The writer, a Democrat, is chair of the Maryland Association of Counties Legislative Committee and the county executive of Howard County.
The federal focus on infrastructure is an incredible opportunity for Maryland to address the needs for communities across our state.
Specifically, Maryland can do a better job focusing on locally maintained roads and bridges than it has for the last 12 years. For decades, Maryland carved off a 30% share of revenues from motor fuels and vehicles and sent it to our county and municipal governments. These local governments are responsible for around 83% of our state’s road miles and have no local transportation revenue sources, so this funding share worked out fairly for several decades.
During the 2009 “Great Recession,” this local funding was drastically cut back while the state’s budget was in crisis. That was understandable.
However, in the aftermath, while most service cuts were restored as times got better, this diversion of local funds never was. It’s been 12 long years, and our local governments are still on a starvation budget for their own local roads. Maintenance schedules have been abandoned, safety projects stalled and even road-clearing efforts have been strained.
This is the year to fix it. This is our year to build for tomorrow.
