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DENTON – On Tuesday, March 3, 2026, the heads of all Caroline County’s internal and external public services shuffled in and out of the Health Department’s large conference room to partake in the annual county budget roundtable. During this phase of the budget process, department heads and other organizations’ representatives sat before the County Commissioners and laid out any increases - and justifications for those increases - to their operating or capital budgets from the previous fiscal year.
Included in this roundtable were representatives from any office which receives funding from the county, such as the Commissioner’s Office, the State’s Attorney’s Office, Public Works, the Sheriff's Office, Emergency Services, Planning and Codes, the Board of Education, the Caroline County Public Library, Recreation and Parks, Chesapeake College, and many more.
As it stands, all general fund budget requests from these offices, agencies, non-profits, funds, and other expenditures total around $85,583,550. Caroline County has an anticipated revenue for fiscal year 2027 of $84,804,624.
This roundtable meeting is not where final decisions are made. Rather, it is the Commissioners’ opportunity to hear what the departments want or need, ask questions, and float ideas, all in an effort to gather information to take with them to their deliberations on the FY27 budget later on.
The general themes of the day were cost of living increases, rising state mandated spending coupled with decreasing state funding, replacing outdated equipment and vehicles, and the delicate balance of needing more personnel and more office space to accommodate them, while having limited money to accomplish either.
Some of the major asks for increases came from the Board of Elections, the Office of Technology, the Circuit Court, the State’s Attorney’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office, the Volunteer Fire Companies, the Department of Corrections, the Humane Society, and Upper Shore Aging.
The Board of Elections is requesting an increase in funding to help them prepare for and administer upcoming elections in both fiscal year 2027 and beyond. Executive Director Allison Murphy explained that much of the increase in necessary funding stems from statewide initiatives, including the Voter Registration, Election and Administration Modernization (VREAM) project, which is state-mandated and outside local control. Additionally, much of the county’s election equipment dates back to 2016 and is “well beyond its lifecycle.” “It is time to upgrade,” Murphy said.
The internal Office of Technology is requesting a $147,000 increase in its operational budget, largely attributed to increased software costs and higher employee expenses. In the capital budget, the office is seeking funding for the replacement of servers, which are replaced on a sort of rotational schedule. Officials explained that there is no remaining value in the old servers once they are retired from service.
Judge Heather Price with the Circuit Court requested funding for an additional administrative support position, citing increased caseloads and a rise in more high-profile cases requiring larger juries. She also asked for more money to pay for resources for these larger jury-related expenses, like mailings and refreshments, as well as funding for a proposed parking lot that would add 11 additional spaces, including some fenced-in spots. Commission President Travis Breeding was hesitant about adding personnel until additional office space is secured, saying that he didn’t know “where they would put” another employee. He mentioned the possibility that once the new north county middle school is built, the county would take over the former Lockerman building and could use it for potential office space. When asked which request would be her priority between the support staff or parking lot, Judge Price answered that the additional parking would provide broader public benefit.
State’s Attorney Sloan Franklin is requesting three additional positions: a senior assistant state’s attorney, a paralegal, and a body camera technician responsible for reviewing and redacting footage to remove sensitive information such as images of children, license plates, and uninvolved individuals. “We do have an uptick in crime,” Franklin said, “The state’s attorney’s office is not growing but it should be.” He explained that especially on the body camera front, there are sometimes a dozen or more officers involved in a case whose body camera footage all has to be viewed, studied, and edited for public view, which takes a significant amount of time.
Sheriff Donny Baker described the Sheriff Office’s proposed increases as largely routine. “There’s some minor adjustments here as far as inflation and things like that,” he said. The primary requests include funding for two patrol vehicle replacements and one animal control vehicle, as well as proposed salary increases.
The volunteer fire companies are requesting a 10 percent increase in their budget allotment, stating that fundraising efforts are falling short while operational costs and call volume continue to rise. “The 10 percent increases are just compiling really fast…I don’t know if we can continue to sustain 10 percent,” said Commissioner Breeding, noting that the request would bring this year’s allocation to approximately $220,000, up from $200,000 last year. He clarified that he recognizes the essential role the volunteer companies play and the significant savings they provide the county, but emphasized the challenge of maintaining year-over-year increases. “I’m with Commissioner Breeding, we’ll do the best we can,” said Commissioner Frank Bartz.
The Department of Corrections is requesting a $51,957 increase in its operational budget. Warden Charles Scott explained that several pre-trial services, such as drug testing, were previously covered by outside funding sources that are no longer available. Additional cost drivers include building maintenance due to the age of the facility (the original portion of the building being over 100 years old), an increase in their food service contract, and higher costs for uniforms, phones, and other operational necessities. Scott noted that housing fewer inmates does not necessarily equate to lower costs. In fact, the fewer inmates a facility has, the more money it is per meal. The detention center currently houses around 45 inmates and manages an additional 50 to 60 individuals on pre-trial release. “I still firmly believe we need to build a new detention center,” Commissioner Breeding said, “We’ve been in that building as long as we can.” He suggested the county should begin setting aside funds for this project now. “The initial portion of it is definitely the oldest in the state,” Scott said. In the capital budget, Scott also requested $25,000 over the next five years to continue camera maintenance. Commissioner Breeding offered suggestions related to maintaining the building in the meantime.
The Humane Society’s requested increase is largely driven by the addition of health insurance benefits for full-time staff, who currently receive no benefits. Executive Director Stephanie Flower explained that this lack of benefits contributes to recruitment challenges. The organization is also seeking to add a community engagement coordinator position. In the capital budget, the Humane Society is requesting funding to improve its existing warehouse to create more usable space, as well as for a mobile spay and neuter clinic. Flower noted that there is currently no surgical suite in the building and no space to construct one. A mobile unit, she argued, would allow the organization to reach more of the community and help reduce long-term costs through preventative care and less contracted needs.
Upper Shore Aging’s Executive Director Herb Cain reported that the organization “worked very hard to keep our budget reasonably flat,” but noted that the county’s growing senior population will continue to strain resources. Supplemental requests included two positions: a part-time receptionist for the Caroline Senior Center, which Cain said is currently operated by essentially “one and a half people,” and a director of operations position after internal restructuring shifted that role’s responsibilities to program management. Upper Shore Aging also requested a 3 percent cost of living adjustment for staff “if that’s possible.” Cain also reported a substantial rise in seniors seeking assistance during Medicare open enrollment and noted that the organization currently serves close to 90 clients a week through Meals on Wheels.
As the roundtable concluded, Commissioner Breeding thanked department heads and organizational leaders for their presentations. “Thank you for keeping your budgets as reasonable as you can,” he said.
