At the MACo Summer Conference, county officials and experts examined the future of Maryland’s transportation funding system, from the erosion of Highway User Revenues (HUR) to growing transit needs.
Once a reliable funding stream for local roads and bridges, HUR has steadily declined due to repeated State-level policy changes. State Delegate Mark Edelson, a leading advocate on transportation issues, moderated the Rethinking Road Revenue: A Rational Approach to Transportation Funding session and an engaging Q&A.
Kicking off #MACoCon’s “Rethinking Road Revenue: A Rational Approach to Transportation Funding” — a deep dive into long-term challenges for Maryland’s transportation system and practical, equitable solutions to restore local funding.#MDpolitics #localgov pic.twitter.com/Uchd6I5tt7
— Kevin Kinnally (@KKinnally_MACo) August 15, 2025
Panel speakers included:
- David Juppe, Revenue and Legislation Manager, Prince George’s County Office of Budget and Management
- Morgan E. Weisman, Budget Management Analyst, Prince George’s County Office of Budget and Management
- Julia Cortina, Associate Legislative Director, National Association of Counties (NACo)
Julia Cortina put Maryland’s struggles in a national context. She explained that counties across the country face similar funding shortfalls as they shoulder more of the responsibility for infrastructure without corresponding revenue. She emphasized that NACo continues to press for federal and state partnerships that recognize local governments’ outsized role in maintaining essential transportation assets.
David Juppe provided historical context, explaining how HUR was established in 1968 to share a portion of State transportation taxes with counties, municipalities, and Baltimore City. For decades, local governments received up to 30–40 percent of revenues. But after deep State cuts beginning in 2010, counties’ share dropped as low as 8.5 percent.
Juppe stressed the imbalance this creates, noting that counties and municipalities maintain between 77 and 83 percent of Maryland’s road miles but receive less than 20 percent of transportation revenues.
Morgan Weisman explained how structural policy changes have steadily weakened local transportation revenues. She noted that revenue from the last three significant tax increases went almost entirely to the State’s Transportation Trust Fund, leaving counties with a shrinking base.
Weisman highlighted the 2018 law that converted HUR into capital grants, which made funding less stable and harder to predict. Under current law, the local share will fall from 20 percent in fiscal 2027 to just 15.6 percent in fiscal 2028 and beyond, a drop that threatens county budgets unless lawmakers act to fix it.
Delegate Mark Edelson closed the session by looking ahead. He pointed to regional transportation authorities as a potential tool to meet growing transit needs across counties, stressing that local leaders must continue to push for innovative, collaborative solutions.
Edelson underscored the importance of strong, consistent advocacy from county elected officials and professionals, noting that without legislative action in the 2026 legislative session, Highway User Revenues will drop sharply in fiscal 2028. As one of the General Assembly’s leading advocates on transportation funding, he emphasized the urgency of passing legislation to prevent HUR from falling off a cliff and to restore a fair, sustainable partnership between the State and its counties.
The session was on August 15 at the Roland Powell Convention Center in Ocean City, Maryland.
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