Harford Schedules Public Hearing for Already-Enacted FY27 Budget | The Locally Times
A July 1, 2026, announcement invites public input for the FY2027 budget, which took effect the same day, for a hearing on Feb. 17 of an unspecified year.
## County Announces Hearing for Enacted Budget On July 1, 2026, Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly released a video inviting citizen input on the county’s fiscal year 2027 (FY2027) budget. The announcement scheduled a public budget hearing for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 17, at North Harford High School. The public notice created a conflicting timeline by calling for input on a budget that it simultaneously stated was already law. ## Unspecified Year Creates Timeline Conflict The July 1, 2026, meeting record omits the year for the February 17 hearing, creating two contradictory possibilities. If the hearing was for February 17, 2026, the county’s public notice was issued more than four months after the hearing took place. If the hearing is for February 17, 2027, it is scheduled more than seven months into the fiscal year it concerns. Public records do not clarify which year is intended. ## Role of Public Input Remains Unclear The purpose of the hearing is also undefined in public records. The announcement does not specify how resident feedback could be incorporated into a budget already in effect, nor does it clarify if the hearing is for mid-year amendments, supplemental appropriations, or planning for the next fiscal year. With no defined scope for discussion, the mechanism for public input is unclear. No supporting budget documents were included with the announcement.