements, furniture replacements,

[15:38] and some other minor capital projects at 16.4 million.

[15:42] And I also mentioned that we have $7 million in state

[15:45] revenues that are included in this 16.4.

[15:49] So we do leverage those state funds that they support

[15:51] with our local dollars as well.

[15:53] On the larger capital projects for Chesapeake College,

[15:57] we have funding for the Queen Ann's Technical Building.

[16:00] That's a multi-year project funded

[16:01] by the five Midshore counties

[16:03] that we have $2.9 million there

[16:05] and that project is currently under design.

[16:07] We hope to be in a position to maybe

[16:09] have a groundbreaking ceremony about this time next year.

[16:13] Emergency services we have funding

[16:15] for the Motorola console upgrade new ambulances for the

[16:18] for the seventh Crew Radio subscriber replacements,

[16:22] our new public safety network replacements

[16:24] and additional protective gear, PPE

[16:27] and other projects For emergency services

[16:30] for the regional hospital,

[16:31] we've allocated $5 million over four years

[16:34] for FYI 27 we're allocating the 1.25 million

[16:38] for our new regional hospital for the University

[16:40] of Merrill Medical Systems under construction now.

[16:44] If you haven't been by there, it's a really,

[16:46] obviously it's come up out of the ground nicely

[16:48] so we're anxious for that.

[16:51] Continuing with capital we have for the housing authority,

[16:53] we have major repairs planned for the maintenance

[16:56] of Fisher Manor, Riverside States, Grayville Terrace, Terra

[16:59] and Grove FoxTown,

[17:00] and our scattered site housing stock at 1.4 million

[17:04] of our volunteer fire companies, 835,000 for funding

[17:09] for purchases of a new apparatus and facility.

[17:12] Construction Animal services we have funding for the design

[17:15] of a new animal services shelter

[17:17] and adoption center at 300,000 for our Rose division.

[17:21] We have funding for a new pedestrian bridge over US 50

[17:25] on Kent Island to connect the South Island trail

[17:27] and the cross island trail

[17:28] that is largely grant funded at 85% at 3.1 million

[17:35] for our parks department.

[17:36] We have funding for the continuation

[17:38] of the South Island Trail extension,

[17:40] various capital equipment replacements, athletic field work,

[17:44] major maintenance and other lighting projects.

[17:47] Two lighting projects, one at White Marsh Marsh Park

[17:49] and one at Bats Neck Park at $2.9 million.

[17:53] For our recreations group we have funding

[17:55] for land acquisition and design

[17:57] and contract development

[17:59] for a new recreation center in the Kent

[18:01] Narrows Kent Island region.

[18:04] Under General Services and Engineering, we have funding

[18:06] and renovation funding for renovations

[18:08] of the historic courthouse

[18:10] and other renovations to other county facilities at,

[18:13] on just about $6 million for information technology.

[18:17] We have funding for continuation of IT infrastructure

[18:20] and other technology projects

[18:22] to enhance our cybersecurity efforts at

[18:24] 500,000 Back to roads.

[18:29] We've included obviously funding

[18:30] for systems preservation including asphalt overlays

[18:33] and capital equipment

[18:34] and bridges, 5 million Kent Island sewer extensions,

[18:39] phases three and four, 4.8 million.

[18:41] This is for the last two phases of that sewer line extension

[18:44] for Queen and Colony Kent Moore, Chesapeake State,

[18:47] sunny all Kent Bats neck

[18:49] and maneka state at 4.8 million

[18:52] up in Sellersville we have a $3 million grant in funding

[18:56] to complete the wastewater treatment plant e

[18:58] and r upgrade improvements for

[19:00] that particular wastewater system.

[19:03] And our next sewer extension project,

[19:05] we have 500,000 in planning money for extension

[19:09] of public sewer to the modeling farms

[19:11] and Dominion area, which is south

[19:14] on Maryland Route 5 52 in Chester.

[19:19] Okay, this slide just shows the variety

[19:22] of capital budget funding sources

[19:24] that we have in the capital plan.

[19:27] As I mentioned earlier, we have $4.4 million.

[19:30] We're going across the chart from the left to right,

[19:32] $4.4 million in PEGO funding,

[19:35] just about $8 million in grant funding.

[19:38] $30.8 million in bond funds,

[19:42] $13.2 million in capital fund balance.

[19:46] We have some loans, 5.2 million that's for the

[19:50] sewer line extensions that are paid back

[19:51] with special benefit assessments from the users.

[19:54] And then we have another other funding source category from

[19:57] developer Exactions

[19:58] and other special benefit assessments we collect

[20:01] for road improvement projects at $1.9 million

[20:05] for our capital plan overall

[20:07] for FY 27 63 $0.5 million.

[20:14] Alright, so that's the bulk of the presentation.

[20:18] There is a lot more information that we have on our website.

[20:21] There is the web link, you can get into all the details

[20:24] of all the agencies

[20:26] and all the line items of the budget

[20:27] if you choose to look at that.

[20:29] We also have a nifty handout that our finance team prepared

[20:32] that shows all the information

[20:34] that I have in this presentation along

[20:35] with additional pie charts

[20:37] and some other information about our

[20:39] special revenue accounts.

[20:40] If you want to dig into that, be happy

[20:42] to answer any questions

[20:43] after the meeting with any of

[20:45] that information that is available.

[20:46] So please if you haven't picked one of those,

[20:48] upgrade one on the way out

[20:49] and take it with you for for your reference.

[20:54] Okay, so I think we, that concludes the presentation.

[20:58] We can now begin with the public comment period.

[21:01] So when your name is called, please come up

[21:04] to the microphone and let us know who you are

[21:06] and where you live and we'll listen to your testimony.

[21:10] So Jim, you got the list?

[21:12] Yes I do. First person on the list is Gregory Gilbert.

[21:19] Greg? Yes.

[21:20] Gregory Gilbert. I live 1 0 3 South Liberty Street here.

[21:24] I've been in resident for 26 years

[21:27] but I'm speaking today as the president of the board

[21:31] of trustees of the Queen Annes County Library.

[21:34] I wanna take this moment to thank you

[21:35] for your continued support of the library, our services

[21:39] and staff that we provide to the community.

[21:41] We especially appreciate the funding

[21:43] for the new outreach position,

[21:45] which will help us strengthen connections across the county

[21:48] and expand access to residents who may not be

[21:51] otherwise visit our branches.

[21:53] We also want to thank you for including funding

[21:55] for the new North County branch.

[21:57] This project is an important investment

[21:59] to expand library access

[22:01] and we are working to gather community input

[22:04] to ensure new branch reflects the needs

[22:06] and interests of the local residents.

