Westminster, MD, Monday, March 9, 2026 – Last Thursday, during Open Session, Mr. Ted Zaleski, Director of Management and Budget, presented the Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) Budget Overview to the Carroll County Board of Commissioners (BoC). The presentation outlined the county’s financial landscape, key budget considerations, and upcoming public meetings where residents can provide input.

Mr. Zaleski provided a review of the state budget and the uncertainty of how the final state budget and federal implications will impact Carroll County:

Highlights included:

  • The Governor’s budget relies on $0.6M in legislative changes that may or may not come to fruition based on what might emerge during the General Assembly session
  • The cost of Blueprint legislation implementation is the primary cause of projected shortfalls
  • More and more costs, not just Blueprint, are passed on to the local jurisdictions
  • CCPS has worked with the State on a Blueprint implementation plan that reduces, but doesn’t eliminate, the negative impacts that were projected last year.

He explained the details that led to a 79 million unassigned Fund Balance at the end of FY26. Mr. Zaleski cautioned that even though there may be a fund balance at the end of FY26, it does not guarantee the same fund balance will be available in the outyears, and the BoC should consider the balance as one-time funds.  The entire Budget Overview presentation can be viewed on the county website.

The Recommended Budget will be presented to the BoC on Tuesday, March 17th, followed by agency meetings for funding requests on Thursday, March 19th, Tuesday, March 24th, and Thursday, March 26th.

Commissioners will then deliberate in several Proposed Budget Work Sessions.  Budget sessions that are open to the public will be televised on Channel 24 and streamed live on the county website.  Meetings will be held in the County Office Building, 225 N. Center Street, Westminster, MD 21157, unless otherwise noted.  Meeting dates, times, and locations are subject to change; please check the county website or call 410-386-2400 to confirm.

After the work sessions, community presentations will be held at various locations around the county to gather public feedback.

Community Presentations (7:00 pm – 9:00 pm):

Wednesday, April 22, Exploration Commons
Thursday, April 23,     Eldersburg Library
Tuesday, April 28,       Taneytown Library
Wednesday, April 29, North Carroll Library
Thursday, April 30,     Mt. Airy Library

A Budget Public Hearing is scheduled on Wednesday, May 6, 2025, at 7:00 pm. at the Carroll Arts Center located at 91 W. Main Street in Westminster. More information will be provided closer to the date.

Final Budget Work Sessions to adjust the proposed budget based on public input are tentatively set for Tuesday, May 12th, and Tuesday, May 19th.

The FY26 budget adoption is planned for Thursday, May 21st.

Updated information can be viewed on the Division of Budget webpage as it becomes available: Comments and questions can be submitted via the webpage or sent to Director Ted Zaleski at tzaleski@carrollcountymd.gov at any time.

Meetings are available for viewing on the county meeting portal and the county YouTube channel. In addition, all meetings will be replayed on Comcast Channel 24.