Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced a first wave of cuts ahead of his budget proposal on April 14 to address a budget gap of more than $100 million he says the county is facing. He pledged not to raise property or income taxes in fiscal 2026, which starts July 1.

Ball said he’s working to avoid furloughs and ensure no county employee loses their job.

Earlier this month Ball submitted a $367 million budget for construction projects to the County Council, which he said was focused on responsible investments amid fiscal uncertainty.

The proposed cuts to the operating budget consider each county agency’s request for funding, as well as the costs now shifted to the county after the passage of the state’s budget plan, Ball said in a Monday news release. Changes coming from the White House also add to the fiscal uncertainty, especially as efforts to cut the federal workforce adversely impact the county’s population of federal workers, Ball said.

“We must make painful choices and take immediate action to achieve better efficiency in service delivery. While the future is uncertain, we are implementing a first round of county actions,” Ball said in the release.

The cuts include a pause on filling 40 vacant positions in the county government, a reduction in the percentage of healthcare premiums the county pays for employees, and a reduction in printing, travel and training costs. The county will also optimize costs for mobile communications, technology and internal county transportation “to promote efficiency and realize savings.”

On days near holidays or long weekends, the county will close “non-critical” government buildings to save energy, Ball said. Non-essential in-person employees will telework when the buildings are closed as the county hopes to limit use of water, paper and energy.

Ball and his administration are working on “overall cuts” to budget requests and “minimizing new initiatives in our departments and offices,” he said in the release.

“I want to emphasize that our revenues and our budget remain very susceptible to changes at the federal level, and we will need to continuously evaluate the evolving fiscal situation throughout the upcoming fiscal year.

Federal uncertainty continues to loom, and many future impacts are yet to be felt,” Ball said in the release.

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