[22:09] Finally, if additional funding is available, we ask you

[22:12] to consider supporting an additional full-time makerspace

[22:16] position at the Ken Island branch.

[22:18] Makerspace use has increased by 90% in less than a year,

[22:22] highlighting the strong demand for these services

[22:26] and continue providing valuable opportunities

[22:29] for creativity, technology, education

[22:31] and workforce development.

[22:33] Okay, thank you. Thank you.

[22:35] Thank you. Cliff Coppersmith. The one and the only.

[22:39] The one and only. There

[22:41] You go.

[22:42] Mr. President and members

[22:43] of the Queen Anne's County Commission on behalf

[22:46] of the students, faculty and staff at Chesapeake College.

[22:48] By the way, my name's Cliff Coppersmith,

[22:50] I live at 1 45 McKinney Lane.

[22:52] I also happen to be the president of Chesapeake College.

[22:55] I want to express my sincere gratitude for your approval

[22:57] of our fiscal year 2027 budget.

[23:01] Your steadfast support is vital as we continue

[23:03] to provide high quality accessible education workforce

[23:06] training to the residents of Queen Annes County

[23:08] and for our other service counties.

[23:11] As I reflect on the past eight years of my administration,

[23:13] I'm incredibly proud of what we've achieved together.

[23:17] Our partnership has been the cornerstone

[23:19] of a transformative era for the college

[23:21] and through our collective work we have significantly

[23:24] expanded our reach and

[23:25] and our impact in workforce innovation.

[23:27] We've successfully launched enhanced critical programs

[23:30] and skilled trades and including marine

[23:32] advanced manufacturing, welding

[23:34] and metal fabrication construction trades

[23:36] and our long running health professions portfolio.

[23:39] Ensuring that our curriculum evolves alongside the

[23:42] needs of our local economy.

[23:44] We're modernizing our infrastructure with your support.

[23:46] We've modernized our facilities including the recent edition

[23:49] of a state-of-the-art skilled trades lab

[23:51] and a mobile mobile welding laboratory

[23:53] that brings training directly to the community,

[23:55] including its recent deployment to Cambridge

[23:57] and other locations in our region.

[23:59] We're also grateful for the regional support

[24:01] which you have led and successfully obtaining the funding

[24:04] for the Queen Annes Technology Center.

[24:06] We are working closely with our CTE directors

[24:08] and Queen Annes and our other service counties to support,

[24:11] augment and enhance the workforce program.

[24:13] We joint support as both K through 12 systems

[24:16] and as a college the Queen Anne tech building project will

[24:19] provide a generational resource

[24:20] for skilled trades instruction for the next 30 years.

[24:23] And we are executing the design phase

[24:25] of the pro project even as we speak with construction.

[24:28] To begin next year, we're expanding access

[24:31] with our collaboration and strength in dual enrollment

[24:34] and career articulation agreements, clearing pathways

[24:36] for Queen Anne County students

[24:38] to transition seamlessly from high school

[24:40] to higher education and meaningful careers

[24:43] and in regional leadership.

[24:44] Together we've reinforced Chesapeake's role

[24:46] as a regional hub for innovation, sustainability

[24:49] and economic growth contributing over $118 million in income

[24:53] to the local economy annually.

[24:55] This budget approval is more than a financial commitment,

[24:58] is a renewal of our shared vision to empower every student

[25:01] and enrich the vitality of the eastern shore.

[25:03] Thank you for your continued leadership

[25:06] and being such dedicated partners in this journey.

[25:09] As we near the end of the academic year, I invite you all

[25:11] to attend our May 20th commencement tomorrow

[25:14] with the trustees reception held in the Dorchester

[25:16] administration building boardroom,

[25:18] Tobo County councilwoman Keisha hath will be delivering this

[25:22] year's commencement address to the class of 2026.

[25:25] We begin the day with the board

[25:27] of trustees reception held in the Dorchester administration

[25:29] building boardroom at 12 with the ceremony beginning at

[25:32] 2:00 PM We'd love to have you there

[25:33] and again, thank you for your support of Chesapeake College.

[25:36] Thank you. Thank you. Jennifer Schreiner office.

[25:40] How you doing?

[25:42] Good evening everyone. My name is Jennifer Schreckengost.

[25:45] I'm as resident of Queenstown

[25:47] but also am honored to serve as the assistant superintendent

[25:50] of Queen Annes County Public Schools.

[25:52] I wanna first thank you commissioners for many years

[25:55] of funding beyond maintenance of effort that has allowed us

[25:58] to carry on through some challenges that statute and

[26:00] and legislation have provided our district.

[26:03] We appreciate that but also wanna thank you

[26:05] for being our partners because truly we are partners

[26:07] together in ensuring a stable

[26:09] and bright future for our children and for our county.

[26:13] Under Dr. Keebler's leadership, we have been able

[26:16] to have opportunities to do some,

[26:19] some growth in our, in our district.

[26:21] Number one, we have been able

[26:23] to focus on school improvement.

[26:25] We also acknowledge

[26:26] that strong schools require strong leaders

[26:28] and we have been able to provide leadership development

[26:32] and professional learning for all staff to ensure

[26:35] that they have the skills needed to do the work.

[26:37] I think it's been very clear

[26:38] that we have prioritized fiscal accountability

[26:41] and clear communication regarding the way that we allocate

[26:44] and spend funds identifying accurately what it requires

[26:47] for us to maintain our current system

[26:49] and what it might take for us

[26:51] to enrich our current education system.

[26:56] So when you consider the responsibilities of a school system

[26:58] as a house, let's say my room is curriculum

[27:03] and instruction, but I'd actually like

[27:05] to consider it the teaching and learning arena

[27:07] because an awful lot more happens there

[27:10] than might take place in a small space.

[27:13] It may seem that our only responsibility is to educate,

[27:15] but it is far deeper than that.

[27:17] We understand that no child can learn

[27:21] until their basic needs are met.

[27:23] So that is part of our responsibility.

[27:24] We have to ensure that children arrive in our classrooms

[27:27] available and ready to learn.

[27:29] And we do that through funding of our own, through grants

[27:33] and through partnerships with community resources.

[27:35] We ensure children have food on the weekends.

[27:37] We ensure if they need clothing, coats, shoes, toiletries,

[27:41] that those are provided during holiday seasons.

[27:43] We have partners who make sure they have gifts,

[27:46] their medical needs are cared for, vision, dental, all

[27:48] of those things happen in a community health center.

[27:51] And we provide wraparound services to families so

[27:53] that we can decrease stressors

[27:55] and increase support in the home

[27:57] once those basic needs are met.

