Conduit Street Podcast: Highlighting Healthcare
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January 22, 2021
Leadership Spotlight: Maintaining the Status Quo Doesn’t Lead to Greatness
It was mentioned in the previous rule in this article: the best leaders have a general philosophy that things can always be better. Spend any amount of time with Yanni Charalambous, a vice president at Occidental Petroleum, and you’ll hear him say, “Good enough isn’t good enough if it can be better, and better isn’t good enough if it can be great.” This is true because good enough is often translated into just enough, adequate,…
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January 22, 2021
Counties Wish to Hold Reckless Rental Car Drivers Accountable
On 21, January 2021 MACo Executive Director Michael Sanderson submitted written testimony to support HB 3838 Traffic Control Signal Monitoring Systems - Exclusion of Vehicle Rental Companies - Repeal and Notification Requirement. This bill seeks to hold individuals who commit traffic violations in short term rental cars accountable using red-light cameras. From the MACo Testimony: [D]rivers of rental cars are not sufficiently held accountable for their dangerous violations. HB 383 seeks to replace our current…
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January 21, 2021
Counties Ask for Flexibility with Local Revenues, Certainty for Disparity Grant Program
MACo Legislative Director Kevin Kinnally today testified before the House Ways and Means Committee in support of HB 319 Local Tax Relief for Working Families Act of 2021 with amendments to ensure the State maintains its commitment to the disparity grant program. This bill provides counties with the proper tools and flexibility to levy the local income tax with greater equity and fairness. Several county leaders testified in support of the bill, including: Steuart Pittman,…
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January 21, 2021
MACo to State: Boost Cybersecurity Support for Counties
MACo Policy Associate Drew Jabin today submitted testimony to the House Health and Government Operations Committee in support of HB 38 - State Government - Department of Information Technology - Cybersecurity. This bill would require Secretary of the Department of Information Technology, in consultation with the Attorney General, to develop and promote guidance on consistent cybersecurity strategies for counties, municipal corporations, school systems, and all other governmental entities. From the MACo Testimony: In recent years,…
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January 21, 2021
MACo Resists Costly Solar Mandate
MACo Policy Associate Drew Jabin today testified before the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee in opposition to SB 330 State-Funded Construction and Major Renovation Projects - Solar Panels - Requirement. This bill would place a costly mandate on county governments to carry out new state policy to place the maximum number of solar panels on a roof as specified during new construction or major renovation projects. From the MACo Testimony: This bill, as written, represents…
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January 21, 2021
MACo Urges Local Autonomy on Tax Breaks
MACo Legislative Director Kevin Kinnally today submitted testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee in opposition to HB 179 Income Tax - Subtraction Modification - Union Dues. This bill would allow for particular union dues to be deductions from an individual's income tax. MACo does not raise policy objections with this goal – county concerns are merely practical and cost-driven. From the MACo Testimony: MACo urges the Committee to primarily consider state income tax…
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January 21, 2021
Counties Oppose State-Mandated Reductions, Support Flexible Tax Incentives
MACo Legislative Director Kevin Kinnally today submitted testimony to the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee in opposition to SB 18 Income Tax - Subtraction Modification - School Supplies for Home Instruction and Virtual Learning. This bill would allow individuals with students in K-12 education to deduct expenses they incurred during the 2021 year to support their students' education due to the unique circumstances caused by COVID-19. MACo does not raise policy objections with this goal –…
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January 21, 2021
Fun Fact: Only Three Counties in Maryland No Longer Use Railroads. Do You Know Which Ones?
While steamboats have vanished, rail service lives on in all Maryland counties except Calvert, St. Mary’s, and Talbot. Maryland played an integral part in the creation of the railroad industry—the Baltimore & Ohio, the first intercity railroad in the Western Hemisphere, began in Baltimore in 1827. Before interstate highways, Bay Bridges and Tunnels, and motor vehicle transportation as we know it today, railroads were the way to travel between Maryland cities and towns. Baltimore City…
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January 21, 2021
Fitch Affirms Harford’s AAA Bond Rating
Fitch Ratings this week assigned AAA ratings to the following Harford County general obligation (GO) bonds: $55 million GO consolidated public improvement bonds, series 2021 The proceeds of the series 2021 bonds will fund capital improvement projects, including water and sewer projects. The bonds are scheduled to sell competitively on February 2, 2021. The GO bonds are backed by the County’s full faith and credit pledge and its unlimited taxing power, for which the County…
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January 21, 2021