Although some economic recovery has helped stem the decline in major revenues, the state budget is still facing a $1.5 billion shortfall due to the discontinuation of federal stimulus funds and the shock of great weakness in housing markets.  Local governments are anticipating further challenges as property assessments suffer unprecedented declines and the possibility of a shift in teacher pension responsibilities looms.  During this session, being held on Thursday, January 6 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.,  a leading regional economist and a well respected county budget director will discuss the latest economic forecasts and explain their relevance to budget planning.   Speakers include:

Anirban Basu, CEO, Sage Policy Group

Ray Wacks, Budget Director, Howard County

Conference registration information can be found on the MACo website or in a previous blog post.  The early discount rate for the 2011 MACo Winter Conference ends December 7th.