This week, Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman announced his fiscal 2025 budget proposal. The proposed budget invests in the people and institutions of government that deliver high-quality services for residents in a fiscally disciplined manner, staying strong while addressing the challenges facing the County.

“This budget allows us to stay strong and continue the progress we have been making in public safety, education, and health equity in a year when most jurisdictions are taking a pause,” said County Executive Pittman. “And thanks to the forward-looking budget decisions we’ve made in recent years, we can make these investments while keeping our ranking among the lowest taxed counties in the state.”

Protecting Communities

County Executive Pittman’s fiscal 2025 budget strengthens the County’s commitment to public safety by increasing the starting salary for police officers to the highest in the state of Maryland at $70,000 and funding a generous pay package to retain existing officers. The proposal also provides funding to train 70 new firefighter recruits and includes money for hiring bonuses for detention officers to continue reducing vacancies. The proposed budget also funds an innovative program to provide a Sheriff’s Deputy in every courtroom.

Investing in Tomorrow’s Leaders

The proposed budget continues the County’s work in building a strong school system by investing in tomorrow’s leaders today. The proposal fully funds Superintendent Bedell’s compensation request with a step increase and a 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment for AACPS teachers and school staff.

It includes funding for staffing at the three new schools opening this fall — Severn Run High School, Two Rivers Elementary School, and New Village Academy — and provides funding to meet all the current-year Maryland Blueprint for Education requirements.

Improving Quality of Life

The proposed budget strengthens the health of County communities by continuing investments in programs that proved successful during the pandemic. The budget proposal provides $1.5 million in funding to the Anne Arundel County Food Bank. It funds the Department of Social Services’ SNAP program, which benefits more than 36,000 children across Anne Arundel County. The budget also includes money for the Mental Health Agency’s Crisis Response Team and adds a position in the Department of Health to manage the department’s Cure Violence program.

Safeguarding the Environment

County Executive Pittman recently announced the creation of the County’s first environmental subcabinet to lead sustainability efforts and continue the administration’s progress in strengthening the protection of our natural resources.

This year’s budget proposal includes staff for the soon-to-be-open Jug Bay Emory Waters Nature Preserve. It also expands the River Days event series to five locations to provide free public water access for families. The Resilience Authority also continues to bring in and deploy money dedicated to environmental protection and climate resilience work, with $32 million received in state and federal grants and another $58 million in the pipeline.

Critical Services/Fiscal Responsibility

Anne Arundel County maintained its AAA bond rating from all three major bond rating agencies for the second straight year this year. The bond rating agencies supported the County’s continued strong economic indicators and fiscally responsible strengthening of the government institutions that provide services to residents.

The budget proposal includes a close to 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment for union and non-represented employees while also funding escalating information technology costs for the new Police Real Time Information Center, the Land Use Navigator, and other tools that improve operations and enhance security protocols.

To accomplish these funding goals, the budget proposal includes revenue enhancements that generate recurring funding to remove the deficit without cutting essential services. These enhancements include:

• Updating permit fees for the first time in 21 years, linking fees to cost.

• Raising the local fee residents pay each month for 9-1-1 service from $0.75 to the state average of $1.00.

• Increasing the income tax rate from 2.81 percent to 2.94 percent on income between $75,000 and $480,000. Only 3.6 percent of Marylanders enjoy lower rates than Anne Arundel County’s.

The County’s property tax rate remains the lowest in the region.

The County Council will review and consider the proposal and must pass a budget by June 15.

“County Executive Pittman’s budget proposal stays strong in its support of our teachers, our firefighters, our police officers, and the services our government provides for residents all over the county,” said County Council Chair Allison Pickard.

County Executive Pittman introduced the budget with an address to the County Council – click here to read the full address, and click here to view the proposed fiscal 2025 budget.