The Frederick County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday narrowly adopted a $256.3 million operating budget for the 2025 fiscal year, bringing an end to weeks of debate about county spending and priorities.

The budget, which passed on a 4-3 vote, represents a roughly $16.7 million increase from the spending plan the supervisors adopted for the current fiscal year — with the county putting more money into the public school division and the Sheriff's Office in fiscal 2025, among other areas.

The budget will fund the hiring of 16 firefighters for Frederick County Fire and Rescue, three deputies as well as a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) officer for the Frederick County Sheriff's Office, three new positions for the county's Department of Social services and a 4% pay raise for county staff.

The new fiscal year begins on July 1. 

Opequon Supervisor Bob Wells and Red Bud Supervisor Blaine Dunn, two of the three supervisors who opposed the budget, voiced concerns over the supervisors "depleting" some of the county's capital fund balance to finance some operational expenses. 

"I feel strongly that our budget platform is not a long-term sustainable budget for the future of Frederick County. I'm in favor of keeping our taxes low," said Wells. "However, I feel that depleting our capital fund and resources is not the way to reach that ... I just don't think this budget is going to be a long-term budget like what we're looking for."

The budget allocates $109.01 million in funding for Frederick County Public Schools — an increase from the $104.6 million that the division received in fiscal 2024 from the county. 

The approval of 16 new firefighters in the fiscal 2025 budget — a win for the Frederick County Fire and Rescue Department — comes about a year after the supervisors approved funding for Station 22, a fire station for the southeastern Frederick area. The new station is in the planning stages. 

Some of those new firefighters will be shifted to staff the new station when it goes online, according to comments made at budget work sessions.

Because of the county's sustained residential growth, the availability of public services as well as transportation infrastructure has been a subject of concern with some in the county. 

Frederick County Fire and Rescue's budget for fiscal 2025 totals $23.1 million, an increase of 3.9% from fiscal 2024, while the Frederick County Sheriff's Office is $22.2 million, an increase of 8.4 % from the current fiscal year.  

Sheriff Lenny Millholland requested 11 new positions for his department in his budget request, but just four new positions are funded in the operating budget the supervisors adopted Wednesday night. 

The supervisors set tax rates for the upcoming fiscal year at their first meeting in April, including a 51-cent real estate tax rate and a $4.23 personal property (vehicle) tax rate, both per $100 of assessed value. That leaves the rates unchanged from the current fiscal year, and because it is not a reassessment year, the tax bills of county residents should remain mostly unchanged. 

At past budget work sessions this year, some of the supervisors conveyed that while the county isn’t facing any serious revenue problems in fiscal 2025, there’s a sense that future budget years could encounter difficulties. 

Dunn noted that, "What we have here is an operational budget that is being supplemented by our capital fund balance."

Dunn, Wells and Back Creek Supervisor John Jewell opposed the budget resolution the supervisors adopted Wednesday night.

Chairman Josh Ludwig, Stonewall Supervisor Judith McCann-Slaughter, Shawnee Supervisor Robert "Bob" Liero and Gainesboro Supervisor Heather Lockridge supported the budget resolution. The supervisors did not make adjustments to the budget from the dais Wednesday night. 

The supervisors are approving approximately $15 million in funding that comes from the capital fund. That roughly breaks down as follows: $5.6 million for the general operating fund, $1.1 million for the school operating fund, $3 million for the school capital fund, $2.3 million for school debt service and $3.2 million for transportation, which is intended to bolster the county's attempts to secure state funding for road improvement projects in particular. 

The supervisors still have some work to do related to the fiscal 2025 budget. In the coming weeks, they will consider funding requests from the roughly 20 outside agencies, including Laurel Ridge Community College, that are asking for funding in the upcoming fiscal year.

Because the supervisors adopted a budget prior to considering the requests, the funding — but just as a placeholder — has been built into the budget the supervisors adopted on Wednesday. Moving forward, supervisors decide what to fund or not fund. Whatever is cut from the funding requests will be moved to a contingency fund.