[27:59] We move on to social emotional learning

[28:01] and we have a very explicit delivery method of ensuring

[28:05] that social emotional health is taught in our classrooms.

[28:08] In addition, it is integrated into every content.

[28:12] We also have specialized units that focus on

[28:15] important physical and mental health related concepts,

[28:18] including signs of suicide.

[28:20] We make sure every staff member is trained

[28:22] to identify those signs as well as how

[28:24] to respond and where to seek help.

[28:26] And we partner with 10 outside mental health agencies

[28:29] who come into our schools to provide support.

[28:32] Yet we are still devastated when we realize

[28:34] that we've missed something and our teachers

[28:36] who are expected to teach children

[28:39] to learn cannot do those things until

[28:42] those other areas have been met.

[28:45] Keep going. I have 10 more seconds please. Okay.

[28:47] It is only after students basic needs are

[28:49] met that we take your time.

[28:50] We can begin. Thank you.

[28:52] Effectively teaching

[28:53] and learning, we expect teachers to know every child

[28:56] and to know them so well that they know their strengths

[28:58] and needs to be able to differentiate instruction every day

[29:03] with exactly what is required.

[29:05] Our teachers carry the weight of the world

[29:08] and knowing the entire child is their responsibility

[29:10] and every teacher takes that responsibility so seriously.

[29:15] We also know that our students

[29:17] for the past few years have not shown the

[29:18] growth that we would expect.

[29:20] We do not intend to make excuses or to reduce our efforts.

[29:24] And please know, regardless of

[29:26] what you decide about additional funding

[29:29] for Queen Anne County Public Schools,

[29:31] I have the utmost confidence that every one of our teachers

[29:33] and staff will continue

[29:34] to show up every day giving all they have

[29:37] because they believe in the work

[29:39] because they are fully invested in in our

[29:41] children and our families.

[29:42] And we hope to protect this public education

[29:45] institution who we are.

[29:47] Why we're here isn't going to change.

[29:49] If you're able to give us additional funding, know

[29:52] that it will go directly to support schools.

[29:54] It will increase our human resources to lighten the load

[29:57] and allow teachers to share these responsibilities

[30:00] a bit more in an effort to best meet the needs.

[30:03] Excuse me, meet the needs of every child.

[30:05] Even when our challenges seem

[30:07] insurmountable, we will continue.

[30:09] And so I thank you for your financial support

[30:12] but also your partnership.

[30:13] I know we all want the same things.

[30:15] I thank you for your commitment to the children

[30:17] and the future of Queen Annes County

[30:18] and for a little extra time.

[30:20] Thank you. Thank you. Raymond Bat or up?

[30:28] Good evening commissioners.

[30:29] Raymond Aaron Centerville currently serve as the chair

[30:32] for the volunteer fire in EMS departments in our county.

[30:37] I wanna thank you for your continued support.

[30:39] You do it year after year

[30:41] as the board says it is a partnership with you and us.

[30:46] Being in this for many, many decades I've seen

[30:50] ridiculous amounts of increases,

[30:52] but I've never seen the increases of what costs for us

[30:55] to do business as we,

[30:57] as we've seen in the last couple years.

[31:02] The budget is probably a smidgen of

[31:05] what it would cost if this were a full career department.

[31:09] You folks have done studies, I know you have probably

[31:13] 30 million or more to do a minimal coverage

[31:17] for Queen S County where I want to give our nine departments

[31:21] and EMS the absolutely best kudos I can give 'em

[31:25] because they provide one

[31:26] of the best services I think you can get in the

[31:29] state if not the nation.

[31:32] We're dedicated, we're trained, we continue to train.

[31:35] We want to thank you for the

[31:37] continued support in the budget.

[31:38] It helps us do our vo-tech program at Miry, which is out

[31:42] by the public works building

[31:44] and factor graduation I think is Thursday night at 5:00 PM

[31:48] or 7:00 PM If you get to go to see these folks

[31:52] that have learned during school to now become part

[31:55] of a workforce that hopefully if they want to get it

[31:57] as a job, but to continue with the partnership that we have,

[32:02] we know it's tough.

[32:04] We thank you for the increase.

[32:06] We're still gonna keep coming for more and more

[32:07] because you've heard the numbers of what apparatus costs.

[32:12] We can't do it with baked sales,

[32:13] we can't do it with cash bashes.

[32:16] We're going to have to come to you probably

[32:17] for a little bit more as time goes.

[32:19] But for now we're good. We thank you.

[32:22] And really that's all I wanted

[32:23] to say with the exception of one more thing.

[32:25] I would like you to know that we are very much in support

[32:28] of the extra staffing for the, the, the paramedic unit

[32:31] to go into Grayson area through DES needed.

[32:33] Certainly listened to yesterday in about a three hour

[32:38] period of time it was,

[32:40] it was almost like we were a pretty good

[32:42] sized metropolitan area.

[32:44] So, and that's when you need

[32:46] it, you know when it hits like that.

[32:47] So thank you for putting that back in. Keeping it in.

[32:50] We support D S's budget in that capacity. Thank you. Thank

[32:53] You.

[32:56] Carrie. Settle.

[33:02] Hi everyone. Carrie Sutherland Queenstown

[33:06] and also a board of education member

[33:09] for Queen S County public

[33:11] schools representing district three.

[33:13] Without hearing Dr.

[33:15] Reson, knowing what she was gonna talk about,

[33:17] I can actually skip the first few paragraphs.

[33:21] Thank you for your continued support and, and

[33:26] but at the same time I wanna be honest about

[33:28] where we are financially as a so school system.

[33:31] The proposed funding does allow us

[33:33] to maintain our current programs and operations

[33:36] and we are extremely grateful for that.

[33:38] But it just allows us to continue doing

[33:40] what we're already doing.

[33:42] We know the lack of funding. Sorry, I'm looking at you.

[33:44] Jack isn't just a county issue.

[33:47] School systems across Maryland are dealing

[33:49] with rising costs, increasing mandates

[33:51] and funding formulas

[33:52] that don't always match the realities districts are facing.

[33:56] The state absolutely has a role to play in this conversation

[33:59] and will continue advocating there as well.

[34:02] But tonight I wanna focus on a few areas

[34:04] where additional local investment could make a real

[34:06] difference for students and staff in Queen Anne County.

[34:10] One thing that stood out to me

[34:12] during the school's internal budget discussions was

[34:14] how consistent the feedback was across the

[34:17] entire school system.

[34:18] Administrators, teachers, instructional leaders,

[34:21] support staff, everyone all agreed

[34:23] that reading intervention support was one

[34:26] of the biggest needs we have right now.

