An article in the Washington Post highlights the struggles of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) in maintaining and upgrading water mains in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties. The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission has 350 miles of concrete mains that have been prone to exploding without warning. The particularly large mains are designed to carry high volumes of pressurized water. Utilities around the world have struggled with this type of pipe since the 1980s, when they…

Caroline County Commissioners approved their fiscal year budget on June 4, increasing property and income tax rates.  As reported on MyEasternShoreMD.com: The budget includes a 5-cent property tax increase, approved at the commissioners' May 28 meeting, including a 3-cent increase to produce constant yield following an $800,000 decrease in tax assessments in the northern part of the county, and an additional 2-cent increase, largely to cover the increase in the county's portion of teacher pension…

Kent County Commissioner's approved a fiscal 2014 budget of almost $45 million on June 11, providing a $2,000 across the board raise for employees and retaining property and income tax rates.  Other highlights from the approved budget are listed below. Retires over $4 million of debt in the county general and water and sewer funds Reduces water and sewer rates by 4% Funds the schools at Maintenance of Effort Maintains a 10% fund balance More…

As reported by the Daily Times, Wicomico County's $127 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year was approved by the county council this morning. The budget includes about $10 million more in spending than last year and increases the property tax rate to about $9 for every $1,000 of assessed value. The county press release summarizes changes made to the budget by Council. Significant changes to the proposed budget include: A reduction of the Executive’s…

Description:  Everyone wants clean waterways, but fiscal constraints can make it difficult to put the infrastructure in place to get there. Through working with states and localities, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has developed an “integrated approach” for achieving stormwater and wastewater plans. This comprehensive approach will provide localities with the opportunity for identifying cost-effective and protective solutions and implementing the most important projects first. This session will discuss this framework and how to…