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Worcester County · County Commissioners · 2026-06-02
Recap
This page was drafted automatically from the official meeting minutes and has not been reviewed by a human editor. Minutes are a condensed record of formal actions and may omit discussion or public comment that occurred in the room. The linked minutes, agenda, packet, and video are the record — not this summary.
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The Worcester County Commissioners spent most of this meeting finalizing the FY2027 budget, and the two budget votes split the board 4-3 both times. Commissioners first voted to add $8,963,136 to the Board of Education budget to cover negotiated salary increases, bus contractor rate increases, health insurance, and the teacher pension shift, then later adopted Resolution No. 26-16, the FY27 expense budgets and tax rates, totaling $300,172,146, with a $2,965,322 surplus designated to Capital Reserve Funds for the upcoming Buckingham Elementary School replacement project.
The rest of the agenda was heavy on utilities and procurement: three enterprise-fund and water-policy resolutions, $446,415 in billing credits to 139 multi-EDU water customers, acceptance of a $703,754 Program Open Space allocation, and a decision not to adopt a local vendor preference policy. Commissioners also directed staff to draft zoning legislation covering cable landing stations and data centers and to study a volunteer firefighter property tax credit.
Commissioners met in closed session at 9:00 a.m. to discuss legal and personnel matters and to perform administrative functions, adjourning at 9:20 a.m. On reconvening in open session, Commissioner Elder announced the topics covered, which included promoting Parks Worker IV Chaz Singer to parks crew leader; hiring Chris Richardson as a grounds worker II and Mike Gruszcynski as a master HVAC mechanic in the Maintenance Division, and Betsy Jackson as zoning administrator in Development Review and Permitting; receiving legal advice; and discussing potential board appointments.
After a proclamation for Elder Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month and a public comment period in which no one spoke, commissioners unanimously approved consent agenda items 2 through 9. Those included a $464,012 Family Services Program grant from the Maryland Judiciary for the Circuit Court, a $4,600 Maryland Agricultural Fair Board grant for the 2026 Worcester County Fair, out-of-state crime scene photography training for a Sheriff's Office forensic technician, a sole-source forensic evidence imaging system, contracts for water supply capacity management plans in the Ocean Pines Sanitary Service Area and the MD Rt. 611 Corridor, design and survey work to replace an Edgewater Acres pump station, security systems for the Snow Hill Library renovation, and scheduling a public hearing on Rezoning Case No. 453 near Ocean Pines.
Budget Officer Kim Reynolds summarized the FY2027 position coming out of the May 19 work session: revenues of $300,172,146 against expenditures of $300,424,872, a deficit of $252,726.10. Commissioner Bertino then moved to increase the Board of Education budget by $8,963,136 to cover salary and bus contractor rate increases, substitute pay, health insurance, the teacher pension shift, employee retirement, and $284,944 for requested bus assistants. The motion carried 4-3, with Abbott, Bertino, Bunting and Elder in favor and Fiori, Mitrecic and Purnell opposed. Commissioner Mitrecic said the budget still left the school system underfunded and that eliminating $300,000 budgeted for preschool would cost an $800,000 state match.
Legislative Analyst Charlene Sharpe appeared with Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio and Ryan Snow of R&R Solutions, the County's lobbying firm, to recap the 2026 legislative session. Recreation and Parks Director Kelly Rados then obtained unanimous approval of a $25,694.24 budget transfer to sprig and rehabilitate multipurpose Fields 1, 2, 3 and 5 at the Northern Worcester Athletic Complex, and unanimous acceptance of a $703,754 FY2027 Program Open Space allocation, with staff authorized to prepare an annual program including the Herring Creek Nature Park bathroom replacement, Newtown Park field renovation, Isle of Wight Nature Park pavilion addition, and concessions, bathroom and pavilion upgrades at the Northern Worcester Athletic Complex.
On Procurement Officer Ed Welch's recommendation, commissioners unanimously declined to adopt a local vendor preference policy, opting to consider local options case by case. They unanimously adopted Resolution No. 26-13 on water and sewer bill adjustments, superseding a 2010 policy; authorized $446,415 in estimated fourth-quarter billing credits to 139 multi-EDU customers in the Mystic Harbour, Newark, Ocean Pines, Riddle Farm and River Run service areas; set all commercial EDUs at a uniform 250 gallons per day; adopted Resolution No. 26-14 on sanitary service area budgets and assessments and Resolution No. 26-15 on the solid waste enterprise fund; and approved a $52,053 purchase of a 2026 Ford Transit 250 cargo van from Preston Auto Group for Animal Control.