[34:28] When the people working with students every single day are

[34:31] all identifying the same need,

[34:32] I think we should listen closely.

[34:35] Early literacy impacts everything else a student

[34:37] does academically.

[34:38] When students struggle to read in the early grades,

[34:41] it affects every subject area moving forward.

[34:45] And we're also continuing to see a growing need

[34:48] for behavioral specialists support

[34:50] SIS positions in our schools.

[34:53] These positions are about much more than discipline.

[34:55] They're about making sure students have the support they

[34:58] need while also allowing teachers

[34:59] to stay focused on teaching.

[35:01] Right now teachers are often trying

[35:03] to manage significant behavioral challenges while also

[35:06] keeping instruction moving for the rest of the class.

[35:09] When we had, when schools would have trained behavioral

[35:12] support staff and structured in school programs, students

[35:16] who need additional support have somewhere to go, someone

[35:19] to work with them and an opportunity to reset

[35:21] and return to class ready to learn

[35:24] more support staff means more

[35:25] instructional time for students.

[35:28] And after listening to last night's budget discussions,

[35:30] I also kept thinking about

[35:31] how much mental health support was

[35:33] emphasized and rightly so.

[35:35] One thing I believe is important to recognize is

[35:38] that additional academic support staff are a

[35:40] part of that solution.

[35:42] When we add reading specialists, math, interventionalists,

[35:45] behavioral specialists

[35:47] and support staff, we are not only improving academics,

[35:50] we are creating more time

[35:51] and space for meaningful student connection.

[35:55] More staff means teachers have more time to teach, more time

[35:58] to listen, more time to connect additional support.

[36:01] Staff can help relieve some of that pressure

[36:03] so teachers can spend Go ahead Karen.

[36:06] More quality time with students,

[36:07] build stronger relationships, recognize concerns earlier

[36:10] and better support students.

[36:13] Academic support and mental health support are

[36:16] not separate conversations.

[36:17] They work hand in hand

[36:19] and investing in one strengthens the other.

[36:21] You asked us last night to give you a plan

[36:24] and I believe we have one.

[36:25] The board approved Dr ER's proposed budget which didn't just

[36:29] maintain our current program and staffing levels,

[36:31] but it included restoring these much needed academic

[36:35] and behavioral support positions.

[36:38] I would simply ask that you consider whether there may be

[36:40] any additional flexibility within the county budget

[36:43] to support these positions

[36:44] and help us move beyond just maintaining our system

[36:48] and truly strengthen it.

[36:49] And thank you again for everything.

[36:51] Thank you. Thanks Tim Pleasant.

[37:06] This is my first time here. I am a psychotherapist.

[37:10] I'm new to the area. I've been here since August.

[37:12] My husband is actually active duty. Where

[37:14] Where you, where you live At?

[37:15] I live in Centerville. Okay. Yeah.

[37:17] So we're looking, me

[37:18] and my colleague we're looking to put on workshops this

[37:20] summer for the youth, for middle school and high schoolers.

[37:23] We were approved with Queen Ends County public schools

[37:25] to do Centerville Middle School.

[37:27] So that is squared away for July 7th and eighth.

[37:30] But we want to reach the community, the body

[37:32] of students in Queen Annes County all across the counties.

[37:36] Like the colleague just said,

[37:37] mental health is extremely important.

[37:39] Girls are not only cutting between their arms anymore,

[37:42] they're cutting between their legs.

[37:44] Boys are becoming more bulimic.

[37:46] There is more suicide in the minority community as well

[37:49] as the college Caucasian community.

[37:52] A lot of under deserved women, young girls are going

[37:55] to DC having abortions.

[37:57] So within our private practice we

[37:59] are licensed with the state of Maryland.

[38:00] We are in good standing. We are a private practice

[38:02] and we're looking to expand and offer these services.

[38:05] So we're looking for partnerships.

[38:07] We would like to expand more than Centerville Middle School,

[38:10] but right now we have that squared away

[38:12] for July 7th and eighth.

[38:14] We do have some sponsors but we're looking to expand.

[38:17] We're a private practice, we're starting up,

[38:19] we have a lot to offer.

[38:21] I'm training cycle analytical therapy, I'm licensed

[38:24] and we really wanna serve the area.

[38:26] Thank you for your time. Thank you. Thank

[38:28] You.

[38:29] Thank you

[38:32] Amanda.

[38:43] Good evening commissioners. My name is Amanda Donofrio.

[38:46] I'm a Queen Ann County parent, resident

[38:49] and member of the Q-A-C-P-S

[38:53] Citizen Advisory Committee.

[38:55] First I wanna recognize that the county has continued

[38:58] to invest significantly in education funding

[39:01] above maintenance of effort, capital planning

[39:03] and long-term facility projects reflect

[39:06] that education remains a county priority

[39:08] and I appreciate that commitment.

[39:10] My concern tonight is not whether Queen Annes County is

[39:13] investing in education.

[39:15] My concern is whether our investments are fully aligned

[39:18] with the needs that most directly impact

[39:20] students, educators, and families.

[39:24] As the Queen Annes County continues to grow

[39:26] through housing development, tourism business expansion,

[39:30] our public infrastructure must keep pace

[39:34] and schools are among the most important

[39:36] infrastructure we have.

[39:38] They're not simply buildings, they're the foundation

[39:41] of workforce readiness, family stability, economic growth,

[39:45] and long-term community health.

[39:49] Maryland's blueprint has increased expectations in school

[39:54] systems, literacy, growth, math, performance intervention,

[39:57] mental health support

[39:59] and career readiness, as well

[40:00] as teacher retention and accountability.

[40:03] Those are worthy goals,

[40:05] but the goals require more than compliance.

[40:08] They require stable staffing, strong support systems

[40:12] and strategic investment.

[40:15] Public reviews involving QA CPS

[40:20] educators identified concerns around

[40:23] instructional resource constraints,

[40:26] reduced coaching support,

[40:28] and the need for stronger consistency in academic support.

[40:33] Those concerns matter because staffing

[40:35] and intervention directly affect student outcomes.

[40:39] We know support staff matter, reading specialists matter,

[40:44] math intervention matters, student support services matter

[40:47] and teacher retention matters

[40:49] because when support systems are stretched thin,

[40:53] the students feel it.

[40:55] But this is not only about academics,

[40:57] it's also about daily learning conditions.

[41:01] Families continue to raise concerns about recurring

[41:03] classroom heat and cooling issues, particularly at CES

[41:07] where classroom conditions during periods

[41:09] of high temperature have raised ongoing concerns about

[41:12] comfort learning

[41:14] and the overall environment

[41:15] for both our students and our educators.

