Winter Conference Archives

Health and Human Services / Winter Conference

#MACoCon Recap: Federal Actions Against Marginalized Communities Have Residents Seeking County Help

An experienced panel of legal experts and advocates discussed communities that are currently under attack by federal agencies and what local governments can do to help residents in need. Recent federal changes have had a disproportionate effect on marginalized communities across every county in Maryland. A 2025 MACo Winter Conference session hosted a panel of experts to explain these new challenges that are facing immigrants, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and communities of color as well as how…

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December 24, 2025

Environment / Winter Conference

#MACoCon Recap: Local Environmental Justice Screening Takes Shape With New Statewide Tool

At #MACoCon state and local government officials discussed how they are working, across multiple agencies, to put a new environmental justice screening tool to work for residents. Counties currently are facing a climate where federal administration and US Supreme Court actions have rolled back and even eliminated environmental programs, grants, and the like, including those intended to promote and further environmental justice. Despite these challenges, state and local representatives in Maryland are looking for and developing…

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December 23, 2025

Public Safety and Corrections / Winter Conference

#MACoCon Recap: Returning Citizens from Local Detention Centers Starts on Day One

Experts from local detention centers across the state discussed the strategies and planning that begins on day one to return a detained individual to the community following detention in a local facility. Some facilities even keep their doors open in case an individual is struggling in the community and needs to come back for help. During the 2025 MACo Winter Conference session on behalf of the MACo Corrections Affiliate, local leaders in county detention centers…

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December 23, 2025

County Budgets / County News / School Construction and Capital Budgets / Winter Conference

Live From Winter MACoCon: What’s Next for School Construction With Alex Donahue

Recorded live at MACo’s 2025 Winter Conference, this episode features an in-depth, candid conversation with Alex Donahue, Executive Director of the Interagency Commission on School Construction (IAC), on one of the most pressing challenges facing Maryland counties: school construction. 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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December 19, 2025

Winter Conference

Looking Through the 2025 Winter #MACoCon Lens

MACo’s 2025 Winter Conference, held December 10–12 at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Hotel in Cambridge, brought together county officials, state leaders, and partners for three days of meaningful dialogue and collaboration. Guided by the theme Local Leadership, Lasting Impact: Shaping What’s Next, the conference served as a timely forum ahead of the 2026 Maryland General Assembly session.This year’s general sessions anchored the conference with focused discussions on the issues most directly shaping county decision-making.…

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December 19, 2025

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

Funding the Classroom Gap: A #MACoCon Conversation With School Construction Chief Alex Donahue

At the MACo Winter Conference, county leaders heard directly from Maryland's top school construction official as they confront a familiar challenge: school construction costs continue to rise faster than available capital, even as aging facilities, safety upgrades, and modern learning standards drive demand. MACo Executive Director Michael Sanderson moderated a candid, interview-style conversation with Alex Donahue, Executive Director of the Interagency Commission on School Construction (IAC), during “From Policy to Progress: A Conversation About What’s…

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December 19, 2025

Winter Conference

Panelists Talk Branding and Streamlining Engagement at Winter #MACoCon

The Streamlining Engagement: Maximizing Communication Tools for Government session offered county communicators a practical roadmap for improving public engagement without overextending staff and resources. Led by Beth Malasky, Public Information Manager for Queen Anne’s County and President of MACo’s PIO & Communications Professionals Affiliate, and Renesha Alphonso, Director of Strategic Communications at the Office of the Comptroller of Maryland, the session emphasized that effective government communication is not about flashy design, but about clarity, consistency,…

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December 18, 2025

County Budgets / Courts / Government Liability and Courts / Winter Conference

#MACoCon Recap: County Officials Highlight Financial Risk From Wrongful Convictions Cost Shift

State legal experts discuss exactly how wrongful convictions cases are processed in Maryland, with county officials highlighting that "there's not a single county actor that is involved in this" process, despite the State shifting 50 percent of the cost to counties. This shift came last session along with a number of other state costs to counties, as the General Assembly sought to once again correct for perennial gaps in state revenue. During the 2025 MACo…

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December 18, 2025

County Budgets / County News / Education / Winter Conference

#MACoCon Recap: The Blueprint Beat Goes On…

As implementation continues, county and school leaders say the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is revealing growing gaps between statewide policy design and local fiscal and operational realities. The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future was built as a bold, statewide commitment to improving educational outcomes for every student. But as county leaders and school system officials made clear during MACo’s Winter Conference panel, "The Blueprint Beat Goes On…," translating a uniform funding formula into real-world success looks very…

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December 18, 2025

County Budgets / County News / Employee Benefits and Relations / Human Resources / Winter Conference

#MACoCon Recap: Strategies for Prescription Drug Spending

Prescription drug costs are no longer a back-office benefits issue for counties; they’re a frontline challenge shaping budgets, workforce retention, and long-term sustainability. Counties across Maryland are facing a familiar but intensifying challenge: how to sustain high-quality employee health benefits as prescription drug costs continue to climb. At MACo’s Winter Conference, the panel “Rx for Retention: County Strategies for Prescription Drug Spending” brought together county leaders, policy experts, and benefit consultants to unpack what’s driving…

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December 18, 2025