Facing steep cuts in federal and state funding, the Howard County Council on Wednesday passed a $2.35 billion operating budget that trims millions of dollars in spending while providing about half of the new dollars the school board said it needed to balance its budget.

The school board had asked County Executive Calvin Ball to include $107.3 million above what the county is legally required to contribute in his fiscal year 2026 budget proposal. Ball instead recommended $39 million in new funding for the school system and $6.7 million to pay for educator pensions but fell about $30 million short of what the school system said it needed to meet financial commitments and pay for existing services.

Ball then filed emergency legislation to provide a one-time transfer of $14.5 million to help close the gap. The council approved that Wednesday, one of a series of budget actions.

County Council Chair Liz Walsh sought to reconsider a crucial budget vote Wednesday but was unsuccessful.

“If the motion to reconsider had been allowed, I would have voted no,” Walsh said. “I feel like this budget, as proposed and passed today by the majority of my colleagues, is a great disservice to the Howard County Public School System.”

Schools funding dominated the discussion among council members Wednesday afternoon.

“The vast majority of the costs of our Howard County Public School System are human beings,” Walsh said. “And, if you want to cut from the budget, then you are cutting human beings. It’s that simple.”

County Council member Christiana Rigby noted that the additional $14.5 million that Ball proposed for the school system is a one-time transfer from reserve funds, which will not be available next year.

“We cannot keep relying on temporary fixes for permanent needs,” Rigby said.

The council unanimously approved Ball’s emergency legislation Wednesday, but an amendment that would have provided an additional $1.85 million was defeated on a 2-3 vote.

County Council member Deb Jung, who filed the amendment, said she was disappointed that the council “couldn’t give more money to the school district.”

The school board, which is set to adopt its own budget next month, will receive $816 billion from the county, including $53.8 million above what it is legally required to provide.

“This budget supports our priorities and the priorities of our community to ensure our county remains the best place to live, work, play, grow, and thrive for all … without compromising services, raising taxes, or laying off county employees,” Ball said in a statement.

The budget holds the county real property tax at $1.044 per $100 of assessed value. The owner of a home with an assessed value of $500,000 would pay $5,222 in property taxes.

Here are takeaways from the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1:

What cuts were saved?

Ball’s proposal in April called for $100 million in spending cuts to mitigate what he called “extraordinary fiscal headwinds” at the state and federal levels. President Donald Trump‘s directives to slash the size of the federal workforce this year sent shock waves through Howard County, where an estimated 50,000 federal workers and contractors live. At the same time, the state shifted responsibility for about $8 million in costs to the county level.

All of the county executive’s proposed cuts were approved, except for a five-percentage-point reduction in county employee premium health care contributions, which, at 90%, were previously among the highest in the state. If approved, the county would have contributed 85% — leaving employees to pick up an estimated $20 to $60 per paycheck.

Approved cuts include a hiring freeze for more than 40 unfilled county jobs; intermittently closing noncritical government buildings to reduce energy usage, janitorial and security costs; and cutting travel, training and internal transportation spending.

Capital budget outcome

The council on Wednesday also approved a $365 million capital budget that will fund school construction, community facilities, public safety and more.

The capital budget also allows for $5 million in state funds to be spent on continued planning and design of a new central library branch along Columbia’s lakefront.

The project appears to have stalled since Ball and Gov. Wes Moore announced it two years ago. A major holdup, Walsh previously said, is that the Howard Hughes Corp. has yet to relinquish the lakefront property.

An amendment proposed by Walsh passed Wednesday stipulating that the county must own the lakefront land on or before Sept. 15. In May 2023, the land was appraised for roughly $14 million. Jung voted against the amendment.

“If the lakefront property is to be truly considered as one of the options for the lakefront library, then it should fall into the hands of the county by that time,” Walsh said.

Increases in public safety

The council approved $163.4 million in funding for the fire department and $162.8 million for the police department.

The fire department’s budget represents a 6.6% increase — excluding prior one-time costs — to support staffing, emergency services and training for the department.

The $4.6 million increase for the police department supports staffing and operational costs. The budget will add a school resource officer to Guilford Park High School.