[41:18] When children are trying to learn

[41:20] in an overheated classrooms

[41:22] and educators are trying to teach in those same conditions,

[41:25] it's not a faculty issue.

[41:26] It's a student centered issue.

[41:28] And it reminds us that infrastructure is not only about

[41:31] future product projects,

[41:33] it is also about whether the learning environments we

[41:36] already have are consistently safe,

[41:39] effective, and supportive.

[41:41] And at the same time,

[41:42] our community has also seen difficult conversations

[41:45] around facilities, staffing, uncertainty

[41:48] and reten reductions in force.

[41:51] These issues affect morale, they affect con

[41:56] continuity and they affect trust

[41:58] and they affect the district's ability to recruit

[42:01] and retain strong educators and support staff.

[42:04] We know that investment can make a difference,

[42:09] which is why the sustained support matters.

[42:12] And our current superintendent is working to strengthen that

[42:16] and they need a little bit more

[42:19] and I, I'm sorry to bring it to you

[42:21] but I will also bring it to the state.

[42:23] But I know your ears are listening more intently than theirs

[42:28] are at the moment.

[42:30] Thank you for your time. Thank

[42:31] You. Thank you.

[42:32] That's all that signed up.

[42:33] Would anyone else like to speak Mr. Faus?

[42:41] Good evening Commissioners.

[42:42] Bill faus, Sellersville Life re lifetime resident

[42:46] of SU Queens County County.

[42:48] I was the previous chairman of the FIRE

[42:51] and EMS commission for Queen Anne County.

[42:55] Now I'm first vice president

[42:57] of Maryland State Firefighters Association.

[42:59] And I have two reasons to be here.

[43:02] Number one, as far as the county fire

[43:04] and EMS goes, thank you very much

[43:06] for your continued support throughout all the years when I

[43:09] was chair and now with Raymond

[43:11] and all you, you really don't know how far that goes.

[43:15] I travel the state now.

[43:16] I'm not just in the county with nine departments.

[43:19] I have 365 that I tried to get to

[43:24] and it is reassuring

[43:28] that Queen Es county is one of the best as far

[43:30] as supporting their volunteers.

[43:33] There are some counties out there

[43:34] that get $60,000 per company

[43:39] and that's it from the government.

[43:42] And you try to buy a $1.1 million fire truck

[43:46] or you try to fix your station up, you can't do it.

[43:50] Whereas here we, we could use more money.

[43:54] We, like Raymond said, the bake sales and all account.

[43:57] But when you go from when I first started

[44:00] as the FEC chair 15 years ago,

[44:04] a firetruck cost $400,000.

[44:07] The same firetruck right now costs 1.1 million a ladder,

[44:10] truck tower, whatever you, you know, that's over $2 million

[44:15] and it takes two to three years to get it.

[44:18] So we had to pre-plan ahead of time.

[44:21] So again, I want to thank you for your support

[44:25] of all the fire companies in the county.

[44:27] And on a personal note, I wanna thank you

[44:29] for your continued support of me.

[44:31] Me as I go through the chairs and I hate to say it

[44:34] but I wish you could be for my installation,

[44:36] but as Commissioner Wilson pointed out, that's the primary.

[44:41] So it's June 23rd, so,

[44:44] but I do get nominated on the 22nd.

[44:47] So if somebody wants to come down

[44:48] during the day, I'm more than welcome. Hey Bill,

[44:51] On the 23rd where you're, you're being officially inducted

[44:54] In Yes, As the

[44:55] President.

[44:56] As president of the Maryland State Farm.

[44:57] Where's that taking place? Ocean City at the convention.

[45:00] Send me some information on it.

[45:02] Okay, I appreciate that. And the 22nd

[45:05] Would be at Ocean City

[45:06] Also 22nd at Ocean City in the morning.

[45:08] And that's where, what time? I'd say 10 o'clock.

[45:14] But that's where they get you to get some up to,

[45:17] to nominate you and then call out all the seconds.

[45:19] Then you march around the thing

[45:21] with a ban and all that stuff.

[45:22] But the election or the installation is Tuesday night.

[45:28] We had a helicopter. Again, thank you gentlemen

[45:30] for all your support and ladies

[45:32] and gentlemen, I just wanna speak to you.

[45:35] These guys do everything in the world they can

[45:37] to support the fire departments and and the board education.

[45:42] My mother was president of the board when I graduated, so

[45:47] that's been a long time ago.

[45:49] Almost as long as I've known Mr. Wilson.

[45:50] But I just wanna thank everybody. Thank you. Thank you Bill.

[45:54] Best of luck to you. Would anybody else like

[45:57] to speak? Okay,

[46:00] Why not Mr. Wilson?

[46:06] Tonight we're talking about the county budget.

[46:10] The county budget is the plan that the county has for the

[46:15] next year, the future upcoming year.

[46:19] But the county would be benefited by a consideration

[46:23] of the time out beyond that particular framework.

[46:30] This is not meant as a criticism

[46:32] of the government proceedings as we've got 'em at this time,

[46:36] but, but it would be constructive

[46:39] and good for the county

[46:40] to start looking at the the longer future.

[46:44] I'm gonna give two examples of this.

[46:46] One of them is, excuse me, with the

[46:52] slow down of development on Kent Island.

[46:54] As a result of the sewer development,

[46:57] pressure is gonna move up into the county

[47:00] and it's gonna particularly concentrate in the

[47:03] towns Centerville.

[47:04] This, our county seat here has been in financial disarray

[47:09] and confusion for half a dozen years.

[47:12] It's really time that the county invested some both money

[47:16] and intellectual energy in getting

[47:20] the situation of this town straightened out.

[47:22] Because as that pressure comes up here,

[47:26] it could involve the town in making some

[47:28] really bad decisions.

[47:29] I think what we do not want to have happen here is

[47:33] for Centerville to turn into a sort of minor version of

[47:37] of Middletown, Delaware,

[47:39] which 25, 35 years ago the population

[47:43] of Middletown was 3000.

[47:45] It's now 28,000.

[47:47] It's filled with crime, it's ugly, it's a,

[47:51] it's just ruined the kind of feeling of the town.

[47:54] And in paying for county infrastructure

[47:58] or excuse me, in paying for the town infrastructure,

[48:02] I think the county, it would benefit the entire benefit,

[48:06] the entire wellbeing of the county to help with Centerville.

[48:10] So that's one subject,

[48:12] but a second one I think we ought to be looking at is the

[48:17] upcoming impact of AI in this community.

