School Construction and Capital Budgets Archives

Conduit Street Podcast Hot Takes: Shutdowns, SNAP, and the State of Countyland

This week on the Conduit Street Podcast, Kevin Kinnally, Michael Sanderson, and Karrington Anderson debut a new recurring segment – Conduit Street Podcast Hot Takes, where our hosts break down what’s “news” and what’s just… “noise” in Maryland policy and politics. 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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November 7, 2025

County Budgets / County News / Feature / General Assembly News / Housing and Community Development / School Construction and Capital Budgets / State Budget and Fiscal Issues / Transportation and Public Works

MACo Adopts 2026 Legislative Initiatives

In the 2026 General Assembly Session, MACo will prioritize restoring Highway User Revenues to support safe, reliable local infrastructure, expanding local housing tools, rebalancing the State–local partnership for school construction, and protecting county budget security. This week, the MACo Legislative Committee adopted the Association’s Legislative Initiatives for the 2026 Maryland General Assembly Session. While the Committee will take positions on hundreds of bills, these four issues represent counties’ top priorities for the year. RESTORE HIGHWAY…

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October 29, 2025

County Budgets / News You Can Use / School Construction and Capital Budgets / State Budget and Fiscal Issues / Winter Conference

The Cost of Classrooms: Maryland’s School Construction Funding Gap

School construction costs are climbing faster than funding can keep pace — leaving counties to bridge the gap while ensuring every student learns in a safe, modern classroom. Maryland’s long-term framework for funding school construction faces new challenges as temporary funding streams, such as Built to Learn, phase out. At the same time, inflation, material shortages, and changing enrollment patterns have driven costs higher, forcing counties to stretch local dollars further than ever before. At…

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October 28, 2025

School Construction and Capital Budgets / State Budget and Fiscal Issues

State Continues Debt Commitment for Schools, Housing, and More

Last Thursday the Capital Debt Affordability Committee (CDAC) convened to finalize recommendations for the state’s fiscal year 2027 capital budget. Members voted to maintain the borrowing of $1.75B but align the issuance closer with actual spending that has slowed in recent years. Chaired by the State Treasurer, the committee’s primary task during the meeting last week was to vote on the maximum level of new general obligation (GO) debt the state may prudently authorize, as…

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October 22, 2025

County Budgets / County News / Economic Development / Emergency Management / Finance and Procurement / School Construction and Capital Budgets / State Budget and Fiscal Issues / Transportation and Public Works

Conduit Street Podcast: Revenues, Roads, and Rising Risks

This week on the Conduit Street Podcast, Kevin Kinnally and Michael Sanderson unpack Maryland’s fiscal outlook. 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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September 26, 2025

Policy Deep Dive / School Construction and Capital Budgets / State Budget and Fiscal Issues

Deep Dive: Is MD Keeping Up With School Construction?

A recent report on Maryland's public school construction efforts lays out the deepest evaluation of this priority effort in decades. The bottom line seems clear: Maryland's structure to support new and renovated school buildings is effective overall, but the total commitment has been dwarfed by cost increases, and we have fallen behind on this essential commitment to education. The report from Comptroller Brooke Lierman's office, "State Spending Series: School Construction," offers a timely look at…

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September 24, 2025

School Construction and Capital Budgets / State Budget and Fiscal Issues

Comptroller’s Report Suggests Dedicated State Revenue for School Construction

A new report from Comptroller Lierman's office sheds light on dire needs in school construction, saying state funding and a change to the funding formulas could be in order. According to a report by Comptroller Lierman's team, keeping up with school construction and renovation needs statewide is becoming a major challenge. In a 30-page document published last week, the agency covered an analysis of the state of school infrastructure, current school funding strategies, and a…

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September 22, 2025

County Budgets / School Construction and Capital Budgets

Counties Bridge Financial Gaps With Public-Private Partnerships

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. Local governments are regularly tasked with braiding complex funding streams to ensure the vitality of public infrastructure and services. With federal dollars in limbo, weak revenue, and higher costs here to stay, maintaining government infrastructure has…

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July 24, 2025

Economic Development / School Construction and Capital Budgets

Another Step Forward for Major Montgomery Mixed-Use Development Project

$250,000 of state funding has been approved for Montgomery County's Project Connect, which promises a transit-oriented life sciences center at the North Bethesda Metro Station. The grant will be used to assist with public outreach and feedback. The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) was awarded $250,000 in funding by the Maryland Department of Transportation to support the development of a mixed-use transit development project in North Bethesda -  Project Connect. The grant will fund…

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July 10, 2025

Education / Policy Deep Dive / School Construction and Capital Budgets

The ABCs of the IAC – How School Construction Costs Are Shared In 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. Funding for school construction in Maryland is a shared responsibility between the state and county jurisdictions. The Maryland Interagency Commission on School Construction (IAC) is the primary entity at the state level that partners with local…

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June 19, 2025