[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6328199,"mediaKeyId","2321433-6ae93b423157b1ae0dcbfb24e4552e42","parentId",2321433,"title","WMATA budget shows ridership gains and funding concerns; Maryland grant rises while capital 'cliff' looms","audioSeconds",1642,"startMs",5310000,"endMs",6952000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2321433-6ae93b423157b1ae0dcbfb24e4552e42&start=5310&end=6952","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2321433-6ae93b423157b1ae0dcbfb24e4552e42/thumbnail_5310000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6328199/Maryland/WMATA-budget-shows-ridership-gains-and-funding-concerns-Maryland-grant-rises-while-capital-cliff-looms","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6328199-8e2fd28ce6a803338f42177e16c4fa95/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445655&Signature=OHrlX8q~MFzhqbBTfvF4eMPoLha4xiWZ9mng3NcCGPsakSi0fpHvRukmeSjx49~iYCJeHGdTvMp5YvIQaerfvA-VA7dEiEk6tXSa-lnW2M1oVMp8pGpUT0Q7CNao0IV1bguleM6SYxpknBeV7bW77itmyQ4fhFHySnSMlFFTO5PvR0HhY1pQy4Vub8WpPVC2tQORFIaW-5bDjI4sM5aT1xpLJ-9w9V-2XoRCpvsnQh-IqH-Xf-g03~lTg3Tw3vfCTpagsPMAMxid~vTpnGyIYQEeBwZlIOor3EeJBb4sInTEQzP0UYxczXcyxwmRabhlMQCCuosMLcFmx9RLIHuYrw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","MGA - B&T","date","2025-02-14T00:00:00Z","article","Steve McCall, presenting the DLS analysis, said the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s operating grant from Maryland increases by $40 million (about 6.3%) in fiscal 26 and that the combined operating and capital budgets approach $2.4 billion in the year covered by the WMATA forecast.

McCall emphasized ridership growth: 2024 saw a large year‑over‑year increase and rail and bus metrics are improving, with better fare‑box recovery and fewer operating costs per passenger mile. DLS noted the budget assumes implementation of network changes, including better bus network service increases and added rail trains on the Yellow and Silver lines.

The analysis described WMATA’s capital program for the six‑year period as about $12.5 billion, with Maryland’s share of 2026 capital at roughly $351 million and Maryland’s dedicated capital grant at $167 million annually. DLS highlighted that WMATA planned to use $129 million in capital funds in fiscal 26 to support operating‑eligible maintenance costs — an allowable but elevated use compared with recent averages.

Tony Bridges, acting for MDOT Secretary Paul Wiedefeld, and Randy Clark, general manager and CEO of WMATA, presented to the committee and stressed operational improvements. Clark said WMATA had 46 straight months of ridership growth and led the country in rail ridership gains the prior year. He described safety metrics improving, including a recent quarter with the system’s lowest crime metrics since 2019 and an 80% reduction in rail fare evasion in the prior period.

Clark warned of a purchasing‑power erosion in dedicated capital funds: the dedicated grant established earlier was not indexed and, he said, has lost about 25% of its purchasing power amid recent inflation. Clark and state officials told the committee a capital “cliff” in FY 2029 within the six‑year CIP requires regional partners to consider indexing and other funding changes to avoid system‑wide program reductions.

On funding shares, McCall showed Maryland covers about 27.4% of WMATA operating needs in the plan year and 14.6% of capital in fiscal 26; federal funds accounted for roughly 32% of six‑year capital sources with state and local funds providing just under half. Personnel expenses comprise about 70% of WMATA’s operating budget, DLS said.

Committee members asked about federal funding risk and AI. Clark said WMATA had not received indications that formula or rail‑safety (PREA/PRA) federal funding streams were at immediate risk and noted the agency is watching federal developments. On artificial intelligence, WMATA officials said AI efforts are concentrated in asset management and predictive maintenance — for example, sensors and imaging on new rail cars and inspection vehicles to identify wear patterns and prioritize repairs — and that a digital modernization program and AI task force are under way.

