[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6092305,"mediaKeyId","2854988-4963c3ee268270c72e2b106766d705ce","parentId",2854988,"title","State’s attorney, circuit court, family support and detention center give FY26 summaries","audioSeconds",1628,"startMs",898000,"endMs",2526000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2854988-4963c3ee268270c72e2b106766d705ce&start=898&end=2526","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2854988-4963c3ee268270c72e2b106766d705ce/thumbnail_898000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6092305/Kent-County/Maryland/States-attorney-circuit-court-family-support-and-detention-center-give-FY26-summaries","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6092305-216d5ed6e50bc8e8c84e93d96670958f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771135279&Signature=kGxpY49wPH1QVWzUqAM1~9T0vGgp-3MlWZLATVbwPwmMyCKN4Ab9agH7qJ7M9k4Fj2YtIAxVTOktte-Tg4S3w8y8JTfKUn75yu56mea7tSkAiSLONV-tinzXeyeufylPwKJJNW-MUcbZYZiEYCeCIvfoept9ZAfgvh9oWSgGHoCCzlN6MoLhDtF0JLNnmQPVHFK3NMnMAteT64YZgL3PNw7azLDtRbCwy7d7P-XLlPkx5dkbo0pPqvPa3xUJjNJ-Q-Omg~JYLlsTKDjJt5ptsLPScHpHfrRgXGvH8zEkcfXaqCo~Rb1YGO~RiUPd6c1-a8iQfobm8iM4Bd8WPUB~Ng__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Kent County, MD","date","2025-04-03T00:50:34.293Z","article","Multiple departments presented short highlights of their FY26 budgets in the workshop.

State’s Attorney: The state’s attorney’s office described two main changes: converting a long-time, part-time administrative specialist role (held by an employee described as working there about 17 years) to full time to retain institutional knowledge, and a modest operating increase (~$5,622) to upgrade security (cameras and card-access) for the office. Capital expenditures were described as unchanged.

Circuit Court: Judge Marco thanked the board for recently approved lobby renovations and described an operating increase tied to converting the new access-control system to a cloud-based service with recurring fees (quoted as about $8,000/year). He also noted that a previously expected state payment for court-recording (CourtSmart) fees will not continue, leaving the county to budget that annual charge going forward.

Family Support Center (Maryland Family Network): Lisa Mazingo presented the center’s FY26 request. Grant funding from Maryland Family Network was reported as stable at $360,000 (including about $30,000 federal funds). The county contribution request increased by about $33,000, driven primarily by a request to convert one long-tenured part-time child development specialist role to full time with benefits to aid retention and succession planning; the speaker said many positions have been hard to recruit and remain critical to the program.

Detention Center: Detention leadership summarized medical and operational line-item changes tied to grant applications (a MAC/MAT grant was described as pending with notification expected in June). If the grant is not approved, staff said opioid restitution funds could temporarily cover a one-year MAT program cost. The detention presentation also discussed prisoner food costs and the financial impact of holding federal inmates (the per-diem for US Marshals was referenced at $69/day currently, with efforts underway to seek increases).

Ending

Each presenter offered to provide more detail if commissioners had questions; budget items without confirmed grant awards were noted as contingent on future decisions and grant outcomes.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","04.01.25 Budget Work Session 1","oneSentenceSummary","Several departments presented brief FY26 budget highlights: the state’s attorney and circuit court outlined modest operating increases; the family support center requested converting a long-tenured part‑time position to full time; detention staff described grant-dependent medical costs.","taxTitle","Kent County, Maryland","taxId",69327,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6092309,"Public Works outlines major water/wastewater repairs, asks commissioners to review rate study",605,6105000,6710000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2854988-4963c3ee268270c72e2b106766d705ce&start=6105&end=6710","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2854988-4963c3ee268270c72e2b106766d705ce/thumbnail_6105000.jpg","/articles/6092309/Kent-County/Maryland/Public-Works-outlines-major-waterwastewater-repairs-asks-commissioners-to-review-rate-study","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6092309-b75e8134edc6aeeb9db6173730bebb80/orig.mp4?Expires=1771135279&Signature=lyGW5WPlnRwIUWQnmGtcYRnNxmykQGGuzgj2zoFvBq2HbAFun22DPkLh0MS41Ias8cAycXKCR71O3L9iV3bmAbRAY59DamyEJnPYmcv6aBIW0J1go1zX~XSRHxx3g7wQ6go2v3sCd4K2OcMPEAr3PyLz1LRChUglEpk5Y0uVTyrHKFLxNon-z2fMfwuxol6nyHV-BaDrgr4b9sGJSyTwxnLofhKoFqsXNlFGbKLkLq3FqiyDL2gsFptecXYUdpMSgRCQCZDo0fe7TDp55zK6Rl6ai4UskxVFzvG67EzT~1eMlMsgi6nT9ciRaO1ASuVSgcbVoZ-ou1wPM~QPt~wglw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Public Works Director Dan Mattson briefed commissioners on the water and wastewater FY26 requests and a recent consultant rate-and-allocation study. Staff said the FY26 utility budgets in the presentation assume a 4% rate increase (the county can choose otherwise) and noted that ARPA had funded over $3 million of prior repairs, creating a correction in FY26 if that federal funding is not repeated.

