The Anne Arundel County Council unanimously approved the county’s fiscal 2027 budget this week, advancing a spending plan that increases education funding, expands public safety staffing, invests in health and human services programs, and lowers the county property tax rate.
County Executive Steuart Pittman introduced the budget in May. The adopted plan marks his final budget as county executive.
Education accounts for one of the largest investments in the budget. Anne Arundel County Public Schools will receive a record $73.4 million increase in direct county funding, the largest year-over-year increase in county history.
The funding supports negotiated compensation increases for school employees, 26 new special education positions, a $2-per-hour raise for Teacher Support Assistants, and several school construction and capital projects. The budget also funds the next round of school feasibility studies and continues work on the final three schools included in the Old Mill Master Plan.
The budget also expands several health and human services programs.
Among the new investments are $2 million for the Anne Arundel County Food Bank, additional funding for legal and crisis support services for immigrant families, five new Medicaid Navigator positions, two additional REACH Program case managers, expansion of the county’s violence interruption program into Brooklyn Park, support for re-entry services through Turnaround Thursday, and funding for programs serving homeless youth.
Public safety funding remains another significant component of the spending plan.
The budget adds 26 firefighter positions to support new apparatus in Jacobsville, Annapolis Neck, and South County. It also funds nine new Police Department positions, including staffing needed to provide around-the-clock coverage at the county’s Real Time Information Center.
The budget also includes funding for the new Northern Police Station and new fire stations in Arundel, Waugh Chapel, and Jessup. Anne Arundel County also dedicated $150,000 to a grant program supporting security improvements for nonprofit and faith-based organizations facing potential threats.
The adopted budget also includes tax relief measures. Anne Arundel County will reduce its property tax rate from 97.7 cents to 96.8 cents per $100 of assessed value while maintaining the county’s 2% Homestead Property Tax Credit. The county will also continue its progressive local income tax structure.
Like many counties across Maryland, Anne Arundel County developed its fiscal 2027 budget amid rising costs, continued education funding obligations, infrastructure demands, and broader economic uncertainty. The adopted budget reflects the county’s effort to balance those pressures while continuing to fund core county services and long-term capital investments.