Lawmakers also discussed the regional DMV Moves effort led by WMATA and the Metropolitan Council of Governments to develop a unified vision and sustainable funding model for the region’s transit. DLS recommended concurrence with the governor’s operating and capital grants to WMATA and requested an update on DMV Moves work when available.

WMATA asked the committee for continued predictability in funding and for consideration of indexing or re‑baselining dedicated capital grants to maintain system reliability and safety without program cuts.

The agency said it will present a revised fiscal 26 budget to its board and continue to provide updates to the committee on passenger‑revenue forecasts, capital needs and the DMV Moves regional effort.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","PST Committee Session, 2/14/2025 #1","oneSentenceSummary","WMATA told the subcommittee ridership is recovering and passenger revenue is improving, but capital purchasing power has eroded and a 'capital cliff' in the six‑year plan could require higher state contributions or program changes. Maryland's operating grant rises; the agency is also using capital funds for some eligible operating costs.","taxTitle","Public Safety, Transportation, and Environment Subcommittee, Budget and Taxation Committee, SENATE, SENATE, Committees, Legislative, Maryland","taxId",78575,"location","Maryland","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6328204,"New Office of the Correctional Ombudsman seeks case‑management and website as $1.9M fiscal 26 budget funds startup",493,4284000,4777000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2321433-6ae93b423157b1ae0dcbfb24e4552e42&start=4284&end=4777","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2321433-6ae93b423157b1ae0dcbfb24e4552e42/thumbnail_4284000.jpg","/articles/6328204/Maryland/New-Office-of-the-Correctional-Ombudsman-seeks-casemanagement-and-website-as-19M-fiscal-26-budget-funds-startup","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6328204-1fdfa724f9f222a0de8a0ccebc52b8b8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445655&Signature=AEciTtdC~ZJd4BBALy5M66UJOJ~uaM9wQ2iYDIfBN3yz3zu-PMOVxspgylq8vpBSdYae1UiOYw39FVcRnX-WDfgbS7DBH82XDvSSRyZZs0i4y8ChItHdgaCHNQUH3AUiTzyx5FsMe8EZlLl7pnqUbLeNaVMrl2fuguJvtxXPk3lrmQdXbfUNw0ljVDfZ587ht5JBkGkf9bvBwmfqdZn-j1mwnrpvFVQtyop1M7E68wGKjSJJhaIyMLkB0inoF0Sq-GrKtuL-oKJ3REmRBEX4DGCAa27Ux94rKocjAEAKupiPe7s-LIoTx41~aNL5J~0jR8tDn1sJ47CqMQMScKFeWQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Catherine Barber, analyst for the committee, summarized the fiscal 26 request for the new Office of the Correctional Ombudsman (OCO) and said the office’s fiscal 26 budget totals $1,900,000 — about a $333,000 increase over the working appropriation. Barber said roughly 90% of the proposed spending supports personnel costs.

The office was created by Chapter 836 of 2024 and became effective July 1, 2024. Barber said the statutory transfer included four juvenile justice monitoring unit positions and roughly $603,000 in general funds from the Attorney General’s office; the budget language also allowed the use of up to $1,000,000 from the performance incentive grant fund to support start‑up costs.

An acting Correctional Ombudsman spoke for the new agency and outlined early accomplishments and priorities: integration of the juvenile justice monitoring unit, temporary office space and three vehicles for travel, preliminary complaint tracking for a focus set of facilities in Jessup, and plans for a public website and case‑management system. The acting ombudsman said OCO intends to track complaint counts, case categories and investigations open and to publish a managing for results submission with fiscal 2027 data.

Barber told the committee that OCO’s working appropriation contained seven regular and six contractual positions; the fiscal 26 allowance converts contractual roles to regular positions for a total of 13 positions. Barber said OCO reported no vacancies as of Dec. 31, 2024, although she had since been informed one position (executive administrator) had an offer outstanding and was pending DBM action.

The analyst flagged information technology and performance‑measure gaps. OCO is pursuing a website and a case‑management system, but as of the hearing OCO and DoIT had not provided a cost or schedule estimate; Barber said OCO hoped to have both running by the end of fiscal 26. Barber recommended concurrence with the governor’s allowance.

