As the Maryland General Assembly deals with a $1.4 billion budget shortfall, Baltimore County leaders are grappling with their own budget issues in 2026.
County Council Chairman Mike Ertel said there is uncertainty again this year about how much money the county will be getting from the federal government and from the state.
“The state has a deficit so we don’t know if there’s going to be further cuts to the county or where they’re going to be and where we’re going to need to pick up the slack,” Ertel said.
County Executive Kathy Klausmeier last week released her priorities for the 2026 Maryland General Assembly session. In a statement, Klausmeier said she wanted to ensure “that the state’s budget challenges do not translate into increased costs for our residents.”
Among other things, Klausmeier is asking for an increase in state money to fix the county’s roads. Ertel said the state years ago cut how much money it gives the county for road repair. He said the money has never been restored and roads are being neglected.
“Go to any part of the county and you can find some roads that are in really bad shape,” Ertel said.
At a December county council meeting, Councilman Todd Crandell, a Republican from Dundalk, said the roads in his district are in the worst shape in the county.
Crandell said the roads are taking a beating from trucks tied to businesses that have sprung up in recent years at the global logistics center Tradepoint Atlantic, like Amazon and FedEx.
Crandell said, “There needs to be some attention paid by the county and the state and to some extent the fed on what we’re going to do to better improve our infrastructure. That could come down to closing certain routes, and forcing trucks on to other routes.”
The roads around Dundalk are also being impacted by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
More highway funding is on Klausmeier’s wish list for the 2026 General Assembly session.
County officials say their pressing needs go beyond roads. They include salary increases for county employees, more money to cover the rising cost of school construction, and helping a growing number of poor residents.
With that said, Councilman Ertel, a Democrat, said a personal property tax increase is not in the cards in Baltimore County this year, adding the affordability issue is real.
“People are struggling,” Ertel said. “We don’t also want to say, ‘oh by the way you’re going to pay more to just sit in your house.’ So we want to try to avoid that.”
Since taking office in January 2025, Klausmeier has said she has no plans to raise taxes.
Klausmeier will present her proposed budget for 2026-2027 to the county council in April.
