I move that we reconvene the board of the meeting of the Calvert County Commissioners.

Second.

Motion and second that we can we reconvene as Calvert County Board of Commissioners.

I have a motion and a second.

Is there any discussion?

Hearing none, all those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Opposed.

Motion carries.

So good evening, everybody.

Tonight is our first public step in our budgeting process where the staff presents their budget to us.

I just want to remind everybody that this is the staff recommended budget.

It's a list of their wants and what they believe are their needs.

We have had no role in development of this budget.

And so tonight is the first time we get to see it as a board, just like you.

But this begins a process that will take about six weeks, and I can assure you it will not look the same when we get done with it as it does tonight.

Also want to let people know that we have discovered an error in our procedure from last year that we are in the process of correcting.

So we'll be scheduling a public hearing in the very near future to make sure we make that correction to last year's error.

Other than that, I guess I'm going to turn it over to uh County Administrator Willis.

Thank you, sir.

Good evening, Commissioners.

Uh, and a warm welcome to our residents and business owners joining us tonight in person and online.

Um, the county administrator Mark Willis, and I appreciate your uh participation tonight.

This evening we are presenting the fiscal year 2026 staff recommended budget, the first step in the budget process before the uh both the Board of County Commissioners.

This draft serves as a foundation for the commissioners to refine their priorities, leading to the final commissioner's budget presentation in late April.

Your input does matter.

We encourage and appreciate feedback from residents and business owners as we work toward a responsible and sustainable financial plan.

We believe in transparency and accountability, and we remain committed to open dialogue with our community as we navigate these financial realities.

As your county administrator, my role is to present a draft budget, a starting point from which the Board of County Commissioners will develop a final budget before submitting for public review and input once again.

This year we are facing a budget shortfall driven by rising costs, economic shifts, reductions, federal and state funding, uh, in federal state funding, uh, many of which are or may be passed down to local governments to absorb.

And you can see that happening already.

Like any household or business, we balance uh we must balance our our budget, our expenses with our revenues, and currently expenditures exceed available resources.

While this presents challenges, it also provides an opportunity to access priorities and to make strategic adjustments to maintain essential services for residents and businesses.

This year we have implemented a zero-based budgeting on approach where departments build their budgets from the ground up rather than relying on prior year allocations.

You will learn more about this process and how it is helping us make informed, responsible financial decisions for the county and for the citizens in general.

I want to extend my gratitude to our county departments and agencies for their collaboration and hard work in developing this budget.

Their dedication ensures that we're making well-informed decisions for our community as a whole.

While we are facing financial challenges, we are confident that through careful planning, collaboration, and responsible management will be successful.

We will successfully navigate this shortfall.

Our commitment remains to you, the residents, ensuring our county continues to be a great place to live, work, and do business.

I'd like to just add play in there too, because that you know that's not in there, but Calvert County is a great place to live and play, not just work and do business.

Thank you for your time, engagement, and ongoing support as we move forward together.

With this, I'll turn it over to Mary Andis, and she will take us through the first steps.

For the record.

Oh, for the record, they corrected me once on that.

I'm going to turn it over to Bruce so that he knows he's still with us today.

All right.

Well, thank you, Mark, for that segue.

Um, good evening.

I'm Bruce Miller, the county um director of a financial budget.

On behalf of the finance and budget, I would like to thank everyone attending this evening's presentation.

We hope that the presentation is informative and provides the listener an overview of the staff recommended budget and the factors that are driving this budget.

Tonight, we will present the fiscal year 26 recommended budget, which includes both the operating and capital budgets.

At this time, I would like to thank everyone who has helped facilitate this process, including FMB, Department, and County Administrator staff.

At this time, I would like to introduce Mary Andes, the acting deputy of budget, who will introduce the topics for tonight's presentation.

Good evening, Commissioners, and welcome, staff and citizens.

I'm Mary Andes, Acting Deputy Director of Finance and Budget for Calvert County Government.

Speakers this evening include Bruce Neller, Director of Finance and Budget, Beth Richmond, Senior Advisor for Finance and Budget, Daniel Russell, Acting Capital and Grant Management Specialist, and Dr.

Townsell from Calvert County Public Schools.

This presentation will review the objectives, constraints, and challenges for the fiscal year 2026 budget.