Executive Update

January 2007

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,

As we enter the New Year, Baltimore County is preparing for what promises to be a new era of government for the people of Maryland. The 2007 Maryland General Assembly Legislative Session will welcome newly elected legislators from jurisdictions throughout the State, including Baltimore County, as well as a new Governor to Annapolis. Baltimore County’s new legislators are fortunate to be joining an experienced team of Senators and Delegates with a history of commitment to a spirit of collaboration which includes people, businesses, and government.  This teamwork launched a renaissance that is creating a better Baltimore County for everyone who lives and works here.

Since 2003, working together with our Delegation, we have accomplished many great things for the people of Baltimore County. During the last four years, we have secured nearly eighty-five million dollars in school renovation and construction funding, as well as funding for new Baltimore County community centers and parks.

In 2003, our delegation brought urgent and much needed relief to our waterfront communities with the Hurricane Isabel Disaster Relief Act, and they also secured passage of legislation to revise Maryland’s procurement process for juvenile group homes during the 2006 legislative session.

This past November 7^th, the people of Baltimore County renewed their commitment to the principles of our renaissance, and now, as we begin a new legislative term, we must recommit ourselves to the values and strategies that have made our renaissance and neighborhoods thrive.

This Year’s Session

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 and our Aging Schools Program to ensure that all of our children get the facilities and services they deserve.

Baltimore County will work together with the Attorney General’s office to secure the passage of anti-gang legislation that will enable office to have the authority and resources it needs to help communities throughout the State fight gang activity wherever it occurs.

We are committed to providing forensic workers, such as crime scene personnel and lab workers, with the legal protections that their jobs both require and deserve, and we will continue to work towards enacting tougher penalties for identity theft crimes.

James T. Smith, Jr.
Baltimore County Executive

Revised January 4, 2007