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Incoming Maryland governor ‘confident’ he can reach economic goals without tax hike

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Incoming Maryland governor ‘confident’ he can reach economic goals without tax hike


Wes Moore, the incoming Democratic governor of Maryland, mentioned he’s “assured” he can attain his financial objectives with out elevating taxes within the state. 

Moore mentioned on CNN’s “State of the Union” that economics might be his precedence, and he’s going to work to create pathways for “work, wages and wealth.” He mentioned too many individuals are working of their jobs and nonetheless residing under the poverty line, and he desires to verify individuals personal greater than they owe. 

Moore additionally mentioned he plans to push for laws to permit highschool college students to have an choice to offer service to their communities for a yr after they graduate. 

Moore mentioned he’s “very assured” that he can accomplish the social packages he desires with out tax hikes, including that he’s data-driven and heart-led as a pacesetter. 

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“I put on my coronary heart on my sleeve and I acknowledge that. However I don’t transfer with out information,” he mentioned. 

Moore mentioned Maryland has two jobs obtainable for each individual submitting for unemployment however ranks forty seventh within the nation in unemployment. He mentioned the explanation for that is that Maryland has a “dynamic” financial system, however the state just isn’t making ready individuals to take part in it. 

Moore mentioned the state ought to concentrate on job retraining, reskilling and fixing a “damaged” baby care system to get residents again to work. He mentioned the state can leverage capital it has coming in from the federal authorities to repair inefficiencies so it doesn’t want to fret about elevating taxes. 

He mentioned the insurance policies he’s proposing are usually not solely backed up by information however a pathway exists to make them “actual and profit all Marylanders.”

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Moore received his election in November to succeed term-limited Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and turn out to be the primary Black governor of the state.



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7 men represent one of Maryland’s most diverse counties. Could that change?

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7 men represent one of Maryland’s most diverse counties. Could that change?


Since 1956, a County Council of seven — most of them white and most of them men — has represented Baltimore County. That could change after a vote Monday to put the question of whether the council should expand on the ballot.

Though the council members have discussed changes to the body since the 1970s, they’ve never gotten this close to asking the voters to codify changes in the law. The question has become increasingly important, as the population has quadrupled to nearly 850,000 in the last 70 years. People of color make up half the population. The county is 30% Black with a fast-growing immigrant population from Arabic and Hispanic countries.

Today’s County Council includes seven men, six of whom are white. Many civil rights groups and progressive activists have complained the councilmen do not represent the diversifying county and its myriad interests, including affordable housing and accessible transit.

Baltimore County Councilmen Julian Jones and Pat Young, both Democrats, at a zoning hearing in Dundalk in June 2024. (Rona Kobell)

The council needs five votes to put the measure on the ballot in 2024. If the voters approve the measure, the council would expand by two members in 2026. The council would have to redraw political maps to determine where to put the additional districts, and it would have to alter the number of appointments to the planning board and board of appeals so the new council members also have representation there.

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The effort would cost approximately $1.4 million in increased annual operating costs and $12.2 million in (one-time) capital improvement costs.

Council Chairman Izzy Patoka, who has been championing the cause of expansion since a workgroup recommended it in March, said he is confident that he has the five votes.

But of the councilmen polled this past week, only Mike Ertel, a Towson Democrat, said he is supporting it. Republicans Todd Crandell, Wade Kach, and David Marks said they are undecided, as did Democrats Pat Young and Julian Jones.

One provision that may make the legislation more popular with Patoka’s colleagues is a change to make the councilman’s job a full-time position. Currently, each councilman makes $69,000 a year, with the exception of the chair, who makes $77,000. Some have other jobs, even though many have said that the position is really a full-time one.

It’s not clear how much the salary would bump up with a switch to full-time. In Montgomery County, council members have been full-time since voters approved a 2006 ballot. There, the members make $156,284 per year and the council president makes $171,912.46 annually.

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The workgroup that recommended expanding the council by two people also recommended making the members full-time.

The group, called the Baltimore County Structure Review Workgroup, included 11 members and met nine times in 2023 and 2024, including holding a public hearing last January. While some wanted to expand by four, the work group’s consensus was to increase by two members.

Those who are undecided offered different reasons for their concerns, ranging from motives of advocates to philosophical reasons about democracy and government.

“In general, I am not in favor of expanding government, which this would do, but I also want to learn from my colleagues who are in support of the bill,” said Crandell, who represents the Dundalk area.

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Young, who represents the Catonsville area, said the advocates who have contacted him and come before the council want four new members, not two, and he’s not certain two would allay their concerns.

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Marks, who represents the Perry Hall area, said he’s been put off by a process that Democratic activists have driven, and said he would be more in favor of the expansion if those clamoring for it represented a broader cross-section of the county, including more Republican-leaning areas. Kach said he was “not happy” with the proposed council districts or the lack of public input in drafting a new map.

And Jones, the only Black member of the council, said he’s not sure the expansion will accomplish the goal of increasing diversity.