[48:21] AI is a big deal

[48:23] and it's gonna be a bigger deal even than people now

[48:26] anticipate the, the impact it'll have

[48:31] and it's gonna strike the county in a

[48:33] variety of different ways.

[48:36] Particularly it will hit things, those points of the county

[48:41] operation having to do with communication like libraries,

[48:46] schools, the dispatch system.

[48:50] All of these things are gonna be changed in the next 10

[48:53] years because of ai.

[48:55] I point out with schools for instance, I think right now

[48:59] building a school which is currently

[49:04] modeled on 28 room classrooms, 28 person classrooms,

[49:09] it's very likely to be changing in the next 10 years

[49:13] to a much different modular framework.

[49:16] So that I would keep, I would keep the flexibility

[49:20] of those plans well in mind before I settled on a, on a plan

[49:24] because AI's gonna change it,

[49:26] it's gonna change a lot of things.

[49:28] It's gonna change the way libraries work

[49:31] and all those kind of outlooks that are in our future.

[49:36] The county should be looking ahead

[49:38] and not not get itself committed into a 40

[49:41] year long development that it's only gonna be practical

[49:45] for seven years or something.

[49:47] 'cause these things are gonna be very rapidly changing.

[49:51] I don't look at the displacement of labor in the system

[49:54] as damaging.

[49:56] It's not gonna be a displacement.

[49:58] Last night there was a long discussion about

[50:02] child development

[50:04] and the problems of counseling and mental health.

[50:07] I think AI's gonna provide a tremendous, I didn't want

[50:11] to get in that discussion, ran out of dimension last night.

[50:16] But AI is gonna provide an enormous capacity

[50:21] to displace certain activities in school and education

[50:26] and allow humans to

[50:28] create a much better environment for mental health.

[50:31] And in itself it may create mental health

[50:33] and in itself it's gonna be an enormous agent

[50:36] for training people.

[50:38] It's also gonna be able to monitor activities in ways

[50:41] that we never would have the labor and capacity to do now.

[50:46] But that's gonna be different so that

[50:49] the future we're talking about is not depressing.

[50:53] It's not, things are getting worse correctly handled.

[50:57] They're gonna get better because of this

[50:58] and this county should quickly come

[51:01] to understand how it can use it. Thanks.

[51:04] Thank you. Anybody else?

[51:08] Alright, we're gonna go ahead and close this

[51:10] and we'll do some commissioner comments.

[51:13] Who wants, how about you Chris, you start first.

[51:17] Yeah, backwards. I got a com.

[51:18] We had a, at the hearing yesterday, an individual

[51:23] who came and spoke very well about

[51:28] a tax cut that he believed

[51:29] that they were doing in Talbot County.

[51:32] And I didn't have the numbers in front of me,

[51:33] but it didn't strike me as accurate

[51:36] because it was a pretty significant

[51:37] cut to the property taxes.

[51:38] And he was suggesting that we should do

[51:40] that here in Queen Anne County, which we would love

[51:42] to do if you could figure out a way to make everything else

[51:45] work at that co.

[51:47] But the number he gave us wrong,

[51:49] so I think he said they were at 67 cents

[51:53] for the property tax rate.

[51:55] They're above 80, which is what we have in our chart.

[51:58] I think what he was doing

[52:00] innocently enough is he was looking at a 2023 rate

[52:03] and unfortunately things have gotten a lot more expensive

[52:08] since then from everything from the, the cost to heat

[52:11] and cool school buildings and county buildings to the cost

[52:15] to fix and build Thingss Corwin.

[52:18] So that was an inaccurate number that was shared last night.

[52:22] So anybody who watched that and was curious as

[52:24] to why we're not following Talbot,

[52:26] we are still lower than Talbot County in property tax rates.

[52:29] I just wanted to point that out

[52:30] to make sure we got the right information out there.

[52:32] Thank you Phil.

[52:35] Yeah, so last night this is the,

[52:39] the wonderful thing about having these

[52:41] and the opportunity to have 'em three separate nights in a

[52:43] row across the county to make sure everybody has an

[52:45] opportunity to attend.

[52:47] But it was certainly an interesting

[52:51] conversation topic that formed last night

[52:55] regarding mental health

[52:56] and the effect that it has on our children.

[52:58] And, and Carrie Sutherland's comments about

[53:01] how it's important that our kids are healthy mentally

[53:06] and physically so that they can learn.

[53:08] So it didn't fall on deaf ears thought about it a lot

[53:13] over the last 24 hours.

[53:14] So I just want to just mention that, that,

[53:19] that we appreciate everybody's efforts

[53:20] to bring that to our attention.

[53:24] Thank you Patrick,

[53:28] Jennifer and, and Carrie you had mentioned BHA

[53:31] or behavioral health folks and counselors.

[53:38] How many are you talking about? How many are you short?

[53:45] How many counselors are you short in our schools?

[53:48] Definitely a question for Probably, sorry Dr.

[53:51] I'm sorry for someone else that I,

[53:55] I wouldn't say we are short,

[53:57] but we could certainly benefit from more.

[54:01] What, what, what does that mean?

[54:03] That means that if they had a math specialist

[54:06] and a reading specialist for every single

[54:07] school, they don't anymore.

[54:09] They probably have a math

[54:10] and reading specialist that has the responsibility

[54:12] of two schools instead of one.

[54:14] So they're having to do twice the work.

[54:16] So when you have situations like that sometimes

[54:19] needs fall between the cracks.

[54:21] You know, we have, our math numbers have

[54:26] have been the lowest they've been in a long time and

[54:29] and obviously that is a direct event caused

[54:34] by the fact that we've had to reduce the number of special

[54:39] teachers that can work with the kids in smaller groups on a

[54:42] one-on-one basis for math and reading.

[54:43] Let's face it, you can't learn if you can't read.

[54:47] So I was talking about basically that's,

[54:49] I was talking about behavioral health, but that's okay.

[54:51] I appreciate that. Anyhow,

[54:58] I'm gonna mention what Jack Wilson has said

[55:03] for three years that I've been sitting, sitting here.

[55:06] The first off, we're gonna listen and we're gonna talk.

[55:11] The biggest the most listened to folks

[55:15] in Annapolis is the teacher's union.

[55:18] And we've asked for the three years that I've been here,

[55:23] if the teachers, you, if the teachers would go

[55:26] to Annapolis, right?

[55:29] And ask for the funding that

[55:33] the state promised to the counties.

[55:36] Folks are very powerful in Annapolis

[55:38] and we're gonna, we're asking you to do it again

[55:41] to support us so we can support you.

