Caroline County commissioners spent their April 1 budget workshop reviewing FY2026 operating and capital requests and identifying items for further staff follow‑up.

The board discussed multiple revenue and expenditure items, including state shifts in teacher pension and assessment funding, the county’s response to a state solar siting bill, fire company allocations, senior services funding, Delmarva Community Transit (DCT) route funding, and capital requests such as a Chesapeake College project and the county’s hot‑mix paving program. Commissioners reached several procedural decisions and set follow‑up tasks for staff, but deferred other choices until additional information is provided.

Key outcomes and next steps

- Fire company allocation and tax‑credit: Commissioners reached consensus to allocate the full 10% increase to fire companies that had been under consideration and to delay action on a proposed property tax credit for volunteer firefighters until next year’s budget cycle. The board directed staff to work with fire companies and county staff (including the DES office manager who tracks volunteer activity) to develop a legislative proposal, verify fiscal impact and administrative workload, and return with recommended language and a cost estimate for consideration in FY2026.

- Senior services (Upper Shore Aging / Meals on Wheels): Commissioners discussed a funding request tied to increased food contract costs and a proposed cost‑of‑living adjustment for staff at Upper Shore Aging. Several commissioners voiced support for covering the contract-driven increase in meal costs; the board directed staff to refine the requested amounts and to present detailed options at a later workshop so the board can finalize a funding decision.

- Delmarva Community Transit (DCT): The board left DCT’s allocation as a placeholder (approximately $95,000) and asked county staff to invite DCT staff (Andy Hollis) to a future meeting to explain ridership and route‑level impacts before finalizing the county contribution.

- Capital priorities and Chesapeake College: Commissioners discussed a request tied to a proposed Chesapeake College building. To reduce risk to paving and other capital programs, they agreed to a middle path: preserve most of the county’s hot‑mix paving allocation while establishing a schedule to phase funding for the college project across budget years. Staff will return with a refined capital schedule showing proposed transfers and the expected timing of payments.

- Road paving and landfill/pilot revenues: County staff and commissioners discussed how anticipated landfill payments and possible pilot revenues from solar projects factor into future budgets and cautioned against treating those streams as permanent for operating expenses. Commissioners asked staff to provide an analysis of revenue timing and the budgetary impact of relying on those streams.

Other business and next steps

The board left several decisions open for additional information: DCT route impacts, the exact amount and administrative costs for any volunteer firefighter property tax credit, and the finalized request for senior meal funding. Staff will recirculate cleaned and updated operating and capital sheets and schedule follow‑up briefings. The board also approved two purchase orders to install prefabricated stadium restrooms at North Caroline High School and Colonel Richardson High School using previously allocated Board of Education bond funds that had been closed out; staff confirmed the legal and administrative work to reassign those bond funds had been completed prior to the restroom purchases.

Commissioners acknowledged ongoing statewide policy changes — including a recently advanced state solar siting bill — and asked staff to analyze potential revenue and permitting impacts on county review workloads and planning fees.