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“There are a lot of things that are changing,” he said about predicted state funding during a Dorchester County Council budget work session Thursday. “This is not a weekly thing, but almost a daily thing. ... We just don’t know how this is going to unfold.”

County staff has been going through the operating and capital budgets line by line to find efficiencies, Jones said.

“We are constantly working on solutions,” he said. “We’re finding those efficiencies. We have made substantial changes already.”

During the work session, Jones detailed estimated revenue and expenditures for fiscal year 2026. According to Jones’ presentation, preliminary projections for the budget show a deficit of $6.2 million, with $87.7 million in estimated revenue and $93.9 million in estimated expenditures.

Jones outlined a list of mandates from the state that contribute to the county’s deficit. These include reductions in grant funding, losses from proposed property tax deductions, an increase in state education maintenance of effort costs and increased financial responsibilities for things like teacher retirement.

Both Jones and County Council members said the budget would look a lot different without these mandates. Jones said that without the mandates, the county would not be facing a deficit. He said he county would instead have had $200,812 more in revenue than expenditures.

The council and county manager also talked about significant budget cuts made two years ago. Council Vice President Mike Detmer said the fat had already been trimmed from the budget at that time.

“At this point, we’re trying to keep the ship from sinking,” he said.

Council President Lenny Pfeffer said he and Detmer have plans to go to Annapolis to testify in front of the Maryland General Assembly on legislation that would negatively affect the county’s budget.

EDUCATION FUNDING

Detmer said the decrease in state funding and increase in the county’s fiscal responsibility is largely driven by the state’s goal to meet its financial obligation to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a state plan that aims to improve student outcomes and the quality of education.

Dorchester County Public Schools, which has its own budget separate from the county, also is facing a deficit. The deficit, which was estimated to be $10.19 million in January, is now estimated to be $5.59 million.

During a Dorchester County Board of Education budget work session also held Thursday, Dorchester County Public Schools Superintendent Jymil Thompson shared refinements the district has made to the budget since the board’s work session in January.

He said the $4.6 million in additional cuts to to reduce the deficit were made through reductions to alternative education programming, supplies costs, travel costs, contracted services and fixed charges as well as expanding the district’s understanding of Blueprint guidance to better match funding with expenses.

“We are taking it serious, and we are trying to make the changes we can to reduce our budget in a smart way,” Thompson said.

At the County Council work session, council member Ricky Travers said other counties are having the same budget problems.

“Rural Maryland is the worst right now because the bigger counties, you just add another zero to it, but they’ve got a little bit more ability to garnish more money per penny (on taxes),” he said. “But this big number is astronomical.”

Jones said the county will play it by ear on when it holds its next budget work session. He said when it is held will be announced to the public.