“No one cares more about diversity than I do,” he said. “But democracy is messy, and no one can say the people we have were not duly elected, and that citizens have choices.”

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Several of the current members have had an opponent who was a person of color or a woman; they just didn’t happen to win. Caitlin Klimm-Kellner ran against Mike Ertel in District 6. She told the work group studying the expansion that she struggled because the district included 127,000 people. She hailed from the Rosedale side; Ertel, a longtime community organizer, was much more well-known in Towson.

“I think that if it was a smaller representation, a more localized district, that would not have been as much of a problem,” Klimm-Kellner told the group.

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The council held public hearings on the proposed referendum on June 11 and June 25.

The voting meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the County Council chambers at 400 Washington Ave., Suite 205.

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The Biggest Cities and Areas in Maryland (Population) – The MoCo Show

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The Biggest Cities and Areas in Maryland (Population) – The MoCo Show


Maryland

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According to the 2020 census, Maryland’s population is 6,177,224, ranked 18th in the nation. Maryland’s population continues to grow by at least 7% each decade. It is the 22nd fast-growing state in the nation relative to its population. The “biggest” cities (incorporated) and areas (unincorporated), in terms of population, can be seen below:

CITIES (incorporated)
OVER 10,000 POPULATION
1990 census 2000 census 2010 census 2020 census
Baltimore 736,014 651,154 620,961 585,708
Frederick 40,148 52,767 65,239 78,171
Rockville 44,830 47,388 61,209 67,117
Gaithersburg 39,676 52,613 59,933 69,657
Bowie 37,642 50,269 54,727 58,329
Hagerstown 35,306 36,687 39,662 43,527
Annapolis 33,195 35,838 38,394 40,812
College Park 23,714 24,657 30,413 34,740
Salisbury 20,592 23,743 30,343 33,050
Laurel 19,086 19,960 25,115 30,060
Greenbelt 20,561 21,456 23,068 24,921
Cumberland 23,712 21,518 20,859 19,076
Westminster 13,060 16,731 18,590 20,126
Hyattsville 13,864 14,733 17,557 21,187
Takoma Park 16,724 17,299 16,715 17,629
Easton 9,372 11,708 15,945 17,101
Elkton 9,073 11,893 15,443 15,807
Aberdeen 13,087 13,842 14,959 16,254
Havre de Grace 8,952 11,331 12,952 14,807
Cambridge 11,514 10,911 12,326 13,096
New Carrollton 12,002 12,589 12,135 13,715

Source: Quick Facts, U.S. Census Bureau, as of April 1, 2020.

AREAS (unincorporated)
OVER 20,000 POPULATION
1990 census 2000 census 2010 census 2020 census
Columbia 75,883 88,254 99,615 104,681
Germantown 41,145 55,419 86,395 91,249
Silver Spring 76,046 76,540 71,452 81,015
Waldorf 15,058 22,312 67,752 81,410
Glen Burnie 37,305 38,922 67,639 72,891
Ellicott City 41,396 56,397 65,834 75,947
Dundalk 65,800 62,306 63,597 67,796
Wheaton-Glenmont 53,720 57,694 61,813 68,860
Bethesda 62,936 55,277 60,858 68,056
Towson 49,445 51,793 55,197 59,553
Aspen Hill 45,494 50,228 48,759 51,063
Bel Air South 26,421 39,711 47,709 57,648
Potomac 45,634 44,822 44,965 47,018
Severn 24,499 35,076 44,231 57,118
North Bethesda 29,656 38,610 43,828 50,094
Catonsville 35,233 39,820 41,567 44,701
Essex 40,872 39,078 39,262 40,505
Woodlawn 32,907 36,079 37,879 40,469
Severna Park 25,879 28,507 37,634 39,933
Odenton 12,833 20,534 37,132 42,947
Clinton 19,987 26,064 35,970 38,760
Oxon Hill-Glassmanor 35,794 35,355 35,017 37,221
Olney 23,019 31,438 33,844 37,221
Chillum 31,309 34,252 33,513 36,039
Randallstown 26,277 30,870 32,430 33,655
Montgomery Village 32,315 38,051 32,032 34,893
Suitland-Silver Hill 35,111 33,515 31,775 32,220
Pikesville 24,815 29,123 30,764 34,168
Parkville 31,617 31,118 30,734 31,812
Owings Mills 9,474 20,193 30,622 35,674
Bel Air North 14,880 25,798 30,568 31,841
Eldersburg 9,720 27,741 30,531 32,582
Carney 25,578 28,264 29,941 29,363
Milford Mill 22,547 26,527 29,042 30,622
Perry Hall 22,723 28,705 28,474 29,409
Crofton 12,781 20,091 27,348 29,641
South Laurel 18,591 20,479 26,112 29,602
Reisterstown 19,314 22,438 25,968 26,822
Edgewood 23,903 23,378 25,562 25,713
Lochearn 25,240 25,269 25,333 25,511
Middle River 24,616 23,958 25,191 33,203
North Potomac 18,456 23,044 24,410 23,790
Scaggsville 24,333 9,217
Pasadena 24,287 32,979
Fort Washington 24,032 23,845 23,717 24,261
Fairland 19,828 21,738 23,681 25,396
Ilchester 23,476 26,824
Arnold 20,261 23,422 23,106 24,064
Landover* 22,900 23,078 25,998
Cockeysville 20,776 24,184
Arbutus 19,750 20,116 20,483 21,655
White Oak 18,671 20,973 17,403 16,347
Elkridge 12,953 22,042 15,593 25,171
North Laurel 15,008 20,468 4,474 25,379
St. Charles** 28,717 33,379
South Gate*** 27,564 28,672

