The Harford County Council approved more than $6 million in budget cuts and asked County Executive Bob Cassilly to use the savings to increase funding to public safety, Harford Community College, and other areas.

The council asked for an increase of $240,000 for Harford State’s Attorney’s Office staff salary increases; $600,000 to hire additional court security deputies and $200,000 for Harford Community College to stave off tuition increases.

Cassilly said he would not submit an amendment to increase funding, which prompted the council to submit numerous other amendments that threatened crucial funding.

“We are talking about a $1.4 billion budget where we have unassigned [reserve fund] levels at $6 million and assigned [reserve funds] at $150 million,” Council President Patrick Vincenti said during the council’s meeting Tuesday. “I told the county executive that if he would reconsider his position and reappropriate $1,040,000 to those agencies, these amendments would go away.”

The cuts would reduce bond funding for site acquisition by $5 million; remove $340,000 from legal services; and reduce information and communication technology funding by $700,000.

Cassilly explained that he is against the cuts and reallocation requests since external agencies such as the state’s attorney’s office, the sheriff’s office, the Board of Education and the community college absorb 75% of the county’s budget.

“Since I got here, we have been doing cuts and finding efficiencies in the county government, which frankly, the other 75% of the budget has not been doing,” Cassilly said. “The outside entities are the top paid people. Their salaries are higher than ours, their spending is higher than ours.”

Council member Jim Reilly agreed with Cassilly and asked Vincenti why the court needs increased security and whether the council president understands the impact the cuts would have on the county’s legal services.

“I don’t know,” Vincenti responded. “Those individuals that are in charge of those departments and offices know what their needs are better than anyone else.”

Reilly expressed frustration with salary increases for the state’s attorney’s office.

“We are just going to cut $340,000 from legal services to give to the state’s attorney who is already getting an 11% increase to her employees,” Reilly said. “The county is only getting 3% [raises] and the state’s attorney is getting 11% and we are giving them more. It’s amazing to me.”

Each amendment passed Tuesday night in a 6-1 vote with Reilly casting a dissenting vote for each amendment.

The cuts to IT and legal services will result in the county becoming vulnerable to malware and layoffs in the county’s law department, Cassilly said.

“At least we can go back to these agencies and say ‘We heard you, we took the appropriate steps and unfortunately, the county executive chose not to,’” Vincenti said, noting that Cassilly has another week to submit amendments if he changes his mind.

The council has to approve the fiscal 2026 operating budget by June 15. The new fiscal year starts July 1.

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