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Charles County delegation prioritizes courthouse in $4M+ bond requests, authorizes letter to riverboat fund
Summary
The Charles County delegation set a deadline for legislative bond initiative (LBI) prioritization, agreed to push the county courthouse to the top of requests, and authorized a delegate to send a letter pressing a riverboat fund to meet a past community-grant commitment.
CHARLES COUNTY, Jan. 24 — The Charles County delegation agreed Friday to prioritize the county courthouse among legislative bond initiatives and to press the governor’s office for supplemental funding, after members reviewed a slate of requests the delegation said totals more than $4 million.
Delegate Deborah Davis, chair of the Charles County delegation, told members, "we received 12 LBI requests totaling over $4,000,000." She said the group would ask each legislator to submit their top four requests by next Friday so the delegation could divide the top items between the House and Senate.
The move to elevate the courthouse was supported by several members. "I agree with that and I'm voting yes on that," Senator Jackson said when asked for a vote on prioritizing the courthouse. Delegation leadership said they will send a letter directly to the governor asking that the courthouse be added to the governor's supplemental budget and will also engage the judiciary and budget committee channels to seek funds.
The delegation also voted to authorize Delegate Delia Patterson to draft and circulate a letter pressing the riverboat operator to honor a previously stated community-grants commitment. Davis called for the letter after members raised concerns that promised community trust awards had not been delivered. When Davis asked for objections to Patterson drafting the letter, members responded, "Aye. Aye." The motion carried.
Members discussed how to evaluate recurring requests and asked staff to confirm whether organizations' requested amounts remained unchanged from prior years before finalizing priorities. Delegates mentioned recurring applicants including local nonprofits and community organizations that have appeared on past lists.
The delegation directed staff to produce a digital form for collecting top-four rankings from members and set an internal deadline of next Friday for submissions. Davis said her office would coordinate the final list and distribute decisions to both chambers.
Why it matters: Legislative bond initiatives are a primary route for the delegation to secure capital funding for local projects. Prioritizing the courthouse and pressing the governor for supplemental inclusion signal a coordinated approach to move a county infrastructure project forward this legislative session.
What’s next: Members will submit their top-four LBI choices by next Friday. The delegation will produce a consolidated list and forward selected priorities to the House and Senate delegations and to the governor’s office for consideration in the supplemental budget.
