Read more about the article Decoding the Looming Federal Government Shutdown & Its Impact on Maryland
County Budgets / County News / Feature / NACo and Federal Issues / Policy Deep Dive / State Budget and Fiscal Issues
Decoding the Looming Federal Government Shutdown & Its Impact on Maryland

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. A new article is added each week – read all of MACo's Policy Deep Dives. The US government is approaching yet another possible shutdown as Congress struggles to reach a consensus on a series of appropriations bills that fund government operations before the start of the new fiscal year on…

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September 21, 2023
Read more about the article Regulation Roundup: All of MACo’s Public Comments on Draft Paid Leave Regulations
Employee Benefits and Relations / Human Resources / Policy Deep Dive
Regulation Roundup: All of MACo’s Public Comments on Draft Paid Leave Regulations

This article is part of MACo’s Deep Dive series, where expert analysts explore and explain the top county issues of the day. A new article is added each week – read all of MACo’s Deep Dives. The Time to Care Act (TCA), passed by the Maryland legislature earlier this year, requires employers with at least 15 employees in the state to offer State-mandated paid family leave benefits beginning in 2025. All 24 of Maryland’s counties — as…

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September 6, 2023
Read more about the article Navigating Multiple Priorities: Counties and the Challenge of Limited Resources
Agriculture / County Budgets / Economic Development / Education / Emergency Management / Energy / Environment / Health and Human Services / Housing and Community Development / Information Technology / Intergovernmental Relations / Parks and Recreation / Planning and Zoning / Policy Deep Dive / Public Safety and Corrections / School Construction and Capital Budgets / Taxes and Revenues / Transportation and Public Works
Navigating Multiple Priorities: Counties and the Challenge of Limited Resources

This article is part of MACo’s Deep Dive series, where expert analysts explore and explain the top county issues of the day. A new article is added each week – read all of MACo’s Deep Dives. Local autonomy is a core principle of Maryland’s political system. At its most basic level, local autonomy means empowering county leaders to solve county problems. This empowerment lends counties a unique and, at times, misunderstood perspective. Often, advocates and stakeholders…

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August 31, 2023
Read more about the article Here’s What Counties Need to Know About the AIB’s Updated Blueprint Implementation Plan
County News / Education / Policy Deep Dive
Here’s What Counties Need to Know About the AIB’s Updated Blueprint Implementation Plan

This article is part of MACo’s Deep Dive series, where expert analysts explore and explain the top county issues of the day. A new article is added each week – read all of MACo’s Deep Dives. The Blueprint Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) adopted an updated plan to guide school districts as they incorporate groundbreaking educational reform law known as the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, or "The Blueprint." At an August 1 special meeting, the AIB,…

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August 2, 2023
Read more about the article Detention Dilemma, Part 2: Analyzing Corrections Bills
Policy Deep Dive / Public Safety and Corrections
Detention Dilemma, Part 2: Analyzing Corrections Bills

This article is part of MACo’s Deep Dive series, where expert analysts explore and explain the top county issues of the day. A new article is added each week – read all of MACo’s Deep Dives. The first deep dive installment of the Detention Dilemma series gave a broad overview of local detention centers: what they do and, as importantly, what they do not do. A podcast episode explored this topic even further with the expert…

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July 27, 2023
Read more about the article Sowing Seeds for Solar…Are Taxes An Essential Element?
County News / Planning and Zoning / Policy Deep Dive / Taxes and Revenues
Sowing Seeds for Solar…Are Taxes An Essential Element?

This article is part of MACo's Deep Dive series, where expert analysts explore and explain the top county issues of the day. A new article is added each week – read all of MACo's Deep Dives. As Maryland races to meet its goal of 100 percent renewable energy by 2035 and achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the state's economy by 2045, there is significant pressure to ramp up clean energy production. But while many policymakers…

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July 21, 2023
Read more about the article The Looming “Child Care Cliff” – Is Maryland Close to the Edge?
County News / Education / Policy Deep Dive / School Construction and Capital Budgets / Summer Conference
The Looming “Child Care Cliff” – Is Maryland Close to the Edge?

This article is part of MACo’s Deep Dive series, where expert analysts explore and explain the top county issues of the day. A new article is added each week – read all of MACo’s Deep Dives.  The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (“The Blueprint”) prioritizes early childhood education as its first pillar, including the gradual but eventual universal access to prekindergarten for 3- and 4-year-old children. Doing so is a monumental undertaking proving to offer both challenges…

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July 12, 2023
Read more about the article State Report Reveals Options to Meet Net-Zero Emissions Goals
Energy / Environment / Feature / Policy Deep Dive / Summer Conference / Transportation and Public Works
State Report Reveals Options to Meet Net-Zero Emissions Goals

This article is part of MACo’s Deep Dive series, where expert analysts explore and explain the top county issues of the day. A new article is added each week – read all of MACo’s Deep Dives.  Late last week the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) released a report presenting options to meet Maryland’s ambitious climate goals of 60% emissions reductions by 2031 and net-zero emissions by 2045. The report describes a potential pathway, as required…

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July 5, 2023
Read more about the article County Public Safety Officials Prepare for Recreational Cannabis Launch This Saturday
Cannabis / Feature / Health and Human Services / Policy Deep Dive / Public Safety and Corrections
County Public Safety Officials Prepare for Recreational Cannabis Launch This Saturday

This article is part of MACo’s Deep Dive series, where expert analysts explore and explain the top county issues of the day. A new article is added each week – read all of MACo’s Deep Dives.  In a recent interview, Baltimore County Police estimated 450,000 new cannabis users would begin to enter the legal market on July 1, making driver impairment training for officers a priority in order to ensure the safety of Maryland roadways. A…

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June 28, 2023
Read more about the article Commercial Real Estate: Apocalypse or Opportunity?
Economic Development / Energy / Environment / Feature / Housing and Community Development / Intergovernmental Relations / Planning and Zoning / Policy Deep Dive / Transportation and Public Works
Commercial Real Estate: Apocalypse or Opportunity?

This article is part of MACo’s Deep Dive series, where expert analysts explore and explain the top county issues of the day. A new article is added each week – read all of MACo’s Deep Dives.  For decades, commercial real estate has served as a safe investment for the public and private sectors. Policymakers and investors alike viewed commercial corridors as engines of growth. Leases were traditionally longer than residential real estate, translating into more predictable…

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June 22, 2023
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