Cheverly Constant Yield Hearing Tomorrow and Budget ideas.

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AmyJean Chung Fry

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May 6, 2026, 5:02:53 PM (13 days ago) May 6
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Neighbors,


A lot has happened over the past month, but I want to focus this email on the budget and tomorrow evening’s constant yield hearing. Reach out to me if there is any clarification that you may need, or if want to provide comment or feedback for tomorrow’s constant yield hearing meeting please let me know. CMW...@CHEVERLY-MD.GOV


BUDGET

Every year I think the budget will get easier, but tough decisions are in front of us yet again as costs are going up for everyone, including the Town. Last year, we went against the original plan of the staggered $.04, $.05, and $.06 increase and stayed flat with our tax rate. That puts us in the current situation of looking at a potential $.05 increase for FY27 to cover the expenditures of this coming year without sacrificing personnel or services, and keeping a fully staffed 24 hour police department. (In years’ past, not being able to fully staff CPD always provided a cushion for the budget.)


Over the past few months, the council has been asked to look at a variety of expenditures for FY26 and FY27; some are new requests, last minute (not budgeted for this fiscal year), or long time requests. Here are a couple of examples:


Property Lots

We have been asked to continue to look at purchasing 6 properties near the Woodworth Trail to ensure that development does not occur there. While the threat of development about 5 years back is fresh on the minds for most of us, I want to assure you that there is no threat of development at this time. 2 lots were purchased in a tax sale by our neighbor, Gabe, who takes care of our Woodworth Trail (amongst many other things he volunteers to do) but four still remain.


Council Member Events

Council is also considering a policy that would allow elected members to use town resources (equipment, staff, facilities, etc) for council member events. What has been floated is to allow council members up to 3 events per year each. The policy is being floated because there are no guidelines for such types of events, which has created issues in the past of expectation and also, possible harm to the Town. All stakeholders know that official council events can NOT be campaign related and any event promoted by the Town must not be campaign promotion. Ensuring a policy that makes it crystal clear expectations will not only protect the Town, but will provide transparency in the events being organized and promoted by the Town. 


If anybody has been paying attention to the County, you’ll see that not having clear policy on different things like mailers, county events, etc clearly blurs the lines, especially during a campaign year. I believe it is best to have transparent and ethical policies clearly laid out to ensure no confusion on what is or isn’t allowed.


New Fence for 5701 Landover Road

Due to concerns of safety, the Council voted on fencing for this area that was not originally planned for in FY26 budget. Unplanned expenditures happen, so we always need to make sure the Town is in a position to cover those things. 


These are just three of the many budget items that have come up across our recent meetings. I know that maintaining services and ensuring our staff earn a living wage are priorities this Town holds firmly and is not willing to compromise.

I do not want to see a $0.05 increase in the property tax rate. For a $500,000 home, that translates to roughly $250 more per year, and I know that is not a small number for many of our residents. The rising cost of living is something my own family feels, and I understand that for many others, particularly our seniors living on a fixed income, an additional $250 on top of everything else,  simply is not something that can be easily absorbed.


At the same time, I recognize that we need a balanced budget, and I am not comfortable continuing to draw down our fund balance, which has already been reduced significantly.

So before we move forward with any rate increase, I want to explore every available option. I have a few ideas I believe are worth discussing, ones that could help us meet our budget obligations without placing the full burden of a tax increase on our residents. These are preliminary thoughts, and nothing has been formally proposed or debated yet. But I am committed to having that conversation openly and collaboratively.

My goal is simple: minimize any tax increase as much as possible while protecting the personnel and services our community depends on. I do not want to balance the budget on the backs of our residents, and I equally do not want to cut the people or programs that make this community work. I believe we can find a better path forward, and I look forward to the discussion.

Ideas: 

  • Food Compost program can be an opt-in pay for or subsidized program

  • Bulk Pick up: Don’t remove the service, but there could be a small fee or cut back on how often it is offered. Charging for bulk pick up is common practice in other municipalities around us. 

    • Could incentivize donating more

    • Reduce Trash

  • Tree Services: Charge for tree services

  • Business licenses are currently $20, it could be increased.

  • Vacant Lot fees can be increased. Similar to the county increasing such fees. 

  • Increase price for equipment or materials like recycle bins and toters

  • Increase facility usage prices and possibly open up to non-Cheverly residents (could limit how many available slots per month to ensure resident priority)

  • Increase permit costs

  • Bring in more traffic cameras

    • The goal is to change behavior but a perk is it can add to revenues. Cities like Seat Pleasant bring in close to 10M in camera fines. The best part is, people will slow down. 

  • Reduce community events - youth events, resident days, etc (I am definitely not a fan of this one because to me, community is everything!)

  • Paper Newsletter 

    • Many residents love and rely on our paper newsletter, what about charging for advertising or sponsorships to subsidize the costs. Other municipalities have it like a magazine in color with actual ads and the fees to advertise cover the costs of the newsletter.

  • Reduce Council Travel and Conference budget - ours is small compared to other municipalities but it is worth the discussion


Please keep an open mind as you read through these ideas! I will be the first to admit that I am not sold on all of them, and honestly, there are a few I am not crazy about myself. But sitting here firmly opposed to a $0.05 tax increase, I felt it was important to come to the table with some potential solutions rather than just say no. These are conversation starters, nothing more, and I truly welcome your thoughts.

As you know, I believe that your voice matters. So if you have ideas, I am happy to bring them forward. If you like any of the above or want to add to it, please reach out - CMW...@CHEVERLY-MD.GOV


Please take a look at the current proposed draft of FY27 Budget. 


I do encourage you to join us on tomorrow evening - May 7 at 6:30PM for the public hearing!!


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Warmly,


Amy 🫰🏽💜🫶🏽




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