Read more about the article Maryland’s FY25 Surplus Sets Stage for Deficit Years Ahead
Source: Department of Legislative Services
County Budgets / Feature / General Assembly News / News You Can Use / State Budget and Fiscal Issues / Taxes and Revenues
Maryland’s FY25 Surplus Sets Stage for Deficit Years Ahead

Maryland closed fiscal 2025 with a $521 million surplus — a short-term win that masks deep volatility and looming deficits with significant consequences for both State and county budgets. Maryland closed fiscal 2025 with general fund revenues $521 million above estimates, according to the Department of Legislative Services (DLS) presentation this week to the House Appropriations Committee. However, the details reveal both the volatility of Maryland's revenue base and the risks that lie ahead for State and…

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September 24, 2025
Read more about the article MDOT Drafts $21.5B Transportation Plan — But Local Road Funding Still Falls Off a Cliff
County Budgets / County News / Feature / State Budget and Fiscal Issues / Transportation and Public Works
MDOT Drafts $21.5B Transportation Plan — But Local Road Funding Still Falls Off a Cliff

The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) has released its Draft Consolidated Transportation Program (CTP) for fiscal years 2026–2031, a $21.5 billion capital plan that outlines investments in highways, transit, aviation, and ports. While the draft adds nearly $300 million compared to last year’s program, the headline for counties is far more sobering: Highway User Revenues are on track to plunge off a cliff, wiping out nearly $110 million in local road funding practically overnight. Local…

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September 3, 2025
Read more about the article Policy Deep Dive: Mail-In Voting — Headlines vs. Reality
Elections / Feature / NACo and Federal Issues / News You Can Use / Policy Deep Dive
Policy Deep Dive: Mail-In Voting — Headlines vs. Reality

This article is part of MACo’s Policy Deep Dive series, where expert policy analysts unpack complex policy questions with precise, county-focused analysis. Read all of MACo’s Policy Deep Dives. The Short Version A president cannot ban mail-in voting by executive order. States run elections. Congress could attempt to regulate federal races, but significant changes would face constitutional limits and political challenges. Maryland law still guarantees no-excuse mail-in voting, drop boxes, early voting, and in-person voting…

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August 26, 2025
Read more about the article Live From Summer #MACoCon With Comptroller Brooke Lierman
County Budgets / County News / Economic Development / Feature / Finance and Procurement / Housing and Community Development / Intergovernmental Relations / Summer Conference
Live From Summer #MACoCon With Comptroller Brooke Lierman

This week on the Conduit Street Podcast, we bring you a special treat from the 2025 MACo Summer Conference, and it might involve MACo Executive Director Michael Sanderson taking a turn with the Crab Feast band! But the feature comes to us from a great 2025 #MACoCon 1-on-1 session is Comptroller Brooke Lierman.   Tune in to the Conduit Street Podcast weekly, wherever you get your podcasts! Subscribe to the Conduit Street Blog and stay in…

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August 22, 2025
Read more about the article Deep Dive: Counties Now Forced to Pay for a Process They Don’t Control — and Never Did
County Budgets / Feature / General Assembly News / Government Liability and Courts / News You Can Use / Policy Deep Dive / State Budget and Fiscal Issues
Deep Dive: Counties Now Forced to Pay for a Process They Don’t Control — and Never Did

This article is part of MACo’s Policy Deep Dive series, where expert policy analysts explore and explain the top county policy issues of the day. Read all of MACo’s Policy Deep Dives. In Maryland, county governments do not prosecute, convict, or exonerate anyone. They play no role in determining wrongful incarceration settlements. Yet a new law forces them to pay the bill anyway. The 2025 Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act (BRFA) requires counties to cover…

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August 5, 2025
Read more about the article No Help on the Way: FEMA Refuses Aid After Devastating Western Maryland Floods
County News / Emergency Management / Feature / NACo and Federal Issues
No Help on the Way: FEMA Refuses Aid After Devastating Western Maryland Floods

Maryland is preparing to appeal the federal government’s decision to deny disaster assistance for Western Maryland after catastrophic flooding in May caused tens of millions of dollars in damage. Governor Wes Moore announced the denial this week, following the State’s formal request for federal aid to support recovery efforts in Allegany and Garrett counties — two areas that bore the brunt of severe flooding that damaged homes, roads, public utilities, and essential infrastructure. Over several…

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July 23, 2025
Read more about the article Deep Dive: US Senate Passes Sweeping Reconciliation Bill — State, Local Fallout Ahead
County Budgets / Feature / NACo and Federal Issues / Policy Deep Dive / State Budget and Fiscal Issues / Summer Conference
Deep Dive: US Senate Passes Sweeping Reconciliation Bill — State, Local Fallout Ahead

This article is part of MACo’s Policy Deep Dive series, where expert policy analysts explore and explain the top county policy issues of the day. Read all of MACo’s Policy Deep Dives. Update: The OBBBA was signed into law on Friday, July 4, 2025, marking the first significant tax package of the president's second term. The US Senate passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) this week, a massive budget reconciliation package with significant…

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July 2, 2025
Read more about the article Medicaid, SNAP, SALT: Joint Committee Reviews Billions in Federal Budget Risks to Maryland
County Budgets / County News / Feature / General Assembly News / NACo and Federal Issues / State Budget and Fiscal Issues / Summer Conference / Taxes and Revenues
Medicaid, SNAP, SALT: Joint Committee Reviews Billions in Federal Budget Risks to Maryland

Facing potential cost shifts in the billions, Maryland lawmakers met this week to assess how sweeping federal budget proposals and policy changes could upend the State’s finances -- with ripple effects likely to reach counties through increased service demands, reduced federal support, and added pressure on local budgets. The Maryland General Assembly's Joint Committee on Federal Relations convened its first interim meeting this week to assess the mounting federal fiscal and policy challenges, including the…

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June 25, 2025
Read more about the article Deep Dive: US House Passes Reconciliation Bill — What it Means for Counties
Feature / NACo and Federal Issues / News You Can Use
Deep Dive: US House Passes Reconciliation Bill — What it Means for Counties

This article is part of MACo’s Policy Deep Dive series, where expert policy analysts explore and explain the top county policy issues of the day. Read all of MACo’s Policy Deep Dives.  Last week, the US House of Representatives narrowly passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) by a vote of 215-214. The bill advances significant federal tax cuts, entitlement program changes, and regulatory rollbacks, and includes provisions with profound implications for state and…

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May 27, 2025
Read more about the article Conduit Street Podcast: Disaster Dollars in Danger — Federal Funding Fades, County Risks Rise
County News / Emergency Management / Feature / NACo and Federal Issues
Conduit Street Podcast: Disaster Dollars in Danger — Federal Funding Fades, County Risks Rise

On the latest episode of the Conduit Street Podcast, Ben Yelin joins Kevin Kinnally to break down the seismic shifts in emergency management, including recent leadership changes at FEMA, the termination of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, and the ripple effects for local governments.   Tune in to the Conduit Street Podcast weekly, wherever you get your podcasts! Subscribe to the Conduit Street Blog and stay in the know!

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May 15, 2025
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