MACo Policy Associate Alex Butler testified on February 21, 2020 to support HB 203 (CF SB 614) – Community Parks and Playgrounds Program – Baltimore County and Howard County – Expansion. The bill would allow Baltimore and Howard Counties to receive grants from the community parks and playgrounds fund, which are generally reserved for municipalities. Neither county has municipalities within their boundaries, leaving a large section of Maryland without access to these funds.

From the MACo Testimony:

The Community Parks and Playgrounds Program administered by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) provides $2.5 million in grants on a competitive basis for approved projects to local governments every year. These grants may go towards improvements to existing parks, land acquisition for new parks, the development of new parks, and playground equipment. Applicants are limited to one grant application package per round of grant competition and must prioritize their list of projects. This allows DNR to consider all applicant submissions equally and award grants to the worthiest projects.

Follow MACo’s advocacy efforts during the 2020 legislative session on MACo’s Legislative Tracking Database.