2 Tax Changes, 1 Election Update Passed In Anne Arundel County

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Pay raises for teachers and resources for first responders were the highlights of the $2.4 billion budget that the Anne Arundel County Council unanimously passed Friday.

Property taxes were lowered slightly, income taxes remained the same and utility rates increased in a multi-year, inflation-driven plan. The tax paid at parking lots and garages will increase from 60 cents to $1, marking the first hike since 1999.

The county set aside over $10 million to respond to federal cuts. This could be used to restore services or fund resources as cuts affect county residents. The county also funded its rainy day savings account to the maximum allowable level.

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Publicly Funded Campaign Fund Trimmed

The only major change to Democratic County Executive Steuart Pittman's budget proposal was a reduction in money for a publicly funded campaign finance system.

This system, scheduled to begin in the 2026 election cycle, would let County Council and county executive candidates have every donation matched by a public fund if they reject corporate donors and only accept donations worth $250 or less.

The initiative is similar to the statewide program that former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) used to win his first election.

Pittman proposed including $1.5 million for the county's campaign fund in this year's budget. The council's three Republicans and Council Chair Julie Hummer (D-District 4) voted to trim $1.25 million from that allocation.

Candidates don't have to officially file for election until Feb. 24, 2026, so some worried about over-budgeting for the fund when it's not yet known how many people will use it.

"That means that by the time we come to [the] next budget cycle, we will know exactly who the universe of candidates are that are running for county executive and County Council," Nathan Volke (R-District 3) said, according to The Baltimore Banner. "We will know at that time unequivocally what the number of participants in this public financing system is. We will be able to extrapolate from that, using pretty simple math, do we have enough money or not?"

The fund already has $1 million in it. With the $250,000 allocated this year, the balance will be $1.25 million.

Hummer, who supports public campaign financing, told The Banner that "is more than enough to fund" the candidates who need the money.

"I simply, in this economic climate, was not comfortable having $2 million sitting in an account that we can't touch in any way if it's not used," Hummer told The Banner.

Pittman disagrees.

"That's probably not enough. When the Council voted to create the program, they were told based on estimates from other counties that it would cost $2-$3 million for each election (once every four years)," the county executive said in a newsletter. "It's ok if they over-estimate and the money is not all spent, because it rolls over to cover future expenses. What's not ok is to underestimate the cost, because in this case doing so decimates the budgets of candidates who choose to run small-donor driven campaigns and benefits the ones who don’t."

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Budget Highlights

Pittman's plan calls for a step increase, or a raise, and an inflation-driven cost-of-living adjustment for all school employee bargaining units.

In a press release, Pittman said the budget also included:

Schools

• A record $52.28 million increase for Anne Arundel County Public Schools.
• Full funding of the superintendent's compensation package.
• 30 new special education positions and additional staff for bilingual support, social-emotional learning and community schools.
• Investments in middle school athletics, early childhood enrichment and construction of new school facilities, including $120 million for the Old Mill Master Plan.

Public Safety

• An additional shift at the police department's Real-Time Information Center.
• More positions dedicated to the Fire Training Academy.
• Eight vehicles for sheriff's deputies.
• Two new civilian positions that will allow deputies to focus on courtroom security.
• Construction of a new Northern District Police Station, a Joint 911 Center and new fire stations in Jessup, Waugh Chapel and Arundel.

Health

• $1.5 million for the Anne Arundel County Food Bank.
• Recurring funding for the Health Ambassadors and Healthy Communities Programs.
• Funding for violence interruption programs in Eastport and Severn.
• Increased support for crisis response mental health services.

The budget covers fiscal year 2026, which runs from this July 1 through June 30, 2026.

More information is available at aacounty.org/fy26budget.

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