Approved Anne Arundel County Budget Slightly Lowers Property Tax

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — The Anne Arundel County Council passed County Executive Steuart Pittman’s proposed fiscal year 2021 budget. The county maintains a 2.81 percent local income tax rate, which is the fourth lowest in the state. The budget also slightly lowers the property tax rate from 93.5 cents per $100 of assessed value to 93.4 cents, the fifth lowest in the state. There are no increases in water, sewer, or stormwater fee rates, the county reported.

The balanced budget absorbs an estimated $63 million revenue shortfall due to the coronavirus pandemic and is within the county’s spending affordability guidelines. It includes a $1 million contribution to the revenue reserve fund, known as the “rainy day” fund, bringing the total amount in the fund to nearly $81 million. Anne Arundel County has a AAA bond rating from Standard and Poor’s and a AA1 rating from Moody’s.

“When I introduced this budget on May 1, I characterized it as a difficult path through an uncertain time,” Pittman said.

Pittman and the budget team worked the past several weeks to add $1.8 million additional funding for body worn cameras for the police department. The County Council added $1.5 million of funding for the board of education to support community ambassadors, 10 English language acquisition teachers and seven transportation positions. The county executive also added funding for a one-time pay package for Anne Arundel Community College employees, at the request of the County Council. Funding for these new priorities come from reductions and cost savings from within the budget.

The final fiscal year 2021 budget includes these key components:

• Funding to implement a body worn camera program for all sworn officers of the Anne Arundel County Police Department *
• Fully funds state requirements for the board of education
  • 57 positions to open Crofton High School
  • 84 new teachers for enrollment growth
  • 12 new behavioral health positions
  • 76 new special education positions
  • Community ambassadors *
  • 10 new English language acquisition teachers *
  • 7 new transportation positions *
  • Funding for one salary step for educators
  • Capital funding for a new West County Elementary School *
• Invests in critical health and human services programs
  • Creates the office of health equity and racial justice within the health department to identify health disparities along racial/ethnic, income and geographical lines
  • Funding for crisis response teams and the Wellmobile to replace lost funding from the state
  • Includes $265,000 as the first installment in a three-year plan to bring school health staff pay to the level of neighboring jurisdictions
  • A new position to manage the Opioid Intervention Team and Gun Violence Intervention Team
• Maintains public safety readiness
  • Full funding for negotiated agreements with public safety unions
  • Continues hiring to fill vacancies (exempt from hiring freeze)
  • Creates a new position to coordinate the Mobile Integrated Community Health (MICH) program.

* indicates that funding was added in supplemental budget amendments

Full details of the FY21 budget can be found on the county budget website.