APRIL 10, 2025
BERLIN • NORTH WORCESTER COUNTY• OCEAN PINES
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SUBMITTED PHOTO/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
Members of the SkillsUSA team from Worcester Technical High School gather for a photo at the state’s competition March 28-30 in Westminster.
SkillsUSA
Worcester Tech students head to nat’l contest By Tara Fischer Staff Writer (April 10, 2025) After a successful run at their state competition, Worcester Technical High School’s SkillsUSA participants are gearing up for the national contest, where the students will display their real-world abilities as they compete against peers from across the country. This June, over 20 Worcester Tech students will travel to Atlanta, Georgia, for the week-long SkillsUSA national competition in various See SKILLSUSA Page 6
Berlin tax rate could stay as-is Rate left unchanged would bring in about $359,000 more money for FY2026 By Tara Fischer Staff Writer (April 10, 2025) The Berlin Mayor and Council plan to keep the property tax rate flat for fiscal year 2026 at $0.8275 per $100 of a property’s assessed value. The Berlin Mayor and Council met for a general fund budget work session earlier this week. While stagnant, the property tax rate will generate additional revenue for the town in FY26 from rising property values, said Zack Tyndall, the municipality’s mayor.
“This budget keeps the tax rate the same, and that’s at $0.8275 per $100 assessed value,” Tyndall said. “Keeping the tax rate the same will generate about $359,000 in additional revenue for FY26, which comes out to about a 7% increase from FY25.” The tax rate yielded $4,563,392 last fiscal year. This year, the tax is projected to generate $4,922,500 in revenue, an 8% increase. Berlin Finance Director Natalie Saleh opposes the council’s decision to maintain the tax rate. She argued the increase in property values, which will bring in more revenue even with a flat rate, is still not enough to keep up with rising costs and needs. “We are advancing a lot from reserves to fund capital projects,” Saleh
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said. “It’s not a good practice to advance money from reserves and fund future capital projects … Most of the projects we see on the general fund and the utility sides are either a carried forward project funded from reserves or a new project which will be funded potentially from reserves.” The finance director reiterated that the council should consider increasing the tax rate incrementally to ensure the town’s financial stability. “We … pretty much rely on the real estate tax as revenue for the general fund,” she said. “I encourage you to rethink an incremental increase in the tax rate so that it will allow us to plan for a five- and 10-year capital plan in the future and be sustainable See BERLIN Page 4
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