[55:44] And we don't seem to,

[55:47] and I know it's not you, you may not be in the union,

[55:51] but we like the union, we love the teachers.

[55:53] We're just asking for help so we can help each other.

[55:58] I just like to say I really like the people in Centerville.

[56:01] I think they got good management.

[56:07] Well done. Thank you Jack,

[56:10] You wanna go first tonight?

[56:11] So you get to talk or do you want We have dialogue out all I

[56:14] I, I have a lot to unpack and I'm always the bad guy

[56:16] 'cause I always gotta look at education

[56:18] because quite frankly the

[56:20] 'cause I sat on curl when it's been a

[56:22] passion since I sat on it.

[56:23] So I've studied it.

[56:24] I've looked at inside and out and,

[56:27] and I, what I want to do is, is kind

[56:28] of back into a few things so that the general public

[56:31] that don't understand some of the things

[56:33] that are in it can understand it and it's real simple.

[56:36] First I want to talk to the state

[56:38] budget going into next year.

[56:39] Right now the projected budget with revenues and

[56:42] and expenses going next year has got about a $2.2 billion

[56:46] deficit before they drop the gavel.

[56:49] Mainly from Carwin

[56:51] because the state's piggy bank, for those

[56:53] that don't know the trust fund is empty.

[56:55] Next year is the first year that the state will have

[56:58] to go into the general fund to fund education

[57:01] for the first time in four years.

[57:02] Because when they did the gambling revenue

[57:06] and we put it in a lockbox, they've been taking outta

[57:08] that lockbox to fund their portion of wyn.

[57:11] Meanwhile, the counties have had to come up with other means

[57:14] of funding the difference for curwin.

[57:17] So next year that piggy bank's empty

[57:19] and there's not enough couch cushions, you can turn over

[57:22] and find nickels under there.

[57:23] That's gonna make up that 2.2 billion.

[57:25] The other big impact is the,

[57:27] and I said it last night, is a Medicaid expansion

[57:29] for the state is another huge hit that they're facing.

[57:33] So they have that let's, let's call it, that's their deficit

[57:37] before they try to figure out some magic to fix that.

[57:40] Part of the way they've been fixing it in the last couple

[57:42] years, and you've probably heard it, is they have pushed

[57:46] expenses down to the county.

[57:49] One of the biggest ones. And I

[57:50] and I, I was talking to somebody last night

[57:51] and it didn't dawn on me that I meant

[57:53] to say something about it probably six months ago when it

[57:56] really came to my head of what happened, how many here

[58:00] are just upset at what their assessments

[58:02] for their houses were when they've come in in the last

[58:05] two or three years, right?

[58:08] It was the easiest budget gap closure

[58:12] that the state could do without anybody

[58:14] realizing they were doing it.

[58:15] If I take your state assessment up on your property taxes,

[58:18] 30%, you don't see it till after it's paid.

[58:21] But that closed a lot of that budget gap

[58:23] that they were trying to get down.

[58:25] Meanwhile, down at the county level, we're all absorbing

[58:27] that through property taxes

[58:29] and wondering how did my house go up $200,000 in one year?

[58:32] It's ridiculous. Can't happen. Right?

[58:36] I wouldn't be surprised if it happens again next year.

[58:37] Quite frankly. Here we are looking at

[58:39] another big budget deficit.

[58:40] They also put all of the cost

[58:44] to assess said houses down to the counties to pay for.

[58:47] Guess how much say we have in SDA? Zero.

[58:51] We pay for a service that we have zero control over

[58:53] and zero say in.

[58:55] Does that make sense to anybody?

[58:57] Doesn't to anybody up here for sure.

[59:00] And obviously and

[59:01] and the board of Ed, most people know

[59:03] that the teacher pensions started back in 2012,

[59:06] I think was the first money that got put down

[59:10] to the counties and then recently

[59:13] more and more has been put down.

[59:14] And one of the things about that

[59:16] that they don't talk about when they say what that is

[59:18] and how it's getting more expensive is we've increased all

[59:21] the teacher's salaries, right?

[59:22] To get 'em up to a level of

[59:23] $60,000 for a first year teacher.

[59:26] And in their wisdom in Annapolis, they didn't realize,

[59:28] oh there may be more money we have to put into pensions

[59:30] because now we raised all those salaries up

[59:32] that never even dawned on 'em.

[59:33] So there was really no way to fix that.

[59:34] So that too got pushed down

[59:36] to the counties in the last two budget cycles.

[59:38] So we've absorbed, I think north

[59:40] of two just here in Queen Anne's two point some million

[59:43] dollars in additional operational

[59:44] that wasn't on the books two years ago.

[59:47] The reality is next year we're probably gonna absorb more.

[59:49] My guess is if I was gonna go to Vegas

[59:52] and bet I would say the health departments are gonna become

[59:54] a fully funded county department here in the next year,

[59:58] which kind of dovetails into the whole mental health.

[1:00:01] Where's a lot of our mental health done

[1:00:02] out of the health department.

[1:00:03] So it's gonna become a county issue.

[1:00:05] I think we saw last night, it's already an issue.

[1:00:07] Alright, so let's fast forward,

[1:00:08] let's get into the current one.

[1:00:10] One statistic we hear about, I just heard about it, one

[1:00:12] of the recent forms was Queen ENS County's at 23rd

[1:00:15] or 23rd in per pupil spending in the state of Maryland.

[1:00:19] All right, that number's a bit skewed on the surface.

[1:00:23] First off, we are the eighth ranked county in the state

[1:00:27] for local funding share.

[1:00:30] We are the 19th ranked county in the state

[1:00:33] for state share backed to us.

[1:00:35] So that's how you get to 23 real quick.

[1:00:38] And at the end of the day, what that does,

[1:00:42] when you look at the number is I think I believe we're

[1:00:44] 16,000 per student, roughly.

[1:00:47] Give or take that $12 million,

[1:00:49] that's always up on the chart there.

[1:00:51] Put that back in divided by 7,155 students.

[1:00:54] That's a lot more money. So we would rise up out of that.

[1:00:57] So that's how important

[1:00:58] that state share is when you're just looking at numbers

[1:01:00] and trying to use them as a justification of, oh,

[1:01:03] queen Annes County, you're horrible

[1:01:04] because you're not putting enough in per pupil.

[1:01:06] I don't believe that. I don't believe.

[1:01:08] 'cause we have great teachers. We have great results.

[1:01:10] So kudos to everybody that's involved in it.

[1:01:13] And the other thing I wanna say that kind

[1:01:15] of dovetails into the mental health,

[1:01:16] which was also something

[1:01:17] that happened last year, kind of under the radar.

