MARYLAND (WBFF) — Maryland counties are being forced to squeeze funding for paramedics and EMTs as rising costs and reduced state support put pressure on local budgets.
The pressure intensified July 1, when Gov. Wes Moore’s fiscal 2027 budget took effect and shifted more costs to local governments, including reducing the state’s contribution to teachers’ pensions and education programs. The changes mean counties must absorb more of those costs while also facing rising expenses to staff emergency services, local leaders told The Baltimore Sun on Wednesday.
Harford County added $10 million to its education costs in fiscal 2027, county Treasurer Robert Sandlass said, putting additional pressure on the county’s ability to fund emergency personnel as it struggles to recruit and retain paramedics and EMTs.
“The county has had to hire all of those paramedics and EMTs and outfit them, and that’s certainly one of those places where [costs] are just going to get more and more expensive,” said Harford County Treasurer Robert Sandlass. “It’s a very tight labor market for those individuals. They’re highly skilled. They’re in demand. You have to pay a market rate.”
Read the full story on the Baltimore Sun.
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