Harford County this week. 

The budget, which will go into effect on July 1, will fully fund the school district's requests, increase funding for police salaries and invest in community improvements without raising taxes, according to County Executive Bob Cassilly. 

The increase in county investments comes despite impacts from the Maryland 2026 budget, which aims to close a nearly $3 billion deficit. 

According to Cassilly, the state budget impacted $6.2 million in costs in Harford County. 

"The state's self-inflicted fiscal crisis continues to challenge county budgets statewide," Cassilly said. "Instead of demanding more from our hardworking taxpayers, our fiscally responsible approach has been to fund essential public services while working to keep expenditures in line with revenue, collaborating with our government partners, like the school board, to better align their spending with our revenue, and supporting businesses to grow the economy." 

Public safety funding in Harford County 

Cassilly said public safety is a top priority in the 2026 budget. 

The budget allows for 6% wage increases for law enforcement deputies and corrections officers. The increase brings average salaries to $106,000 for police and $82,000 for corrections officers, according to Cassilly. 

The budget also provides funding for new police equipment, including new vehicles and encrypted radios. 

The county budget aims to address a request for increased police protection for judges by allowing the sheriff to utilize funded but unfilled job positions. 

The county State's Attorney's office will also see an 11% increase in funding, bringing total increases to 31% in the last three years. 

Funding for Harford County schools 

Under the 2026 budget, Harford County schools will receive the largest share of the county's general tax revenue, according to Cassilly. 

The district's operating funds will increase by $26.2 million, bringing the total to $347.6 million. This will fully fund the school board's operating budget request. 

The budget also includes $3.4 million for teacher pensions, which were previously funded by the state. 

Under the budget, the school district will also receive funding for security upgrades, construction of a new elementary school for students with disabilities, renovations at Harford Technical High School and a new roof for North Harford High School. 

Harford Community College will get $8 million for a new workforce training center and an additional $300,000 to support a state-mandated cost shift for college employee pensions. According to Cassilly, the college has $46 million in unspent taxpayer funding that can be used to meet other needs. 

Harford County Public Library will also receive funding to support an increase in staff salaries. 

• Harford County