 

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*(defined in 2000)
**(included with Waldorf for 2010 Census and beyond)
***(included with Glen Burnie for 2010 Census and beyond)
Source: Quick Facts, U.S. Census Bureau, as of April 1, 2020.

Featured photo shows the city of Baltimore, by @DronifyDMV. Information courtesy of Maryland.gov






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Maryland Collected Nearly $15 Million In Marijuana Sales Tax Revenue For First Quarter Of 2024

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Maryland Collected Nearly $15 Million In Marijuana Sales Tax Revenue For First Quarter Of 2024


“The growing cannabis industry holds immense potential for economic growth for Maryland.”

By Bryan P. Sears, Maryland Matters

Cannabis taxes paid to the state of Maryland for the first three months of 2024 grew by less than 1 percent even as collections fluctuated sharply on a regional basis.

Maryland collected nearly $14.7 million in taxes on sales of recreational cannabis in the first quarter of this year, an increase of less than 0.7 percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2023, according to the Office of the Comptroller. The data released Wednesday is just the third quarterly report since July 1, 2023, when Maryland residents 21 and older could legally purchase cannabis for recreational use.

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“The growing cannabis industry holds immense potential for economic growth for Maryland.” Comptroller Brooke Lierman said in a statement. “Reinvesting the revenue from adult-use cannabis sales into communities that were damaged by misguided policies allows us to further create a more equitable, resilient, and prosperous future for all Marylanders.”

Maryland imposes a 9 percent sales tax on recreational cannabis products. There is no sales tax on medical purchases.

The Maryland Cannabis Administration divides the state into five regions—Capital, Central, Eastern, Southern and Western.

Currently, there are 96 dispensaries spread across the state’s 23 counties and Baltimore City. A comptroller’s spokesperson declined to release county-by-county tax collection data Thursday, saying that doing so could potentially lead to the identification of individual businesses and violate tax privacy laws.

Tax collections in some regions have fluctuated over the first nine months of recreational sales. Officials in the comptroller’s office and the cannabis administration could not immediately account for the variances.

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The Capital Region, comprising the two most populous counties in Maryland—Montgomery and Prince George’s—accounted for more than $6.7 million in taxes, a 76 percent increase over the previous quarter. The amount represented 46 percent of all cannabis taxes collected in the first three months of the year, the first time the region has led the state in cannabis taxes remitted.

The $3.7 million remitted by shops in the Central Region, meanwhile, was a drop of nearly 44 percent from the previous quarter. The region comprises Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties.

In the Eastern Region, which includes nine Eastern Shore counties stretching from Cecil to Worcester, sales tax collection grew to nearly $1.6 million. That is 15 percent more than in the previous three months, and it marks the second consecutive quarter of increased collections for the region.

Sales tax collections in the Western Region grew by more than 29 percent quarter over quarter. It was also the second consecutive quarter of growth for that region, which includes Allegany, Garrett, Frederick and Washington counties.

The Southern Region remitted $618,218, a decrease of more than 40 percent over the last three months of 2023. The amount is also lower than the more than $760,000 collected in the first three months of legal recreational sales. The region includes Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties.

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Taxes from the sales of recreational cannabis are divided among the counties, the state and the Maryland Cannabis Administration, which got nearly $2.8 million in this quarter. The rest of the money is divided between jurisdictions.

Areas disproportionately impacted by the enforcement of cannabis prohibition laws prior to last July receive 35 percent of the taxes collected each quarter, after the administration takes its cut. That fund will receive nearly $4.2 million from collections in the first quarter.

Five percent of the total tax collected in a quarter is earmarked for the state’s 24 major political subdivisions. This quarter the counties and Baltimore City will split more than $593,000. The split is based on the percentage of taxes collected by each jurisdiction. Those jurisdictions then share 50% of their respective cut with municipalities that have cannabis dispensaries that contributed to the sales and use tax collection.

Another 5 percent goes to a fund to help address health effects of recreational cannabis use.

A fund established to help small, minority-owned, and women-owned businesses enter the adult-use cannabis industry also receives 5 percent. That earmark continues through fiscal 2028.

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The state receives the balance. More than $5.9 million in taxes collected in the first three months of the year will go directly to the general fund, according to the comptroller’s office.

This story was first published by Maryland Matters.

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