Mattson walked through a list of major repairs and capital asks that together drove the large percentage increases in the utilities budget. Items highlighted as urgent or high priority included:

- Wharton Wastewater Treatment Plant solids press installation (installed equipment purchased with ARPA; installation budgeted at about $375,000, FY25 rollover).
- Kennedyville Pump Station No. 2 replacement (total project ~ $922,800; staff anticipated about $575,000 in developer allocation fees, leaving a county ask in the presentation of roughly $350,000).
- Fairlee Well No. 2 replacement (presenter said rehabilitation proved infeasible and the well needs full replacement; cost presented: ~$835,500).
- Tollchester wastewater plant UV disinfection replacement (~$175,000) and multiple actuator/valve replacements (noted $52,000 for several valves this year).
- Water-tower maintenance across county tanks: a consultant inspection identified about $2.4 million of tank work; staff proposed phasing that across roughly six years (~$400,000/year) to address coatings, corrosion and safety requirements.

Other requests included continued grinder-pump replacement and maintenance (many grinder pumps have exceeded their expected life), an annual pump-station pump-replacement program (~$30,000), targeted security cameras at high‑priority pump stations (~$8,000 for eight cameras) and expanding GIS mapping to additional systems (~$60,000). Mattson noted some projects are rollovers from FY25 and others depend on developer funding or could be deferred, but emergency repairs are costlier and risk service disruption or regulatory noncompliance.

Mattson asked commissioners to reserve time in the next workshop for a detailed session with the consultant who completed the rate-and-allocation study so the board can consider phased rate increases, subsidy impacts and capital funding options.

Ending

Staff recommended a focused follow-up with the rate-study consultant and said some capital items are time-sensitive; commissioners agreed to schedule a detailed discussion to evaluate rate scenarios and capital priorities.","Public Works presented a list of urgent and planned water/wastewater capital repairs — many previously funded by ARPA — and said a consultant’s rate-and-allocation study will be available for a deeper commission discussion on rate increases (current presentation assumes 4%).",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6092315,"Commissioners weigh 9‑1‑1 facility repairs, dispatch refresh and EMS needs",312,3769000,4081000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2854988-4963c3ee268270c72e2b106766d705ce&start=3769&end=4081","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2854988-4963c3ee268270c72e2b106766d705ce/thumbnail_3769000.jpg","/articles/6092315/Kent-County/Maryland/Commissioners-weigh-911-facility-repairs-dispatch-refresh-and-EMS-needs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6092315-62f55488d1884e68174dfdfb7eabe57d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771135279&Signature=ZfMlCcQM1hX3hLrP2XpR07xf7KDGNt0oVDyCU3Lf5mDjdxLnZ5ZREPv8t2IpYMHH-LKU3Aq68MYLNzETWT00MZmR9xtLBO0y8DO4hFGbMEa-mt77KNLWv05WULWvR2tSBAxtgDt4BvWVUwdErDwMEuz9uS95E6b3WgfRfbXUXtQGozZ4i~jK6MIJxBWSQha-YMgYFY3sGLb7~cTs7E1Lq4uPLUdgZtW2n~UFl1IWABDH1VZrx9N2ANK3NcuBdd0KUYXGu5VAxJpKRILrk~Ayct94pBxX02hddEehxxlfDuJ5d7QlY3gGPSfgVG6-y6KytZvsHGjqsoOw~WswgJ4KCA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Commissioners heard extended discussion about the county’s 9‑1‑1 operations, facility condition and related emergency-services priorities. Pete Landon (Office of Emergency Services) and Dan Mattson (public works) described a localized roof/drain failure in the basement housing dispatch/9‑1‑1 that caused repeated interior water intrusion; crews have temporarily stemmed the leak but staff outlined two repair options: a full roof replacement (rough order of magnitude described around $350,000) or a more limited targeted repair that would slip-line the drain and reconstruct the roof area near the drain (engineering estimate pending; presenter suggested $15,000–$20,000 for the surgical repair and pipe slip-lining as a near-term fix).