[1:01:20] Those in the, in the, in the board world

[1:01:22] and in the schools remember it,

[1:01:23] and it was called, it was when the state pulled back the

[1:01:27] collaborative time for teachers, right?

[1:01:29] Which was by designing Kerwin to give teachers extra time

[1:01:34] for planning to deal with students outside of, you know,

[1:01:38] the, the 25 kids in the classroom.

[1:01:40] It was to create more one-on-one situations.

[1:01:43] The state pulled that back.

[1:01:44] That requirement I believe helped me, Dr.

[1:01:47] It was probably 28, 29 now,

[1:01:49] I guess is when they're phasing that back in.

[1:01:52] But we have been paying into it the whole

[1:01:54] time at the county level.

[1:01:55] But the state pulled back their funding for it

[1:01:56] so they didn't have to pay for it, right?

[1:01:58] So it was really only a savings for them.

[1:02:00] But unfortunately those teachers

[1:02:01] aren't getting hired right now.

[1:02:03] So we're not seeing that portion of the blueprint, which

[1:02:06] by all accounts, when they explained it,

[1:02:07] that was gonna be a critical function for the blueprint

[1:02:10] to work to where the teachers were gonna have more time

[1:02:13] to be one-on-one, which gets to your math

[1:02:15] and reading specialists.

[1:02:16] Those teachers were gonna have more face-to-face

[1:02:18] with individuals, which was gonna help raise all boats.

[1:02:22] Right? Again, something else

[1:02:24] that was pulled back at the end of the day.

[1:02:26] And lastly, we're, we're gonna be 5 million

[1:02:30] behind next year, again,

[1:02:33] before we even craft a budget from, for the board

[1:02:35] of ed, from the state.

[1:02:38] And to, to Patrick's point, he took my thunder.

[1:02:40] 'cause it is always my mantra, but we do we need,

[1:02:42] we need to, no, it's fine.

[1:02:44] We need the Maryland State Education Association.

[1:02:46] We need teachers at large.

[1:02:48] Don't go over there with apples, go over

[1:02:49] with pitchforks and, and tell these,

[1:02:52] Let's retract that.

[1:02:54] You know what I mean? And,

[1:02:56] and the getting the legislators

[1:02:58] face, this is an election year.

[1:02:59] Not a lot was gonna happen, but next year we've gotta fix it

[1:03:02] and hopefully there's a commitment to fix it.

[1:03:04] If, if the money's there, we can get the results,

[1:03:06] but we can't keep coming back and telling the counties over

[1:03:09] and over again, you guys gotta foot this alone

[1:03:12] because we're all in it together, state counties and,

[1:03:16] and talking to everybody else at, at our level, council

[1:03:19] and commissioners across the state,

[1:03:21] they're struggling with the same problems.

[1:03:22] We're, we're actually in a lot better shape than most

[1:03:24] counties are, to be honest with you.

[1:03:25] So that's all I got for it.

[1:03:30] If I could just add to that, on the per pupil spending

[1:03:34] that the state gives to the county commissioners

[1:03:38] for you is about $7,600 per pupil.

[1:03:45] What the state gives to Caroline County is twice that.

[1:03:50] So they get about 15,000 per pupil.

[1:03:54] So to get to the commissioner's point of 15 or 16

[1:03:57] or 17,000 per student, all of us are paying

[1:04:02] that extra 10 grand, nine grand per per child, where,

[1:04:07] you know, five miles from here,

[1:04:09] they're getting twice the amount of support from the state.

[1:04:14] So we, we gotta keep that in mind that the,

[1:04:18] the commissioners are spending more per pupil than just

[1:04:21] about any other county on the, on the Eastern shore.

[1:04:27] Jim, can I talk about the middle school real quick?

[1:04:29] 'cause I ran those numbers. So Centerville Middle School,

[1:04:32] so this is great news for us.

[1:04:34] Something happened this, this year, queen End County,

[1:04:36] and you may have already heard this Queen End County got

[1:04:38] lumped in with several other counties.

[1:04:39] Kent County did an incredible job of lobbying the state IAC,

[1:04:43] which is the, the capital, the

[1:04:47] where the capital money comes from

[1:04:49] for all the Board of Ed projects.

[1:04:51] They lobbied 'em because they thought

[1:04:53] that the funding formula for capital projects was

[1:04:56] unfair to several counties.

[1:04:57] We got lumped in. So we went from a 50 50 share to a 75 25.

[1:05:01] So on this one project,

[1:05:02] and I'm just using Centerville Middle,

[1:05:04] it's projected at $75 million construction cost, right?

[1:05:07] The state takes on the 75% of that, which leaves us

[1:05:12] with a balance of 18,750,000 roughly, to build that school.

[1:05:17] This commission went to Annapolis this year

[1:05:20] with a local bill that said we want to use our impact fees

[1:05:24] that have been sitting in the accounts since the last time

[1:05:26] we built a school in Queen Annes County,

[1:05:27] which I believe was Su Lakeville middle back in oh 4, 0 5.

[1:05:32] So 20 years that money's been building up.

[1:05:35] The good news is, I believe we have $16 million in

[1:05:39] that account that we are now gonna be allowed to do

[1:05:42] and build Centerville because we went to Annapolis

[1:05:44] and said, we wanna be able to use this money

[1:05:46] for not just a replacement, but,

[1:05:49] or I'm sorry, not a brand new building

[1:05:51] and a new on a new piece of land,

[1:05:52] but a replacement building on an existing property.

[1:05:55] Because before you couldn't do that.

[1:05:57] So out of the county coffers right now,

[1:05:59] if everything works out right,

[1:06:01] we're gonna build a $80 million middle school

[1:06:03] for $2,250,000.

[1:06:06] So kudos to all, all of us.

[1:06:08] 'cause that was, was a windfall for not only, I mean

[1:06:11] that's huge for the school system,

[1:06:13] but also the taxpayers at Queen Anne County.

[1:06:14] So that's $35 million we're not gonna have

[1:06:17] to bond to build a school.

[1:06:18] So

[1:06:20] You were right.

[1:06:21] I was gonna say all that. So, oh, you

[1:06:23] Were.

[1:06:24] So now that's taken care of.

[1:06:26] I just wanna say thank you for everybody for coming out and,

[1:06:28] and with your questions and comments

[1:06:30] and appreciate it greatly.

[1:06:33] So on that note,

[1:06:35] I make a motion to adjourn. Second. Second.

[1:06:37] All those in favor a aye. Thank you.

[1:06:40] Thank You everybody.

FY2027 County Commissioners Budget Presentation

Transcript