[{"_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",6564501,"mediaKeyId","3281579-943ddc9ac567b85bd5628eeaa5177678","parentId",3281579,"title","Commissioners hold non‑profit grants flat; approve conditional $15,000 boost for Cricket Center","audioSeconds",3216,"startMs",5912000,"endMs",9128000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3281579-943ddc9ac567b85bd5628eeaa5177678&start=5912&end=9128","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3281579-943ddc9ac567b85bd5628eeaa5177678/thumbnail_5912000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6564501/Worcester-County/Maryland/Commissioners-hold-nonprofit-grants-flat-approve-conditional-15000-boost-for-Cricket-Center","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6564501-00a2b58a81b7da259bc585b7a1bb8b2b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770572751&Signature=U7P4rFrbRVODP9vjTqMle5yUWpN8Z5Zgj1xkacE2SytwFD4JKng6L6A9HnKOPzlstLgrFmIbDBs7IRtiKsG3AUutKhAeU7sbe0wD-AZyV6h~uz5K~w80igC~FOQiRbjrLkDUcrNrgIDecS8yA0HYRxh9wQ-Tl96BLNFz24ZiMSA5OzXwqJsf~yDWkdH6NRk07iWWHQ4p7dWhwuzHmRqX9dkffuE3Kr0VVDxfFrq4nBjz8OGhBBNxedg2DKASJ1QDh1XeseXpzxIkCwryroASiVTF-Zxz8RchsmELZuPQa-wiME9gPUiJRIx6OoMFOf9wXPjFJWXLOzAwRWBCxG7agg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Worcester","date","2025-05-13T00:00:00Z","article","Worcester County commissioners on May 13 voted to hold new and existing nonprofit grant requests flat at the prior-year level, which the county estimated would save $331,313 compared with the combined requests.

Budget staff noted Atlantic General Hospital had lowered its FY26 request; commissioners clarified that the hospital’s decreased FY26 request would be honored as submitted. Commissioner Bunning moved to remain flat on all nonprofit funding requests and to not entertain new requests or increases; the motion passed unanimously (6–0 with one member absent).

Later in the session Commissioner Abbott offered a separate motion to fund an additional $15,000 for the Cricket Center’s executive director/family advocate position if the town of Ocean City would match that $15,000. The board approved the conditional funding and requested staff verify Ocean City’s commitment; the clerk recorded the motion as approved unanimously. The Cricket Center’s total county funding request for FY26 would rise to $50,000 if the conditional match is confirmed.

Commissioners also reviewed other small cultural and recreation grant requests; no further changes were made in committee review.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Worcester - Budget Work Session - May 13, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The commissioners agreed to hold most nonprofit grant requests at prior-year funding, saving $331,313, but approved a conditional $15,000 increase for the Cricket Center contingent on Ocean City matching the amount.","taxTitle","Worcester County, Maryland","taxId",53952,"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},6564504,"Commissioners approve promotions, reclassifications and a $2,000 county employee COLA",396,6157000,6553000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3281579-943ddc9ac567b85bd5628eeaa5177678&start=6157&end=6553","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3281579-943ddc9ac567b85bd5628eeaa5177678/thumbnail_6157000.jpg","/articles/6564504/Worcester-County/Maryland/Commissioners-approve-promotions-reclassifications-and-a-2000-county-employee-COLA","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6564504-636d9d0c57d39abf696717368f29babe/orig.mp4?Expires=1770572751&Signature=dQXwxhHoBwrjDBUmRNJaCKqTV3quehm04JBwqFKDywTCkGtnyjiKPiUfEeoQNmCzHRpisMICCGi1cADj0g-9sktz8HDKSelo1O4RabbvqwboFumL0lL2X0GwlJETCBKcRdzzNtI01QxE-5ToDr4tYm7czsa-9gDPAt2yrpN4-93-JntjXw7ti60oljvtECXoD5xIdQ5eoReJyKeCHYuv9FBaXICCTtZ6cCCS0kt8Oe5PP8O21i91VPt4ac-q~8nybuKEI74REosn2ubROwzZKU5~hZeSU4bjyJRMNjDioSS~2eOCUGBuKzaN583KAu-rSELqqEk7nafZMwQ3A9wfUw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Worcester County commissioners on May 13 approved a series of personnel items and set a planning COLA of $2,000 per full-time county employee for FY26.

