Residents will not see their property tax rates go up in 2027, as Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater announced her $1.14 billion budget proposal Wednesday morning.
Fitzwater explained that, even as the county’s budget is increasing by nearly 12% next year, residents will not be feeling it in their wallets. Instead, she announced her top three priorities for this budget would be to expand opportunities for students, help working families make ends meet, and protect the communities most vulnerable residents.
If taxes are not going up, the question then becomes where is all of the money coming from? The county is able to bear the brunt of this burden, Fitzwater explained, due to how rapidly the community is growing. “We’ve made it a priority to invest in our schools which really attracts businesses and families to put down their roots here in Frederick County,” Fitzwater explained. “All of that means we’ve been able to weather the storm of some of the federal actions and the state budget challenges far better than some of our sister jurisdictions.”
Education Focused
Fitzwater’s proposal includes fully funding the Frederick County Public Schools’ (FCPS) $500 million budget request. Last year, FCPS’s budget focused on maintaining what they could amidst hefty federal funding cuts from the Trump administration. This has led to the school system struggling to retain teachers.
Frederick County budget graphic showing county funding from 2023 to 2027. Graph
provided by Frederick County.
As a former school teacher herself, she said education provides the best return on investment by putting resources into future leaders. “It will be up to the board of education to ultimately determine their priorities within their own strategic plan and their own budget priorities to make sure they are investing in our students,” Fitzwater said.
During the 2024-2025 school year, FCPS was forced to raise classroom sizes to as many as 40 students due to the lack of teachers. Yet parents worry this is harming their children's experience, as teachers have less time to work with students individually.
In response, Fitzwater’s proposal sets aside $63 million to update and build new school infrastructure. “Because of our growth, we have these dual challenges of making sure we are building more capacity for more students,” Fitzwater explained. “:Looking at our aging infrastructure, some of our older schools that are in need of renovation or replacement.”
FY27 School Construction and Renovation Projects
- School Opening: Linganore Creek Elementary School
- Renovation: Hillcrest Elementary School
- Renovation: Twin Ridge Elementary School
- Next Phase: Brunswick Highschool Project
To that end, she also proposed fully funding requests from Frederick Community College and Frederick County Public Libraries.
Frederick’s Most Vulnerable
According to the Maryland Department of Education, approximately 1,000 students experience housing insecurity across Frederick County. That means they do not have a, “fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence.” A majority of these children are accompanied by at least one parent or guardian.
According to the county’s recent housing study, Frederick will need 31,000 new housing units by 2035. At least 10,000 of those homes will need to be for those making less than 60% of the area’s median income. That’s 3,500 new homes per year over the next decade.
To keep up with demand, Fitzwater is exploring using county land to create more housing inventory. Additionally, she is introducing new programs and policies for first time home buyers and elderly residents. “We are…introducing legislation to increase the eligibility standards in our senior property tax credit,” Fitzwater said. “That way more seniors are eligible for the tax credit and can see some relief.”
Frederick’s housing study also revealed there is almost nowhere in the county that is both affordable and accessible for older residents living on a fixed income. Fitzwater said the county has received $3 million from the state to help with a senior living project, while funding has already been set aside to renovate one of Frederick’s senior centers to include on site housing.
It may also be time to review Frederick’s policies on housing, Fitzwater clarified. She wants to remove any barriers that are holding things back, particularly where she can address the “missing middle” housing.
Missing middle housing refers to a distinct lack of diverse housing options across a range of socio-economic accessibility. This can include duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes and bungalows. The recent housing study showed that 80% of housing units in the county are single-family. “We are making sure we are looking at this housing affordability issue from every angle we possibly can, and using every toll we have in our tool box to make sure we’re tackling affordability.” Fitzwater said.
Fitzwater’s budget proposal also includes a pilot program to help families enroll their four-year-olds in private kindergarten. Across 2025, the county worked to make existing child care more affordable, yet now, the executive said she also wants to use county land to expand access for parents.
Data Centers
As Frederick County courts the idea of data centers, many residents have been worried the county’s rural nature will be forever changed by acres of concrete and metal buildings. At the forefront of the discussion is the question of power, and whether residents will see an increase to their electricity bill.
Recently, the Utility RELIEF ACT was passed by the General Assembly, designed to lower energy bills for Maryland residents. Fitzwater clarified the county has no jurisdiction over power, or most utilities for that matter. To combat this, she said Frederick has been advocating at the state level for counties to have some form of authority. “We would like the ability to pause accepting an application if the company has not gone through the new registration process,” Fitzwater explained.
While this did not make it into the policy, Fitzwater said she plans to continue advocating for county authority.
Immigration
Fitzwater’s proposal reserves $1.2 million to help support county partnerships with local non-profits, as well as the agricultural community. Some of these orgs help the immigrant community, which Fitzwater said has, “come under unprecedented strain from federal actions, designed to sow fear and tear families apart.”
Her budget includes funding for a new immigrant affairs liaison to work directly with immigrant supporting non-profits and the county’s immigrant affairs commission.
Recently, 287g immigration enforcement agreements, which allowed ICE to work with local law enforcement, were banned in Maryland. Fitzwater said county staff have received training on what to say and do if ICE were to begin showing up in-force in Frederick as they have across the US. She said they have made it clear to county staff thet services are open to all.
In January, ICE purchased a warehouse just outside of Williamsport in Washington County. The facility is to be renovated into a major detention center, capable of holding 1,500 people at a time. Fitzwater believes she stands with Frederick residents when she said she does not want to see people put in warehouses “Many of the potential decisions are still being considered in court,” Fitzwater said. “So I hope that we see that this project not only is stalled, but ultimately does not continue in our community.”
The project is currently paused due to a lawsuit by Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown.
