MACo warns of growing fiscal pressure on counties; flags education blueprint and housing costs

Michael Sanderson, director of the Maryland Association of Counties, told the Howard County Council at its September monthly meeting that counties face rising fiscal uncertainty driven by federal budget shifts, undone assumptions in Maryland’s education funding plan and a statewide shortage of housing.

Sanderson said the region’s proximity to the federal government is no longer an unalloyed stabilizer for local budgets and that the state’s 10‑year education plan, the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, has left counties carrying unplanned costs. “The federal government contributing to current uncertainty is kind of a new thing for us,” Sanderson said. He warned the county that the state’s Education Trust Fund — which helped pre‑pay parts of the blueprint — will be drawn down by FY 2028, forcing more costs into the general fund.

Why this matters: county leaders said shifts of obligations from Annapolis already are significant and…