Human Resources and budget staff presented several grouped personnel requests. Item 6A covered enterprise-fund promotions (13 employees) at an estimated cost of $38,939; commissioners approved the request by consensus. Item 6B covered general-fund promotions (50 employees) with an estimated cost of $180,023; commissioners approved that request as well. Item 6C included classification/title changes across the general fund (25 classifications) totaling an estimated $81,728; that was approved. Item 6E presented a package of new positions, conversions from part-time to full-time and increased hours across departments with a total estimated cost of $1,243,401; commissioners approved the package.

Separately, after discussion and a motion from Commissioner Bunting, the board approved a $2,000 per full-time employee COLA, consistent with the planning figure the board had set for the Board of Education. Commissioners clarified that step increases are separate from the flat-dollar COLA, and that steps would continue to apply where eligible. Finance staff noted that figures for new positions and conversions did not include potential future COLA/step adjustments and that approved personnel actions will be updated in the final budget to reflect any adopted COLA or step decisions.

The board recorded unanimous votes on the promotion and classification items; the $2,000 COLA motion passed as the board set planning direction for staff to incorporate that figure into final budget materials.","The board approved multiple personnel items including enterprise-fund and general-fund promotions, classification changes and conversions, and set a $2,000 COLA for full‑time county employees; a sheriff package was deferred for further analysis.",{"_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},6564509,"Commissioners cut parts of Board of Education request, but approve majority of proposed increases",5035,2065000,7100000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3281579-943ddc9ac567b85bd5628eeaa5177678&start=2065&end=7100","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3281579-943ddc9ac567b85bd5628eeaa5177678/thumbnail_2065000.jpg","/articles/6564509/Worcester-County/Maryland/Commissioners-cut-parts-of-Board-of-Education-request-but-approve-majority-of-proposed-increases","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6564509-7d9a5878163a6d5c598d809822cbaa8c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770572751&Signature=Vb2u-s5TN5TnW1wQBWVEtyZocHd8EJREeax3pfut42rkcczaBstrO-rBs2sSrlhq8YGO-GpUerj2VUioNC8T5RHGRzdKq~grCbyMW2X2cpxAIEw~wpawzTS2p2qnuXyDe9y3Q5kkRkZTbPmMwiJrarcU8aQnVyOYkEJ~Qq4ft3nERzWRXHBot9Vcy9vcXlWgqb8EpeAEIqhIAX7iTBpupaVdnGVuqEKW5hkC0XfVCDxr51UygH30zy1VSbq6ZU6rpxJ7YPq2pUhSVwI7ztXHhto8VXoDuLf8SfipYsOaN~KGZQpbwLjoHRXZV7wdGXvej955S5IGGU10MW07YG4Ovw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Worcester County commissioners on May 13 debated and then reduced portions of the Board of Education’s FY26 request, approving a smaller county appropriation than the school system sought.

Superintendent Vince Taylor and other board representatives urged commissioners to fund a package that included teacher pay increases and restorations of programs and instructional materials that had previously been cut. Taylor said the school system negotiated a flat-dollar approach to raises this year—$4,000 for certified teachers and $2,000 for support staff—after being advised that a percentage COLA would have cost more overall. He said the county needed to raise starting teacher pay toward a $60,000 statewide target by FY27.

Commissioner Bunning moved, and the board later approved, a motion to reduce the Board of Education’s proposed increase by striking the board’s “restored cuts” line (about $1.94 million) and replacing the proposed $4,000-per-teacher increase with a $2,000-per-teacher planning figure. The motion was seconded; commissioners recorded a 4–2 vote in favor with one member absent. Budget staff estimated the reduction would lower the Board of Education request by roughly $3,693,003 and would result in a year-over-year county increase of approximately $6.48 million for the schools instead of the larger amount previously requested.

