Good morning. I am pleased that you are able to join us this morning as Baltimore County prepares for the 2008 General Assembly Session.
This year, the General Assembly’s work in Annapolis started a little earlier than usual with the Special Session this past November. Working collaboratively with Governor Martin O’Malley, the Senate and the House made significant progress toward placing our State on solid fiscal ground for years to come. It was not easy. Senators and Delegates faced a monumental task, but in the end a reasonable solution to a very complex problem was crafted. Significant budget cuts were made and at the same time the State’s tax structure was reformed. Middle ground and a balanced approach in solving the State’s fiscal crisis was found.
Noted author Peter Drucker states that, “Leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.” During the special session, members of the General Assembly demonstrated just such leadership and that determination to reach consensus will secure Maryland’s future.
After such a busy and difficult special session, it is tempting to think that the hardest work is behind us. But we know that is not true. In the upcoming session, Baltimore County must stay engaged in the remaining adjustments required by the State’s budget reconciliation plan that calls for $550 million in State cuts of which $260 million have yet to be identified, and there is talk of the need for an additional $200 million in cuts beyond the $550 million. The State cuts already identified have cost Baltimore County nearly $38 million dollars, and our top County priority is protection from any further reduction in County funding by the State.
We must also continue our commitment to keeping our schools strong and our neighborhoods safe.
Thanks to the quality of our County delegation, Baltimore County has outstanding leaders in both houses of the General Assembly. We have the leadership of our delegation chairs—Senator Norman Stone and Delegate Eric Bromwell. We can continue to rely on Delegate Adrienne Jones, our House of Delegates’ Speaker Pro Tem and Chair of the House Capital Budget Sub-Committee; Senator Ed Kasemeyer, Vice Chair of the Senate Budget and Tax Committee; Delegate Dan Morhaim, the Deputy Majority Leader in the House; and Delegate Jimmy Malone, Vice-Chair of the House Environmental Matters Committee. Their important positions are major assets for Baltimore County.
As I said earlier, even with all of the work that has already been done, this will still be a very difficult session. It is not easy providing needed government services, projects, and programs in challenging economic times. However, it is our responsibility, state and local, to do just that. County and State must recognize the challenges each of us face, and be mutually supportive. For my part, the bond requests that I will submit are less than in prior years in recognition of the State’s fiscal circumstances.
For the past five years, Baltimore County has made education its number one priority during the legislative session, and that will not change. Aristotle once said, “All who have meditated on the art of governing mankind have been convinced that the fate of empires depends on the education of youth.” While Baltimore County is no empire, this timeless truth reminds us that our future does depend on our ability to educate all of Baltimore County’s children. With that in mind, Baltimore County will support adequate funding for the Maryland Infant and Toddlers Program.
Baltimore County is also requesting that the State commit $325 million dollars to the State’s Public School Construction Program for Fiscal Year 2009, which is $75 million less than the current year. According to Dr. David Lever, the Chair of the State’s Interagency Committee for School Construction, when adjusted for inflation, the $250 million dollar annual funding that the Kopp Task Force called for in 2004 actually requires $325 million in today’s dollars to meet the task force funding recommendations. School systems across the State are relying on capital funds to support the improvement and expansion of their school facilities.
As you know, Baltimore County is home to the second oldest school stock in the State. Many of our schools have served our County for over half a century. Meeting the needs of a 21st century classroom is a formidable challenge due to the age of so many of our facilities. That is why we initiated an aggressive systemic renovation program aimed at ensuring that our older schools are equipped to educate the future leaders of Baltimore County. Baltimore County Public Schools have requested $80.7 million dollars in State funds for construction and renovations this coming year. This money will be dedicated to completing the systemic renovation of Baltimore County’s middle schools, and enable us to move forward with our systemic high school renovations program. We need to secure a considerable amount of this $80 million dollar request.
In Baltimore County, we understand that public safety is the foundation of all that we do in our communities. For families to return to older neighborhoods, businesses to choose locations in Baltimore County, and for our quality of life to continue to expand, people must first know that they are safe in their homes, their workplaces, and their neighborhoods. And they are, thanks in large part to the efforts of our courageous Police Officers, Firefighters, and EMTs. This year, Baltimore County is once again supporting legislation to provide public safety with the resources that they need to preserve the security of our County.
Everyday, the relentless pace of change in technology alters our world. As advances in technology make new ways of interacting and doing business possible, they also make new types of crimes possible. Identity theft crimes are more sophisticated than ever, and as a result, we are seeing increasing numbers of victims who are experiencing unprecedented losses. And as the stakes are raised for us, they should also be raised for criminals who prey on us. As a result, Baltimore County will once again support legislation to make proceeds traceable to identity theft subject to forfeiture, just as the profits of drug crimes are.
The Department of Juvenile Services plays an important role in providing care and treatment to young people who are in urgent need of services. However, some of the youth in the care of the Department of Juvenile Services pose a significant risk to our communities. Baltimore County will support our State’s Attorney, Scott Shellenberger, in seeking legislation that will enable law enforcement officials to release the names and photographs of violent offenders who escape from a juvenile facility. This will allow the Police to make public identifying information so escapees can be more quickly apprehended.
The Baltimore County Police Department and the Maryland State Police do an outstanding job in keeping the roads of our communities safe. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, they cannot be everywhere at once. That is why Baltimore County will support legislation that would authorize the installation of speed monitoring technology, or speed cameras, throughout Maryland.
While Baltimore County is separated from its neighboring jurisdictions by borders drawn on maps, these borders are meaningless to criminals. A crime that occurs in one County frequently has consequences in another, and it is important for Baltimore County and our neighbors throughout the State to share information and work together. Two pieces of proposed legislation will make it possible for stolen property to be identified more quickly and will allow law enforcement to expedite investigations where the stolen property may lead to the identification of a suspect. Baltimore County will support legislation to require pawnshops to report acquisitions electronically. This will allow law enforcement agencies throughout Maryland to promptly check pawned property against burglary records. We will also support Baltimore County Police Chief Jim Johnson and pursue legislation that will require scrap and precious metal dealers to also report transactions electronically.
Baltimore County is committed to providing our communities with the infrastructure, economic opportunities, and resources that are essential to maintaining the momentum of our renaissance. Bond bills and funds from the State capital budget are vitally important to our ability to meet the needs of our communities. This year, we are asking the state to help fund several very important projects around the County.
We need State support to help with the construction of the Heritage Trail in conjunction with improvements to Saint Helena Park in Dundalk. We are also requesting funding to continue the improvement of Eastern Boulevard in Essex-Middle River through the civic core of Old Essex with traffic calming and beautification projects. Baltimore County is also seeking state support for shore stabilization projects to repair the shoreline erosion that occurred along County waterfront as a result of Hurricane Isabel. And finally, we are asking for state support toward the construction of the Baltimore County Center for Maryland Agriculture, which will promote our County’s $300 million dollar agricultural industry and serve as an educational resource center for the entire State.
In keeping with our recognition of the State’s fiscal circumstances, our state bond bill requests total $5 million dollars, about half of what Baltimore County requested last year.
Baltimore County’s revitalized historic neighborhoods and bustling local downtowns owe much to the work that our senators and delegates have done in Annapolis. The next three months are an important opportunity for us to work together in order to maintain the progress that we see throughout our County.
I look forward to working with our delegation to make the 2008 General Assembly Session a productive one for Baltimore County and for all the people of Maryland.
Courthouse 