During his State of the County address Tuesday night, Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly declared the county is no longer a “bedroom community” and that he is focused on public safety enhancements, education funding, support for economic development and improved quality of life for residents.

Nearly every seat in the Harford County Council chambers was filled for the address as Cassilly outlined accomplishments at the midpoint of his four-year term and charted goals and ambitions for the future.

Public safety

Public safety has been Cassilly’s “No. 1 priority” since his first day in office in 2022, he said.

Cassilly said his first major public safety advancement was funding 17 full-time paid ambulance crews which has lowered emergency response times. He remains focused on recruitment and retention of volunteer fire and EMS personnel and intends to increase tuition assistance and advertising efforts. Construction of the new Abingdon Volunteer Fire Company firehouse in Belcamp is on schedule for completion this fall. The new location will allow first responders to better serve the I-95 corridor, he said.

Cassilly also touted the county’s $1.1 million in funding for Harford County Public Schools to install enhanced security measures such as weapons detection systems after a fatal shooting at Joppatowne High School last year.

For the county sheriff’s office, Cassilly said he has funded 10 new deputy positions and seven new Student Resource Officers; police officer compensation has also increased by 14% during his term.

“We are exceptionally well served and honored to keep the promise to our sheriff’s deputies that we made at the beginning of this administration to keep them as our top funding priority,” Cassilly said. “We will continue to invest in our law enforcement officers; these outstanding men and women who serve us every day.”

Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler was at the address, and during his speech Cassilly addressed Gahler directly, telling him he looked forward to working with him and appreciates his support.

Education 

Cassilly has faced criticism over his public school funding decisions. The public school system faces a $60 million funding deficit for fiscal 2026, which begins July 1.

With teacher salaries a main priority, Cassilly said he and his administration will continue to work closely with school officials to deliver students a “first-class education.”

“Harford County has, and will continue to fund our schools at or above state requirements,” Cassilly said. “My administration will continue to work closely with the board of education and Superintendent Bulson to ensure our children have a first-rate education.”

First-year teachers in Harford are on track to earn $60,000 a year, as required by the statewide education funding initiative Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, Cassilly said.

He also noted that Harford County government had created an apprenticeship program for high school students and said two students have been hired with the Department of Parks and Recreation through the program.

Cassilly said Harford leads the state in apprenticeships, with 250 students working at 168 companies.

“Maximizing taxpayer dollars is essential.”

A pillar of Cassilly’s administration has been no tax increases. Cassilly has routinely emphasized the importance of stretching tax dollars through government efficiency and cost cutting.

“We were early to the game in recognizing that state and county revenue projections were not at all sufficient to sustain suspected budgeting increases,” he said. “We took the responsible step of pumping the brakes on spending.”

Cassilly said that when he took office, the county had a multi-million dollar deficit, forcing him to reduce spending. Through his administration’s Government Efficiency Task Force Cassilly has:

  • Analyzed vehicle usage and maintenance to minimize the cost of servicing and buying vehicles.
  • Prioritized maintenance and preventative repairs on buildings.
  • Brought legal services in house, saving more than $1 million in outside legal fees
  • Made high tech investments in public transportation that has allowed the county to capture more federal grant funding and save $1 million.
  • Created a “low mow” program that reduces the number of times grass is cut throughout the year — saving money and helping the environment.

“Rather than yield to political pressure and overspend, we have undertaken tough measures to reduce the structural deficit that we inherited and ensure that the rate of growth in county spending matches the rate of growth of our tax dollars — avoiding any need to increase the tax rate,” Cassilly said.

Economic development and small business

The county’s Office of Economic Development met with 760 new businesses in Harford County in 2024, Cassilly said. With the burden of low revenue projections at the state level hindering Harford’s economic growth, he said supporting small business and high-tech manufacturing is key.

“For generations Harford was viewed as a bedroom community to Baltimore and our economic success depended heavily on the amount of land we cleared to build houses to support the Baltimore workforce,” Cassilly said. “It is a new day. Modern high-tech manufacturing is here.”

High-tech manufacturing is different from warehouses that Cassilly said “chew up precious real-estate” and offer “low wage jobs.” High-tech manufacturing in Harford includes weapons detection companies such as Smith’s Detection, which contracts with the U.S. military, ad Service Engineering, which builds drones for the Army.

By focusing on attracting what Cassilly says is a highly skilled workforce in Harford County, the business community has brought 850 new jobs to Harford and has made more than $547 million in capital investments.

“We can’t tax our way out of fiscal challenges,” Cassilly said. “Efficiencies and economic development are key.”

Quality of life 

Cassilly said amenities such as the Ma and Pa Heritage Trail draw workers and their families to live, work and play in Harford County. By March 2026, Cassilly said the final section of the 8-mile Ma and Pa Heritage Trail will be complete.

Harford’s farmland and open space has been valued by residents for decades and is something Cassilly said his administration will continue to protect.

Cooperating with the Harford County Council, Harford has protected more than 2,500 acres of agricultural land through the county’s agricultural preservation program.

Cassilly said his administration has stopped construction of projects outside of the county’s development corridor to protect open space; he has shut down projects that “violated environmental laws clogging the bay and streams with silt” and will continue to grow Harford through what he says is smart development that benefits residents — not just developers.

Cassilly said his administration has also added 132 acres of parkland in Joppatowne and Edgewood and more ball fields and a recreational center are coming. A master draft plan for the 1,400 acre, waterfront Oakington Peninsula park between Havre de Grace and Aberdeen is also nearing completion.

In southern areas of the county that have historically been neglected such as Edgewood and Joppatowne, Cassilly said his administration has worked closely with community partners like the Southern County Task Force to invest in those areas.

Joppatowne and Edgewood now have street sweepers operating on a regular basis; more than 18 miles of newly paved public roadways and repaired sidewalks. Recreational programs have been expanded there by 38%.

“Whether you live in Bel Air or Belcamp, Jarrettsville or Joppatowne, we are all neighbors and everybody matters,” Cassilly said. “We are all up to the challenge to make Harford County the best it can be. The state of Harford County is strong.”

Other initiatives include:

  • The start of a three-year project for a new interchange at Route 24 and Interstate 95.
  • The completion of a final engineering design for Woodley Road in Perryman that would reroute truck traffic from residential parts of Perryman.
  • Funding of an enhancement project to the intersection of Route 23 and Grafton Shop Road in Forest Hill that has been the scene of numerous fatal crash crashes.
  • New sidewalks in Edgewood along Edgewood Road and Route 40 to replace mud paths.
  • Traffic light timing improvements along Route 24.

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