Mako director warns Maryland budget decisions shifting costs to counties; highlights solar, housing and school-funding disputes

Michael Sanderson, executive director of the Maryland Association of Counties (Mako), told the Queen Anne's County Commissioners on July 22 that this year’s legislative and budget decisions in Annapolis are likely to shift new costs and responsibilities onto county governments.

Sanderson and Jack Wilson, a Queen Anne's County commissioner who is Mako’s 2025 president, addressed the commission in a joint presentation. Sanderson summarized the year's state budget choices, saying the state faced multibillion-dollar gaps and that many budget responses involved moving costs or invoicing local governments for services that were previously state-funded. He warned that counties “were squeezed in a number of ways in the governor’s original plan” and singled out two specific changes discussed during the session: a large increase in county assessments for the State Assessments Office and a state decision to invoice counties for part of rising teacher pension costs.

Sanderson said the state raised roughly $1.5 billion in new revenue in the most recent budget cycle, which eased the immediate outlook but leaves future years vulnerable if federal changes or other fiscal pressures materialize. He told the commission that while some relief was negotiated, “it’s a lousy year for county governments” and that the state is increasingly looking to local governments as one source of fiscal savings or revenue.

On solar siting, Sanderson described the effect of recent court and legislative activity that moved large-scale solar siting into a state-level process and limited local discretion. He said the bill passed this year includes a narrow mechanism that allows a jurisdiction to stop additional projects once it has mapped and reached 5% of its “priority preservation area,” but he called that “a small step in the right direction” rather than full local control.

On housing and education, Sanderson said a major housing bill failed this year but that lawmakers will continue to press counties on zoning, permitting and other local barriers cited as contributors to the housing shortage. He also reviewed the state's school-funding “blueprint,” noting the legislature provided implementation pauses and that the Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) granted a two-year waiver in at least one county where implementation would have forced teacher layoffs.

Wilson and Sanderson also highlighted a smaller policy win: a revolving fund to speed small-scale emergency response that the Maryland Department of Emergency Management can deploy quickly without waiting for larger statewide declarations.

Commission President Chris Corcorino and other commissioners thanked the presenters. Wilson, who is serving this year as Mako president, said Mako’s visits to counties are intended to share statewide developments directly with local elected officials.

The presentation did not produce any formal county action; commissioners moved on to the rest of the agenda after a period for questions.