MACo’s 2025 Summer Conference “Funding the Future: The Evolving Role of Local Government,” on Aug 13-16 in Ocean City, MD, was a resounding success! Exceeding all expectations, #MACoCon 2025 achieved high attendance numbers and solidified its reputation as a premier event in Maryland’s local government landscape. 

This year’s theme, “Funding the Future: The Evolving Role of Local Government,” highlighted innovative approaches to widespread local government challenges, like road funding, energy resilience, and the effective implementation of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, among other topics. Conference attendees hailed from all levels of government and the private sector, providing counties with potential partners and resources as they work toward overcoming fiscal obstacles and competing priorities during an extremely difficult budget year.

New highlights added extra excitement to this year’s program. U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen made his MACoCon town hall debut, sparking a dynamic discussion with county officials. Comptroller Brooke Lierman sat down with MACo Executive Director Michael Sanderson for a fireside chat on fiscal realities and state–county collaboration. The exhibit hall expanded into the Bayfront to showcase even more innovative solutions for local governments. And to keep attendees energized, new iced coffee stations quickly became a crowd favorite.