County Executive James T. Smith Jr.
400 Washington Avenue
Old Courthouse Mezzanine
Towson, Maryland 21204
410-887-2450
E-mail Address: jimsmith@co.ba.md.us
Dear Friends of Baltimore County,
I hope everyone in Baltimore County had a safe and happy holiday season, and I hope your new year has started off well.
For Baltimore County, the new year begins with the opportunities and challenges of the 2006 Maryland General Assembly Session. Each year, county government and our talented senators and delegates go to Annapolis to help secure the resources our communities need, and to give Baltimore County a voice in the future of our state.
Since 2003, many great things have been accomplished for the people of Baltimore County.
Working as team, we have secured nearly $50 million in school renovation and construction funding. The bond bills our senators and delegates carried to Annapolis have helped finance parks, senior centers and community centers in Dundalk, Middle River, Woodlawn, Catonsville, Parkville and other communities. They also helped with important economic renaissance projects in Owings Mills and Towson.
In 2003, our delegation helped guarantee insurance for former Bethlehem Steel employees. In 2004, The Hurricane Isabel Disaster Relief Act brought much needed aid to storm-damaged communities on our east side.
Over the past three sessions, we have given our police department more tools for safeguarding our communities, made it possible to hire experienced teachers in our challenging schools, and made the quality of life in our communities even better than it was before.
The Baltimore County legislative delegation has gotten things done for Baltimore County, and gotten them done despite dealing with a significant deficit in the state budget.
This year, state government has a surplus instead of a deficit, and we have an opportunity to badly put needed funds in places where they will do the most good for our communities.
On January 4th, I met with our delegation to lay out Baltimore County’s priorities for this session, and I look forward to working with our legislators to accomplish our shared goals. Read Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith's Legislative Agenda speech to the delegation for Baltimore County.
This year, we will ask the state to fund $400 million in state-wide school construction, filling a vital need in the education of our young people. We will work for full funding of the Maryland Infants and Toddlers Program, changes in the procurement for group homes and a correction in the Hurricane Isabel property tax credit.
As always, the Baltimore County Police Department is working round the clock to safeguard our communities, and we will work with the legislature to give our officers the tools they need to fight crime, including tougher penalties for identity theft and restrictions on the sale of key ingredients for meth – an new and very dangerous drug threat.
Our delegation will also take several bond bills to Annapolis this year in order to secure for Baltimore County the resources we need to build community centers, parks, senior centers, make road improvements and protect our environment.
Every legislative session is important, and the people of Baltimore County should know that their elected leaders go to Annapolis with the best interests of our communities in mind, and a strong commitment to further the renaissance of Baltimore County. I look forward to working with our senators and delegates over the next three months, and I hope interested county residents will let their representatives know how they feel about the issues facing Maryland this year.
James T. Smith, Jr.
Baltimore County Executive
Revised January 12, 2006
Courthouse 