Commissioners recessed so Ms. Reynolds could amend the final General Fund budget. She returned with a decrease of $419,746 to reserve funds and a decrease of $2,798,302 to the Board of Education, leaving a $2,965,322 surplus that administration recommended holding in reserve for future capital needs. After extended discussion, commissioners adopted Resolution No. 26-16 on a 4-3 vote, with the same split, setting FY27 expense budgets and tax rates and designating the surplus in Capital Reserve Funds toward the Buckingham Elementary School replacement.
Two directives closed the meeting. On Commissioner Abbott's motion, staff were unanimously directed to determine what instituting a volunteer firefighter property tax credit would require, including eligibility, administration, estimated costs, and how other Maryland jurisdictions structure such programs. On Commissioner Fiori's motion, county departments were unanimously directed to draft zoning code updates addressing cable landing stations, data centers and related infrastructure for review at an upcoming meeting.
The FY27 budget produced the only divided votes of the meeting, and the minutes record each commissioner's position at length. Commissioner Mitrecic called the overall General Fund budget strong but said he could not support placing nearly $3 million in reserve while reducing the Board of Education's request, arguing the money could support teachers, bus drivers and teacher assistants and that reserve funds are not guaranteed to go to the Buckingham Elementary project. Commissioner Fiori said there is a time to save and a time to invest, noted that commissioners had recently invested in county employees and the Sheriff's Office after staffing challenges, and questioned why the same support was not extended to schools. Commissioner Purnell said moving money out of the BOE budget into reserves "sent the wrong message."
Commissioner Abbott supported the budget, pointing to funded salary increases for teachers, support staff and bus drivers, and said the County was still awaiting the results of a legislative audit of the Board of Education; in her view many taxpayers were reluctant to provide more funding until those results are available. Commissioner Elder disputed characterizing the BOE's FY27 level as a cut, noting it represents an increase of roughly $9 million over the prior year sufficient to fund raises, and observed that taxpayers were the only group not receiving a direct benefit. Commissioner Bertino said the increase assures teachers, support staff and bus drivers receive their negotiated increases, including a $4,000 COLA plus a step for teachers and support staff.
When Commissioner Fiori asked how the Board of Education would meet its mandates under the revised funding level, Superintendent Annette Wallace indicated that BOE staff were prepared to provide that information to the commissioners. Commissioner Elder stated that the commissioners did not need additional explanation at that time.
Commissioner Fiori said jurisdictions across the country are adopting legislation to address the challenges associated with cable landing stations, data centers and related infrastructure, and that Worcester County would be remiss not to examine the issue proactively to protect communities and the environment. He said current code provisions leave significant room for interpretation and that clearer standards are needed. Commissioners unanimously directed departments to draft code updates for review.
Two utility items addressed billing fairness. Resolution No. 26-13 replaced a 2010 policy with a uniform process for adjusting water and sewer bills tied to leaks, billing errors and unexplained high usage. Separately, Enterprise Fund Controller Quinn Dittrich briefed commissioners on refunds owed to customers with multiple equivalent dwelling units under the FY26 usage fee structure, leading to the $446,415 in fourth-quarter credits consistent with the proposed FY27 rate structure.
Commissioners met in closed session from 9:00 to 9:20 a.m. on legal and personnel matters and administrative functions. Actions announced afterward included promoting Parks Worker IV Chaz Singer to parks crew leader and hiring Chris Richardson as grounds worker II, Mike Gruszcynski as master HVAC mechanic, and Betsy Jackson as zoning administrator in Development Review and Permitting. Commissioners also received legal advice and discussed potential board appointments.
Commissioners presented a proclamation recognizing June as Elder Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month to representatives from the Commission on Aging and the Department of Social Services.
Approved unanimously on a motion by Commissioner Fiori. The package accepted a $464,012 Family Services Program grant from the Maryland Judiciary for the Circuit Court and a $4,600 Maryland Agricultural Fair Board grant for the 2026 Worcester County Fair; approved out-of-state crime scene photography training for a Sheriff's Office forensic technician and a sole-source forensic evidence imaging system; awarded contracts for water supply capacity management plans in the Ocean Pines Sanitary Service Area and MD Rt. 611 Corridor, design and survey services for an Edgewater Acres pump station replacement, and security systems for the Snow Hill Library renovation; and scheduled a public hearing on Rezoning Case No. 453.
