At the Maryland Municipal League convention earlier this week, Governor Larry Hogan delivered a well-received message to the audience of mainly local government officials – who have tabbed restoring the share of state transportation revenues as their top legislative priority for years:
The Governor had included an increase in local road funding in his proposed budget for FY 2017 — a proposal that passed the Senate and House nearly unanimously, but was surprisingly withdrawn when the conference committee report resolved areas of difference between the two chambers.
In the Washington Post coverage of the evening’s speech, the Governor urged local officials to continue the effort to fund local priorities:
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said Tuesday night that he will continue to fight the Democratic-majority legislature over the funding of transportation road projects and enlisted the help of local elected officials to join him.
During a 10-minute address before a crowd of about 700 people at the Maryland Municipal League Convention, Hogan said “we cannot and will not let” the General Assembly hinder road and bridge repairs.
“We’re going to keep fighting to make sure these priority road projects in every jurisdiction continue to move forward,” Hogan said. “But we need our municipal and our county officials, each and every one of you, to stand with us so our roads and highways don’t go back down a path of neglect and under investment.”
The Governor also decried legislation creating a scoring system for major transportation projects, and vowed to defend local priorities in their continued selection.
Read more on Highway User Revenues from Conduit Street:
