Local Management Boards are active in all 24 of Maryland’s counties and perform a variety of critical roles to support Maryland children and families. MACo Winter Conference attendees learned about these critical pieces of local infrastructure and why it’s important to partner with them.

Established in the 1990s, Local Management Boards (LMBs) are quasi-authorities of local government. LMBs empower local authorities to plan, implement, and monitor service programs for organizations that serve youth and families.

Active in each jurisdiction, the LMBs collaborate with local stakeholders and agencies to support many aspects of child and family services, including reducing the impact of incarceration on communities, reducing youth homelessness and child hunger, and preventing out-of-state residential placements. Each county has an LMB, but models vary. In some counties, LMBs are functions of local government, in others, the LMB responsibilities are contracted out to local nonprofits, while others operate a hybrid of the two.

Counties have an important role in supporting an array of critical programing and services via Local Management Boards (LMBs). LMBs, a conduit for state-local partnerships to implement public services related to youth, social services, and healthcare, are prime examples of the role of county governments to empower communities.

At the Winter MACo Conference session,”The ABCs of LMBs: Investing in Your State-County Partnership“, participants learned about LMBs, their robust duties, and how county governments can support their critical mission to empower Maryland families.

During the panel, Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman summarized his administration’s successful work with its LMB and explained to newly elected county officials why it’s important they develop a strong collaborative partnership with their local LMB.

The directors of three LMBs — from Anne Arundel, Howard, and Queen Anne’s Counties — each then explained different aspects of LMBs, such as their history and infrastructure, role as a conduit between county and state government, and the history of their funding.

Speakers:

• Pamela Brown, Executive Director, Anne Arundel County Partnership for Children, Youth, and Families
• Kim Eisenreich, Administrator, Howard County Office of the Local Children’s Board
• Mike Clark, Chief of Housing & Family Services, Queen Anne’s County

Moderator-participant:

• The Honorable Steuart Pittman, County Executive, Anne Arundel County