Superintendent Taylor and board representatives cautioned that cuts to positions and services in past years had left classroom supports, multilingual services and summer programming strained, and said some line items, if funded this year, would not recur in next year’s request (for example, one-time device-leasing costs and restoration of previously cut items). Taylor said the proposed approach was intended to move the county toward the state’s $60,000 starting salary target in two steps rather than requiring a larger one‑time COLA.

The discussion included back-and-forth about step schedules, tenure-related step timing and how negotiated salary scales affect starting pay; the board said many counties already pay higher starting salaries. Commissioners who supported reducing the request said the board and administration should continue to find efficiencies and prioritize within the request.

The reduced appropriation direction will be reflected in final budget materials staff prepares for adoption.","After debate, the commissioners trimmed $3.69 million from the Board of Education’s request and approved a reduced increase; the board and superintendent defended requested pay and program restorations tied to student services and state mandates.",{"_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},6564514,"Sheriff urges large starting-salary increase to stem turnover; commissioners request more detail",2285,3612000,5897000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3281579-943ddc9ac567b85bd5628eeaa5177678&start=3612&end=5897","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3281579-943ddc9ac567b85bd5628eeaa5177678/thumbnail_3612000.jpg","/articles/6564514/Worcester-County/Maryland/Sheriff-urges-large-starting-salary-increase-to-stem-turnover-commissioners-request-more-detail","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6564514-5d2010de6f6f1e1cb864a825291d34bc/orig.mp4?Expires=1770572751&Signature=EE4iEHn1g5P80xCfLsLO-gyCAlRKBVQ1pPSyVdEzRDVABFzxgGUA6k9Csi6P22PmSTQ~XMcbW9BWFc3HaRacRsj9kIAuIfPrZBO-t7fX0pd7Bao989StxxWj4DswjmUVRvrMtZQjYqHlUYP91eRclyJWfTz6jF4jTlQJhhm1E-k6PImBLAd0LkuWGZxQtTDO-bMYLQOXZ6pghfVEyCE2iMz3hv7KqDG7FkFXB9WpZFpqnqKDLhvLnjB~wjJq8Eh8rtQ4b-5e9J9Ht32xq00C73z1rnjvI9V8usnTU~8DW4xaDNIvDs2TDjGeIUtmEOONxQs~d~UpAOoCFyBfBs~kNA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Worcester County Sheriff (name not specified in the transcript) urged commissioners on May 13 to substantially raise the starting salary for deputies to remain competitive with neighboring agencies, saying the county risks losing experienced officers if pay does not keep pace with regional trends.

The sheriff told commissioners the county’s starting law-enforcement pay lagged peers and cited regional examples such as Frederick County and local departments that have raised starting pay. He said the sheriff’s office had about 95 sworn deputies and that recruitment was down. “If we don't address our starting salary now... we will have an exodus from the sheriff's office,” the sheriff said, adding that replacing experienced deputies would be costly and would reduce institutional knowledge.

The sheriff’s office requested a proposed starting salary of roughly $64,632 (a figure presented by the sheriff) as part of a package that would raise pay across sworn ranks; staff presented a summary of the sheriff's requests totaling about $1.1 million. Commissioners and staff discussed how market adjustments would be implemented (by grade/step changes versus hiring-step discretion) and whether approved across-the-board steps would affect vacant positions. Finance staff explained that step increases affect incumbents and that starting salaries for new hires are set by grade and hiring practices.

