Public Safety and Corrections / Uncategorized
Webinar: Disaster Resilience in 2030

Tomorrow at 2pm, The National Association of Counties (NACo) is hosting a webinar, From the County Up: Toward a 2030 Vision of Disaster Resilience. As described by NACo, the webinar will be an opportunity to discuss topics in emergency management with the National Academy of Sciences experts, and hear about their new report that emphasizes the importance of local action. Join NACo First Vice President Linda Langston and the National Academy of Sciences for a…

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March 26, 2013
County Budgets / Employee Benefits and Relations / Uncategorized
Frederick County Provides Voluntary Retirement Incentive

This week the Frederick Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to provide eligible employees with a limited-time, voluntary retirement incentive opportunity.  The benefit is intended to provide budgetary savings, reduce payroll expenses and provide long-term Frederick County Government employees who would like to retire with financial assistance.  As described by Frederick County, Based on years of service, 154 county employees are eligible to take advantage of the voluntary retirement incentive. The amount of the benefit…

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March 21, 2013
Elections / General Assembly News / Uncategorized
Legislation Passes Authorizing Special Elections By Mail

Legislation has passed both the House and Senate to authorize counties to hold special elections by mail if a resolution adopted by the county council or board of county commissioners directs the special election to be held in this manner. SB 171, and its House companion, HB 196, expands a law passed previously to authorize Montgomery County to hold special elections by mail and expands the process to apply to all counties. A local special…

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March 21, 2013
County Budgets / Uncategorized
Prince George’s County Executive Proposes Lean 2014 Budget

As reported in the Baltimore Sun, Prince George's County's 2014 budget proposal reflects hard decisions necessary to keep the deficit down.  The budget proposal from Prince George's County's Executive Rushern Baker follows the theme, "Thinking Anew: Building a More Effective and Efficient Government."  As described in the Sun, the budget is composed of $3.24 billion in funds, a 0.6 percent increase compared to the fiscal year 2013 budget.  In his press release, the County Executive stated, "Despite the…

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March 20, 2013
Finance and Procurement / General Assembly News / Parks and Recreation / Uncategorized
House and Senate Reject Reductions to Program Open Space

As previously reported on Conduit Street, the Department of Legislative Services recommended modifications to the transfer tax program and the repeal of a $90 million repayment to Program Open Space (POS), which would result in local governments losing at least $20 million under the POS formula. The House, as a part of its fiscal 2014 budget, rejected these recommendations.  The Senate Budget and Taxation Committee concurred with the House action and also rejected these same…

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March 15, 2013
Uncategorized
House Set to Approve Its Version of Fiscal 2014 Budget

The House of Delegates passed its version of the Fiscal 2014 budget earlier this week, paving its way to passage on third reader in the Chamber today.   This is the first year in many that major reductions and cost shifts have not been a part of the budget. As reported by the Baltimore Sun (limited free views available): Delegates cut about $80 million in state spending, scaling back one of O'Malley's initiatives to improve digital…

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March 15, 2013
Employee Benefits and Relations / NACo and Federal Issues / Uncategorized
NACo Joins Opposition to SKILLS Act

Local elected officials, business leaders and workforce investment boards recently shared their concerns over provisions in H.R. 803, the SKILLS "Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills" Act currently being debated in Congress.  The National Association of Counties (NACo) collaborated with the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM), the National Association of Counties (NACo), the National League of Cities (NLC) and the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) sending a joint letter to House Speaker…

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March 14, 2013
County News / Public Safety and Corrections / Uncategorized
Prince George’s Turns Attention to Human Trafficking

As reported in the Gazette.net, Prince George’s County Councilwoman Karen Toles is seeking local legislation to address human trafficking.   According to the Gazette.net, Prince George's County is part of a zone of human tracking in the District of Columbia area.  Its proximity to major highways, mass transit options and housing that can serve to house and rapidly move people makes it particularly susceptible to the crime. Human trafficking is used to form networks of…

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March 13, 2013
County Government and Structure / County News / Planning and Zoning / Transportation and Public Works / Uncategorized
Prince George’s County Executive Unveils New Permitting Plan

As reported in the Washington Post, Prince George's County Executive Rushern L. Baker III will unveil his $2.7 billion budget this Thursday at 2:30 p.m., in the Conference Room of the County Executive’s Office located in the County Administration Building.  According to Prince George’s County, the jurisdiction faces an estimated $152 million revenue deficit in the FY 2014 General Fund budget.  The County Executive will outline his plan to address the budget deficit while making…

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March 12, 2013
Employee Benefits and Relations / Uncategorized
House Republicans Propose Pension Reforms

In a news conference this week, House Republicans announced a package of pension legislation to "revamp" the system and put it on "better footing."  As reported by the Baltimore Sun (limited free views available): One bill, sponsored by Howard County Del. Gail H. Bates, would require the state pension board to change its assumed rate of return from its current 7.75 percent to 6 percent. Such a move would, at least in the short term,…

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January 31, 2013
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