Anne Arundel Council approves final Pittman budget, includes funds for security grants

The Anne Arundel County Council on Thursday unanimously approved a $2.58 billion budget that funds teacher pay raises, new firefighter and police positions, the food bank and expanding the county’s violence interruption program.

The spending plan also includes a modest cut to the county property tax rate, from 97.7 to 96.8 cents per every $100 of assessed value.

Adoption of the budget, the last for County Executive Steuart Pittman, followed town halls, meetings and amendments.

“We’ve managed to hold steady on investments in public safety, infrastructure, and public education. I’m proud of the work the Council did on this budget, even in the face of short-sighted budget cuts from the federal government,” County Council Chair Julie Hummer said in a statement.

There were at least two notable changes to the budget between when it was introduced and what was passed.

Initially, Pittman rejected calls to fund a grant program for nonprofits and faith-based groups to pay for security upgrades.

The Jewish Federation of Annapolis and the Chesapeake and other groups had lobbied Pittman to include money in his budget for grants for organizations “vulnerable to hate crimes.” Pittman said in April that he would follow up with groups to learn more about their security needs.

The amended budget includes $150,000 for such a program. It was introduced by Hummer, at Pittman’s request, and unanimously approved by the council.

The approved budget also removed funds for parks projects intended to expand public access to the water. Democratic council member Pete Smith joined the council’s three Republicans in voting to delay projects at Valentine Creek and Beachwood Park for a year. Some nearby residents are leery of having more people flock to the parks, making it a thorny issue as the June 23 primary election nears.

Smith is running for the Democratic nomination for county executive against Councilwoman Allison Pickard and James Kitchin, a senior aide to the term-limited Pittman.

Smith introduced the amendment to delay the project at Valentine Creek, which is not in Smith’s district. Council member Nathan Volke introduced the amendment to delay the project at Beachwood Park, which is in his district.

Pittman knocked the council’s vote on the water access projects — calling it “a giant step backwards in our quest to provide more public water access to county residents.”

Still, Pittman thanked the council for its collaborative work to “improve” the budget.

“I’m pleased that we were able to work together to add additional firefighter positions, investments in our public school system, and funding for a security grant program to protect houses of worship,” he said in a statement.

Other highlights of the fiscal 2027 county budget include:

• A $73.4 million increase in funds for the school system, including raises for teachers, 26 new special education positions and field houses at Arundel and Chesapeake High Schools
• $2 million for the county food bank
• Five Medicaid Navigator staff positions to help residents figure out their healthcare coverage amid changing federal requirements
• Expanding the Department of Health’s violence interruption program to Brooklyn Park
• Nine new police positions
• 26 new fire positions