Several commissioners expressed sympathy for the public-safety recruitment problem but also concern about the scale and timing of the increase. Commissioner Bunning urged caution about implementing a large one-year jump and suggested phased increases might be an option; others said rapid regional changes left the county little time to respond. Commissioner Bunting and others asked for data on overtime savings and the total cost of recruiting and training replacements; administrators said they would provide follow-up analysis. The board agreed to delay formal action on the sheriff’s classification-and-compensation package until the next meeting to allow time for additional information and modeling.","Worcester County Sheriff asked commissioners to raise the deputy starting salary toward regional market levels; commissioners asked for more information and delayed a related pay-and-classification package for one week.",{"_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},6564519,"Worcester County commissioners back short-term general-fund support for struggling water and wastewater systems",700,257000,957000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3281579-943ddc9ac567b85bd5628eeaa5177678&start=257&end=957","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3281579-943ddc9ac567b85bd5628eeaa5177678/thumbnail_257000.jpg","/articles/6564519/Worcester-County/Maryland/Worcester-County-commissioners-back-short-term-general-fund-support-for-struggling-water-and-wastewater-systems","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6564519-13872c4e748e8d95fdcfef6ee148fdb5/orig.mp4?Expires=1770572751&Signature=owJUXWtpmv36SXCX4X3PDkyO-NlgWEPocIQLi~OBwtkuFQ55Sj01oPhZ27lSlHI9gChzszr5BPCLCDSXORZ5TDZ0PD16pocUrDFouVWbbPNAp9oy-ciBlLAZX~WU5wCH0rncUvXN92tcywqI3tXEsu1Fr4GpYyTCzu7J~zBVRIMZ8aGtDwkyMI0Zg4GfXaT6djXxdLQqObzfYN9SiENLJthSBWcatvLQD0FxxLKwPG3vaX2CzgSvHJzDEUX7F~NO3ZS5GqMQtiwU3Iq02poIYI3Y7pVwb4HFDJu7xYghn4q3odNIPHVQ-LPxE2tohsnZtoid7aSlrLBDfQmYRB~qOQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Worcester County commissioners on May 13 gave consensus to proceed with a plan that would use general-fund support to cover FY2026 shortfalls across several small water and wastewater systems, while staff develops a multiyear plan to make those systems self-sustaining.

Budget Officer Kim Reynolds and staff presented two options for the enterprise funds. Under “Option 1,” the county would provide general-fund assistance to cover deficits in systems that include Assateague Point, Verdeletown, Edgewater, Landings, Mystic Harbor, Newark, Riddle Farm and River Run. Reynolds said Option 1 would require $1,478,741 in general-fund support for FY26. She noted West Ocean City would instead pull $154,000 from its reserves and that other systems such as Lighthouse Sound and Ocean Pines projected surpluses that would be carried to their reserves.

The action matters because enterprise funds are intended to be self-supporting through rates and fees. Commissioner Bertino asked whether the general-fund subsidies would recur year to year and whether staff planned to present a timeline. Reynolds said the county’s intention is to develop a strategy to transition systems to self-supporting operations over a longer horizon, noting staff hoped to present more detailed work later this year: “As we get new data, we can revise our strategy and go forward,” she said.

Commissioners debated whether the county assistance should be structured as grants or loans that could be repaid later. Several commissioners, including Commissioner Regina, said a grant was preferable for the first year to help systems “get back on their feet,” while leaving repayment or loan options open for later discussion. Commissioner Bunting asked whether repayment could be structured later; Reynolds replied that repayment remains a possibility and that any loan structure could be discussed in follow-up planning.

The board indicated consensus for Option 1 as a grant so staff could prepare final documents and budget language; the clerk recorded the decision as 6–0 in favor with Commissioner Matrisek absent. Staff and commissioners emphasized the decision was a short-term step to avoid sharp immediate rate increases for customers while staff develops a plan to align rates with costs over time.

Staff will return with more detailed financial modeling and a timeline for moving systems to self-supporting status. Commissioners asked that the staff work on a plan that minimizes sudden rate shocks for ratepayers and that shows projected years to full cost recovery for each system.","Commissioners gave consensus to move forward with a plan that would use general-fund support to cover FY26 shortfalls for multiple small water and wastewater systems while staff develops a multi-year strategy to make the systems self-sustaining.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Commissioners hold non‑profit grants flat; approve conditional $15,000 boost for Cricket Center

Commissioners approve promotions, reclassifications and a $2,000 county employee COLA

Commissioners cut parts of Board of Education request, but approve majority of proposed increases

Sheriff urges large starting-salary increase to stem turnover; commissioners request more detail

Worcester County commissioners back short-term general-fund support for struggling water and wastewater systems