The acting ombudsman said the agency is recruiting advisory board members as required by statute; the board is to be 12 members and four had been appointed. On recruitment the agency said it has sought help from organizations that advocated for the legislation and from educators who work inside facilities.

Committee members pressed the agency on interim tracking while the case‑management system is selected and on outreach for advisory‑board appointments. The acting ombudsman explained OCO is using internal tracking and one of the reasons for a deliberate procurement process was to include future staff in selection of a case‑management tool.

Lawmakers encouraged the new agency to keep the committee apprised on the website, the case‑management procurement and advisory‑board appointments and offered to help expedite DBM actions if needed. DLS recommended concurring with the governor’s allowance and the committee welcomed the agency to future hearings as OCO stands up operations.","The newly established Office of the Correctional Ombudsman (OCO) told the subcommittee it plans to track complaints, stand up a case‑management system and convert contractual positions to regular roles. DLS recommended concurrence with the governor's allowance of $1.9 million but noted IT and performance‑measure work remains.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6328209,"Maryland State Police budget rises to $668.9 million as recruitment, consent decree and cadet program draw committee scrutiny",3734,512000,4246000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2321433-6ae93b423157b1ae0dcbfb24e4552e42&start=512&end=4246","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2321433-6ae93b423157b1ae0dcbfb24e4552e42/thumbnail_512000.jpg","/articles/6328209/Maryland/Maryland-State-Police-budget-rises-to-6689-million-as-recruitment-consent-decree-and-cadet-program-draw-committee-scrutiny","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6328209-7d3c75f38d4868bbc5da4eed3eebf04d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445655&Signature=TBuUt35PXcqU6ZQZ1On63Baur8ykDsrzwhw3jKQnB5Q5AFdBcRTADCyltxOLW84TzeNnAkgFnEpIwD4twRsf4tD7fQMUy4o859GfKbbh9toW-M-mveBPzsQPnCBsqjfrGeEW-WicHd~q~Vv14QIAwU8~cUStPu1SNyQ1KRmgoSxphpsVo5Ygum-bO1WQJ7sdmX8b9U8B48kQfaPkmVKVGf9gHN8G1tKQVdpASIJUW1CwAQTa8znNsd40VNp4qQnBebgGZjBZs-5PO~lPcNxjGPLOWg6YluNxtxbQYPS6UigGhG4b1wW595ifocekCTyGJ3PRJJyY6YhgdjJnjyh9aw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Madeline Miller, a Department of Legislative Services analyst, told the Public Safety, Transportation, and Environment Subcommittee that \"Between fiscal 25 and 26, the department's budget increases by 47,400,000.0 to 668,900,000.0.\" She said most of that growth — \"approximately 92%\" — is attributable to personnel salary enhancements.

The budget hearing focused on several interlocking issues: statewide crime and traffic fatality trends that the fiscal analysis highlights; a Department of Justice consent decree governing hiring and promotional testing; proposed cadet positions and related funding; and special-fund swaps tied to the Maryland Emergency Medical System Operations Fund (MEMSOF) and the Maryland State Police Aviation Command (MSPAC).

DLS placed performance and crime metrics at the start of its analysis. Miller said Maryland saw 2,414 Part I offenses per 100,000 residents in calendar 2023, a 16.6% increase over 2022, driven primarily by property crimes. The analysis also flagged traffic safety: there were 621 traffic fatalities in 2023 and the traffic fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled rose to 1.13 in the pandemic period shown in DLS exhibits. Miller noted impairment‑related fatal collisions and a long‑term rise in fire‑related deaths shown elsewhere in the report.

Colonel Rolandell Butler Jr., superintendent of the Maryland Department of State Police, responded to DLS and highlighted operations and recruiting wins. Butler said the department has seen recent enforcement results in illegal exhibition driving and firearms enforcement and described the cadet program as a key recruiting pipeline. \"Cadets have shown that they are the strongest farm team that we can put in place to become Maryland state troopers,\" Butler said.