Landon requested consideration of a county contribution (about $45,000) toward a broader 9‑1‑1 kitchen and dispatch “refresh” project; he said the 9‑1‑1 board has committed near $147,000 and would cover roughly three-quarters of a proposed $200,000 refresh that includes carpeting, workstations and kitchen upgrades. Commissioners discussed whether to spend limited county dollars to refresh a facility that the board had previously studied for replacement; several members urged getting firm, itemized estimates and exploring alternatives before committing funds. Staff said past consultant work recommended building a new facility but that was expensive and not yet revisited in light of changing priorities.

Emergency medical services and communications needs were also described. Landon summarized requests tied to EMS recruitment/retention and training, including a proposed actuarial study of a law-enforcement-type pension option for emergency responders as a recruitment tool, continuing an apprenticeship/licensure program (state-shared cost), funding for paramedic training partnerships with Chesapeake College to reduce out-of-county clinical rotations, software to assist pediatric emergency dosing, AED replacement and ambulance-life-cycle planning (an ambulance replacement price was presented as a future cost consideration). He also noted plans to locate EMS coverage to Betterton this year and expected call-volume increases when a senior housing project in Millington opens.

Ending

Commissioners asked staff to bring firm repair and procurement estimates, clarified that the 9‑1‑1 board pays only dispatch-related costs (not items such as carpet), and signaled interest in exploring both a surgical repair of the roof drain and longer-term facility options before committing county funds.","County public-safety and emergency services leaders described a leaking roof at the 9‑1‑1/dispatch facility, a request for partial county support for a dispatch/kitchen refresh, and EMS equipment, staffing and training proposals tied to service expansion and planned Betterton coverage.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6092319,"Sheriff seeks extra patrol/coverage, vehicles and equipment in FY26 requests",810,1400000,2210000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2854988-4963c3ee268270c72e2b106766d705ce&start=1400&end=2210","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2854988-4963c3ee268270c72e2b106766d705ce/thumbnail_1400000.jpg","/articles/6092319/Kent-County/Maryland/Sheriff-seeks-extra-patrolcoverage-vehicles-and-equipment-in-FY26-requests","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6092319-bc55dc43225495e8885f1b43d3fedf24/orig.mp4?Expires=1771135279&Signature=RBcM7dcNOUdhHjgaPWbe1eHzS1paNFJWRXswKJcPbzF2LeHDRFGkh3l4UPi-DgqoNX0csbXsl9nPtXrRAiXvBqUdUUCqeRBuDqLuJ15gd0L5n7QuAp87SrfmYB3-LcyTwIb4a~JYRP8jz~h-gmIT0oTEws9jb5KtF5~syl6cd2i9ruQecnpojR~7GMAmhodl0Cwn6MFqPzRUt7Oef0j~qSA6aTeA4e5rk0k7GrCG~dETEz5VsprFYGODRVs0Jqw-846Wf04rSsgtzvMa188892ozyGOkh2jKsbNU5eccI7xeLdd1J-TqoTIv9WBYymlORdJMtGVpLkqRx8WU98e-Uw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The sheriff’s office presented a multi-part FY26 request that included a mix of personnel, equipment and vehicle proposals. The speaker asked for a contractual option to provide a fractional retired law-enforcement officer at Galena Elementary (described as an hourly/contract position with limited benefits) citing response-time concerns in that area. The proposal was framed as a possible contractual pilot rather than a guaranteed new full-time position.

On vehicles, the sheriff said an ongoing delivery lag for new vehicles makes early ordering important; he described two options for replacing a failing vehicle fleet item: leasing a replacement or buying outright. A replacement Vactor/sewer-cleaning vehicle for Public Works was discussed later in the meeting as a separate item; the sheriff’s request focused on patrol vehicle rotation, adding two vehicles and converting an enterprise-leased vehicle into fleet service to reduce maintenance costs. He noted some recently received vehicles (ordered last year) were only now available and urged placing orders early so quotes and procurement do not delay delivery. Commissioners and staff agreed quotes must still return for approval before final purchase.

Equipment and operational requests included replacement body armor vests (six units scheduled by expiration), K‑9 vehicle needs with specific concerns about a canine unit vehicle that may not last the fiscal year, and recurring background/psychological checks required by state mandates. The sheriff also described an older fingerprint machine (2014 model) that is now unsupported; he said it currently works but has no available maintenance contract and would need replacement promptly if it fails. Taser servicing and spare levels were noted as adequate now but potentially needing replacement in coming years.