On a motion by Commissioner Bertino, commissioners voted 4-3 to increase the Board of Education budget by $8,963,136 to cover salary and bus contractor rate increases, substitute pay, health insurance, the teacher pension shift, employee retirement, and $284,944 for requested bus assistants. Abbott, Bertino, Bunting and Elder voted in favor; Fiori, Mitrecic and Purnell opposed. Commissioner Mitrecic said the budget still left the school system underfunded and that cutting $300,000 for preschool would forfeit an $800,000 state match.
Legislative Analyst Charlene Sharpe, joined by Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio and Ryan Snow of R&R Solutions, the County's lobbying firm, presented a recap of the 2026 General Assembly session. The minutes do not record the content of the presentation or any action taken.
At the request of Recreation and Parks Director Kelly Rados, commissioners unanimously approved a $25,694.24 budget transfer within the Recreation and Parks budget to sprig and rehabilitate multipurpose Fields 1, 2, 3 and 5 at the Northern Worcester Athletic Complex.
Commissioners unanimously accepted a $703,754 FY2027 Program Open Space allocation and authorized staff to prepare and submit an FY2027 Annual Program. Proposed projects include the Herring Creek Nature Park bathroom replacement, Newtown Park multipurpose field renovation, Isle of Wight Nature Park pavilion addition, and concessions, bathroom and pavilion upgrades at the Northern Worcester Athletic Complex.
On the recommendation of Procurement Officer Ed Welch, commissioners unanimously declined to adopt a local vendor preference policy for future invitations to bid, choosing instead to consider local options on a case-by-case basis.
At the request of Public Works Director Dallas Baker, commissioners unanimously adopted Resolution No. 26-13, superseding the 2010 policy. It establishes a uniform process for water and sewer bill adjustments related to leaks, billing errors, unexplained high water use and other qualifying events while safeguarding the water and wastewater enterprise fund.
Enterprise Fund Controller Quinn Dittrich briefed commissioners on refunds to customers affected by the FY26 Usage Fee Structure who have multiple equivalent dwelling units. Commissioners unanimously authorized $446,415 in estimated fourth-quarter billing credits to 139 customers in the Mystic Harbour, Newark, Ocean Pines, Riddle Farm and River Run service areas, applying EDU-adjusted usage tiers consistent with the proposed FY27 rate structure.
At the request of Environmental Programs Director Bob Mitchell, commissioners unanimously agreed to set all commercial EDUs at a consistent 250 gallons per day across all service areas, as included in the FY27 Water and Wastewater Enterprise Fund budget.
Adopted unanimously on a motion by Commissioner Bertino. The resolution sets sanitary service area budgets, assessments and charges and establishes classifications for July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027.
At the request of Enterprise Fund Controller Quinn Dittrich, commissioners unanimously adopted Resolution No. 26-15 setting the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund budget and fees for July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027.
At the request of Public Works Director Dallas Baker, commissioners unanimously approved the purchase of a 2026 Ford Transit 250 cargo vehicle from Preston Auto Group for $52,053 for the Animal Control Division of the Sheriff's Office.
After a recess for the budget officer to amend the figures, Ms. Reynolds presented changes reducing reserve funds by $419,746 and the Board of Education by $2,798,302, leaving a $2,965,322 surplus. Following extended discussion of each commissioner's position, the resolution passed 4-3 (Abbott, Bertino, Bunting, Elder in favor; Fiori, Mitrecic, Purnell opposed), adopting an operating budget of $300,172,146, establishing FY27 tax rates, and designating the surplus in Capital Reserve Funds toward the Buckingham Elementary School replacement project.
On a motion by Commissioner Abbott, commissioners unanimously directed staff to determine what it would take to institute a volunteer firefighter property tax credit program in Worcester County, including eligibility requirements, administrative considerations, estimated costs, and how similar programs are structured in other Maryland jurisdictions.
Commissioner Fiori said jurisdictions nationwide are adopting legislation addressing cable landing stations, data centers and related infrastructure, and that current county code leaves significant room for interpretation. On his motion, commissioners unanimously directed county departments to draft zoning code legislation on the subject for review at an upcoming meeting.
budget education water and sewer land use parks procurement public safety county administration
Based on the official minutes of the June 2, 2026 Worcester County Commissioners meeting. Minutes are a condensed record of formal actions and may omit discussion or public comment that occurred in the room; the linked agenda, packet and video are provided for additional context.