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Commissioner flags $1.4 billion state shortfall, data center veto as St. Mary’s County meeting opens
Summary
At the opening of the St. Mary's County commissioners' final meeting of the year, a commissioner warned a $1.4 billion Maryland budget shortfall could shift costs to localities, noted a vetoed data center bill and highlighted local homelessness and community events.
A commissioner opened St. Mary's County's final meeting of the year by warning that Maryland faces a roughly $1.4 billion budget shortfall and by drawing attention to a vetoed bill on data centers that some residents urged the county to weigh in on.
The speaker said the governor "kind of commit[ed] to not raising taxes" but added that it was unclear whether the state would shift costs to local governments. The commissioner cited a $1,400,000,000 deficit in the state budget and said that uncertainty "has us nervous with the state." The remarks placed the county's concerns alongside statewide conversation taking place in a special session of the General Assembly, where members were installing a new House speaker and could consider overriding vetoes.
The commissioner also described recent policy conversations from the Mako conference, quoting a phrase used there: "Maryland has Smith Island cake regulations, meaning that there's layer on top of layer on top of layer of regulations in Maryland." The conference discussion, the speaker said, covered energy, data centers and the state budget.
On the data center legislation, the commissioner summarized local debate: the bill was introduced by Delegate Crosby and vetoed by the governor, and the speaker said there was a "bipartisan push" — including from Senator Rady — to examine data centers more closely. The commissioner criticized a press release from the local Democratic Central Committee, saying the General Assembly "doesn't really take their agenda from us" and noting the county did not have time to send a letter before the special session.
Turning to local matters, the commissioner thanked colleagues for raising homelessness and referenced Commissioner Oster's remarks about the 3 Oaks facility ribbon cutting. "I do think there's some work that we can do as county government to assist the community with that," the speaker said. The commissioner also recounted attending the Ridge Volunteer Rescue Squad installation and the Second District Volunteer Fire Department Rescue Squad's tree lighting in Valley Lee, and praised a sold-out Cosmic Symphony concert featuring the St. Mary's choral arts group.
The speaker closed by wishing residents a happy holiday season and saying they looked forward to getting back to work in the new year. The General Assembly's special session and any action on vetoes will determine whether the county faces immediate state-driven changes that require local follow-up.