The sheriff summarized department performance data in an annual report distributed to commissioners: calls for service were reported up (18,479, an increase of 715), felony and misdemeanor counts were down year-over-year, and the county recorded zero opioid-overdose deaths in 2024 (29 overdoses with zero deaths), which the speaker attributed in part to Narcan availability and local initiatives.

Ending

Commissioners and staff discussed the timing of vehicle orders and agreed department staff should obtain quotes and return them to the board for approval; early order placement was encouraged so procurement lead times do not create operational shortfalls.","Sheriff's office presentation requested new coverage options for schools, replacement and leased vehicles, K‑9 and equipment maintenance and raised timing issues for vehicle orders; fingerprint and taser replacements noted as aging inventory.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6092323,"Kent County faces $5.7 million FY26 gap as revenues rise modestly",753,29000,782000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2854988-4963c3ee268270c72e2b106766d705ce&start=29&end=782","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2854988-4963c3ee268270c72e2b106766d705ce/thumbnail_29000.jpg","/articles/6092323/Kent-County/Maryland/Kent-County-faces-57-million-FY26-gap-as-revenues-rise-modestly","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6092323-a02018563f014565810850698a8b56e1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771135279&Signature=hvYbeUFoGJg~r9gRWBmVhsVNVjTRtec-pu6BgYyHbEm0CvH4ELkVbvuLEYiMJ-JnTQHkXEjPDYe~pELeZQuZ4MjKX5O4ruD9kPGMRf2mVqcsoV8clroSaPzHxqia-1QjdEU0s95ze6fvm-J2TH0wx9T9N7bL1BFr6ixhXp9VJFRdjYpnH3qNddiWCa5wXNHtHXoft4jJgDBoQmjZJgWlfYMdwrZJQQqf5XDNYuZf7Cv-X1b9H02vqOMk-GbveR~9acpY5qP0EGRaFHwTNJixxfTQdnUbbJ24kOkBQyI6k8fE9uLNyt2G2vixrSz6t8qQf05cTfJ0IbMyEr0E80lMnw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Finance staff presented a preliminary FY26 general fund budget showing total revenue growth of about $2.35 million (3.6%) but proposed expenditures that exceed revenues by roughly $5.7 million, which would require drawing that amount from fund balance.

The presentation said property tax collections are the largest single source of the revenue increase: staff described a projected increase of about $1.76 million from property tax and noted public-utilities personal property tax and other allocations push the total property-related gain to around $2.2 million. Income tax growth of roughly 2.3% statewide was used to project an additional roughly $0.5 million for the county. Recordation and transfer taxes were described as leveling off compared with recent years.

On the expenditure side, staff attributed the larger increase (about $4.5 million) mostly to new state mandates, salary and benefit changes, and department operating and capital requests. New state responsibilities mentioned included increased local shares of teacher retirement, costs for the property tax assessment office and community college retirement obligations, together estimated at about $438,000. Kent County Public Schools’ “minimum local appropriation” in the current draft is budgeted to rise by about $1.815 million from last year’s minimum; staff noted the Board of Education had not yet submitted a full request and the county had included only the required minimum for now.

Staff also told commissioners that the FY25 ending fund balance is projected to be just under $23 million, above the county’s 7.5% target (about $4.7 million). Using that beginning balance, the FY26 draft budget would require roughly $5.7 million of fund balance, leaving a balance well above the 7.5% target. Finance staff emphasized that the county’s strong fund balance is intended primarily for one-time projects (examples cited: a planned middle school project, regional jail, and emergency dispatch/9-1-1-related costs) and said it should not be used to fund recurring operating costs.

Commissioners and staff flagged next steps: department presentations would continue in the workshop, and staff said they will work to reduce the $5.7 million gap. The finance presenter asked commissioners for questions and noted some line-item uncertainties — for example, lease proceeds with Enterprise had not been finalized and would offset similar lease expenses when settled.

Ending

Staff characterized the budget as a starting point and asked commissioners to focus on balancing one-time and recurring uses of fund balance as they review departmental requests. They also flagged several large upcoming one-time needs that could appropriately use reserves.","County finance staff told commissioners the FY26 budget as proposed would require a $5.7 million draw from fund balance to balance, driven by salary, benefit and mandated cost increases despite projected revenue growth largely from property tax and utilities.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

State’s attorney, circuit court, family support and detention center give FY26 summaries

Public Works outlines major water/wastewater repairs, asks commissioners to review rate study

Commissioners weigh 9‑1‑1 facility repairs, dispatch refresh and EMS needs

Sheriff seeks extra patrol/coverage, vehicles and equipment in FY26 requests

Kent County faces $5.7 million FY26 gap as revenues rise modestly