County holds public hearing on proposal to form infrastructure funding work group; stakeholders urge clear scope and faster timeline

The Montgomery County Council held a public hearing Feb. 20 on a resolution to create an Infrastructure Funding Work Group to explore options for financing county infrastructure needs.

Ken Hartman, assistant chief administrative officer, testified on behalf of County Executive Marc Elrich and urged the council to focus the group on funding new infrastructure and raising existing standards. “Our priority ought to be on funding new infrastructure and bringing our existing infrastructure up to current standards,” Hartman said, and he offered three recommendations: strike “repairs” from the resolution’s action item to prioritize new and upgraded projects; increase…