Schools, traffic, and home rule authority topped a shortlist of Montgomery County priorities for the upcoming Maryland General Assembly session.
County Council members presented the list Wednesday at a meeting with the Montgomery County delegation, state lawmakers from local legislative districts. The council typically collaborates to highlight county-specific causes before the General Assembly convenes every year in Annapolis.
“We didn’t want to come here with a long list of priorities,” Council President Nancy Navarro told state legislators. “We wanted to come with a very specific list of goals we’d like to accomplish.”
Kirwan Commission funding — and ensuring that Montgomery County receives equitable contributions from the state — topped the county’s priorities and triggered the night’s only real debate between county and state lawmakers.
A recently released proposal from a work group with the commission, which is working to rewrite the state’s current school funding formula, would have Montgomery County providing $262.7 million more per year for schools by fiscal year 2030.
The council specifically asked the delegation to ensure that new formulas allow the county to maintain flexibility over education funding and provide a “fair share of state funding,” according to language in the priority packet.
The pointed requests prompted Del. Eric Luedtke, whose district includes parts of Burtonsville, Silver Spring, and Olney, to ask council members if they supported the proposal.
“The council document never says you support the recommendations,” Luedtke said. “I just wanted to seek clarity, because as our members are taking tough votes, it’s important to know the council is behind us.”
Luedtke was referring to a likely contentious debate on the issue come January, when the Kirwan Commission is expected to be a focus for the General Assembly. Gov. Larry Hogan has been outspoken in his opposition to the funding proposal, and several Maryland counties still oppose the plan, which would significantly increase costs for some counties as part of its goal to raise school funding levels across the state.
Council Member Craig Rice, a member of the Kirwan Commission, said the council could pass a resolution to formally express its support. Navarro also pointed out that the commission’s inclusion on the county’s list of priorities should indicate that council members were supportive.
But there are still concerns over the proposed formulas and how much leeway the council will get in meeting funding targets, Rice said after the meeting. Historically, Montgomery County contributes more funding to its school system than it receives from the state, which isn’t true for all jurisdictions.
When the delegation convenes in Annapolis in January, the council would like lawmakers to push for a higher level of state support through the new formulas, added Rice, a former state delegate. Both he and Navarro have suggested that the commission could reduce the county’s expected contributions in areas where lawmakers have already invested resources.
In March, the county allocated an additional $7 million for early childhood education with the goal of expanding preschool and child care access. Possibly, that $7 million could be subtracted from the additional spending suggested by the Kirwan work group, Navarro said in an earlier interview.
“We’d like to see the bill crafted to recognize earlier investment,” Rice added on Wednesday. “And that will also help the county meet those funding goals.”
In other areas, state and local priorities were largely aligned. The council also pushed for traffic mitigation along I-495 and I-270, with a specific request for the delegation to push for widening the Beltway between Virginia and Maryland, including the American Legion Bridge, as the first stage of Hogan’s I-270 widening proposal.
Council members also asked delegates to request renewed investment in the Corridor Cities Transitway, a long-anticipated rapid bus line between Shady Grove and Clarksburg.
The state removed the project from a draft list of transportation priorities in September, prompting an outcry from county and state lawmakers. This month, the entire delegation signed a letter to state Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn, calling on him to recommit to the project.
One of the county’s final priorities pushed for preserving local authority over state or federal regulations. “Home rule authority,” as described by Council Member Sidney Katz, has become an increasing concern as the state considers bills on issues such as minimum wage or the governance of 5G cell antennas.
In some cases, county legislators support state initiatives, as was the case with the $15 minimum wage law passed last year. But the county has a vested interest in preserving its own right to govern 5G towers as it considers legislation that would adapt the zoning code to accommodate them.
The county is also concerned that the state’s Public Service Commission might attempt to preempt local authority on large-scale solar arrays — an increasingly important venture for the county, Katz added. Council members are pushing for state delegates to oppose legislation that would override local laws.
“We’re grateful that we’ve gotten state support for things like paid leave and banning certain pesticides,” Katz said. “But there are still a number of laws at the state level that we’re greatly concerned about.”
The council’s priorities are similar to the list submitted before the 2019 General Assembly session. The delegation will host additional forums to allow both residents and county lawmakers to emphasize their concerns.