Several budget items prompted detailed questions. DLS described cost containment actions approved by the Board of Public Works that reduce general funds for a computer forensics laboratory and shift three emergency dispatcher positions to MEMSOF. DLS also identified deficiencies and proposed swaps: one would add about $6.4 million for field operations health insurance and reimbursable overtime; another would swap $5.5 million in general funds with MEMSOF special funds contingent on BRFAA language; and a third would swap approximately $1.0 million with commercial vehicle enforcement special funds to support cadet positions.

The Maryland State Police Aviation Command (MSPAC) drew attention because DLS flagged $1.5 million in added helicopter maintenance and said that recent budgets have used a larger special‑fund share than historical practice. DLS also recommended reducing an assumed $690,724 in special funds for the Vehicle Theft Prevention Council to match anticipated grant spending, a cut the department said it did not concur with.

On workforce and recruiting, DLS reported that the department budgeted for 15 additional trooper cadet positions and that, counting reclassifications, the trooper cadet pool would reach 45 positions in fiscal 26. DLS recommended deleting the 15 new positions on the basis that existing vacant positions could be reclassified instead. Butler and other department leaders told the committee they view cadets as a long‑term recruitment tool and said the agency was converting some existing pins and asking to retain 15 new special‑funded cadet pins to expand the pool to roughly 50 individuals.

Committee members pressed the department on the consent decree. DLS noted the Justice Department began investigating the department’s hiring and promotional tests in July 2022; a consent decree was filed in October and provisionally approved by the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland in November. Miller said final court approval will be considered in March. The department has contracted a test developer and is working with DOJ to create entry‑level selection tests; Butler and department staff described a process of job‑task analysis and incumbent interviews that must be approved by DOJ.

DLS and committee members also raised vacancy and diversity metrics: DLS reported that of the department’s vacancies 60% have been vacant for over a year and that overall vacancy data and recruitment attrition have driven DLS recommendations to reconsider added positions. DLS asked the department to comment on plans to fill, reclassify, or abolish positions vacant for over 24 months.

On compliance and reporting, DLS reported two agencies that contribute crime data to Maryland’s uniform crime report remained noncompliant with the federal NIBRS system; language in the fiscal 25 budget had restricted $250,000 in general funds pending timely submission of the UCR. DLS recommended releasing withheld funds after the department submitted required verification and recommended keeping annual language until the department can reliably receive NIBRS data by November 1.

Throughout the hearing lawmakers asked for additional detail on promotions, backfills, and how many academies the department plans each year; Butler said the department aims for at least two academy classes annually but that expansion depends on DOJ approval of testing and applicant pipelines.

The discussion included the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center (MCAC), a planned lease and renovation, and the department’s mental health and crisis services program. MDSP’s physician, Dr. Scott Brannon, described peer support, a critical incident response team and a full‑time licensed clinical social worker and said mental health services and contracted psychologists are in place to support personnel.

The department and DLS concurred on releasing withheld funds tied to the UCR submission but did not agree on all DLS recommended reductions. Lawmakers asked the department to follow up with written details on vacancies, cadet accounting, and the status of DOJ approvals for testing.

Committee members said they would remain in contact as the department implements changes and as budget language and the pending consent decree proceed through the courts and the budget process.

Looking ahead, DLS recommended continued monitoring of MS Pac costs, the vehicle theft prevention grants, trooper cadet funding and vacancy reporting, and adoption of annual budget language restricting funds pending receipt of timely UCR data.","Analysts told the Public Safety subcommittee the Department of State Police (MDSP) budget would rise by $47.4 million, driven largely by personnel costs. Lawmakers pressed the department on cadet positions, a Justice Department consent decree over hiring tests, crime trends and use of special funds for aviation and other programs.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

WMATA budget shows ridership gains and funding concerns; Maryland grant rises while capital 'cliff' looms

New Office of the Correctional Ombudsman seeks case‑management and website as $1.9M fiscal 26 budget funds startup

Maryland State Police budget rises to $668.9 million as recruitment, consent decree and cadet program draw committee scrutiny