County Executive Steve Schuh announced that his administration will propose a $2,000 first-time home buyer stipend for all uniformed, public safety department personnel who purchase a home in Anne Arundel County.
“We want to recruit and retain top talent in all our public safety departments,” said Schuh. “This proposal will encourage those who protect our County to live in the communities they serve.”
The proposal will be a part of the County’s initial offer during this winter’s collective bargaining agreement negotiations. The stipend would be available to all uniformed personnel in the police, fire, detention departments, as well as the Sheriff’s Office.
Since December 2014, Anne Arundel County has added more than 85 positions to the public safety departments, and salaries have risen an average of 12 percent.
This fall and winter, the County will break ground on a new Police Academy and Central Booking Facility. Over the next six years, the County will also be constructing or refurbishing the Lake Shore, Galesville, Jacobsville, Herald Harbor, Harmans Dorsey, and South Glen Burnie fire stations.
These capital projects were made possible through the JumpStart Anne Arundel capital project financing program. Enacted in 2015, the capital plan embraces a 30-year bond financing option. This reform has allowed Anne Arundel County to expand its capital funding program and make critical school, public safety, road, and quality of life infrastructure improvements from Brooklyn Park to Pasadena to Annapolis to Odenton.
