By Rebecca Tan and Rachel Chason
Two years after the coronavirus overturned life in Maryland, leaders in the state’s two largest counties say they finally have the resources to pursue their agendas and tackle the stark inequities that were exposed by the pandemic.
Buoyed by hundreds of millions of dollars in federal relief, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) and Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks (D) proposed annual budgets Tuesday that would add support for low-income residents, boost investment in climate initiatives and expand police resources amid an uptick in violent crime. Both officials are pushing to keep tax rates steady even as they increase county spending.
“This is the best budget we’ve brought forward since I’ve been county executive,” Elrich said at a news conference in Rockville. In Largo, Alsobrooks said her spending plan “reflects discipline and confidence.”
The county councils in both jurisdictions will need to approve the budgets before they would be implemented. Continue reading at The Washington Post.
