The Examiner sat down with Anne Arundel County Council Chairman Ronald Dillon Jr., R-District 3, at his Glen Burnie office recently and questioned him on development, the impact of the influx of personnelin and around Fort Meade, schools and crime.
Q As Anne Arundel?s population expands, how will the County Council balance the encouragement of development with preserving the bedroom-community aspect that county residents cherish?
A The communities that are already developed, such a Glen Burnie, Crofton and Pasadena, are probably going to stay as is.
Where you?ll likely see mixed-use and higher-density development is in West County [the Route 3 corridor].
The rest of the county seems to be adverse to any type of high-density development, but it seems you can?t have affordable housing without it.
The tough job that lies before the County Council and the administration is determining if the proper infrastructure is in place.
That means we?re going to have to make an investment in the infrastructure, and I don?t think it?s enough right now.
Q The Base Realignment and Closure program will bring in an estimated 1,700 students to Anne Arundel.
That increase, coupled with county growth, may lead to overcrowding schools.
What should the county be doing to address this potential problem?
A I think is was a good move [to budget $2.5 million for feasibility studies for two schools near Fort Meade].
It?s smart to get the costs first and then put the pieces together.
If it?s going to cost $20 million to build a new school, it?s not going to happen, because our bond capacity limits what we can do.
There?s just not enough money going around for that to happen.
Q What should be the county?s role in the BRAC expansion and development?
A Again, we need to make sure the infrastructure is in place, such as schools, water system and roads, before we move on any projects.
We?re already behind on road investments and I see littleimprovement to increase capacity.
If the infrastructure is not in place, then the development should not move forward.
The county must also put an emphasis on drawing in not just residents, but businesses as well.
That will bring in more jobs, relieve the burden on schools and reduce taxes that residents have to pay.
Q There has been a lot of pessimism surrounding next year?s budget, as the state looks at a multibillion deficit.
What should the county do to prepare for the worse?
A It?s really hard to analyze, because we really don?t know how the state is going to impact the aid to counties.
Everyone keeps talking about doomsday budgets, but if capital gains improve, if the housing market improves, we could start seeing increases in the local revenue streams.
This year, we were conservative with our revenue estimates and our spending.
By being conservative and using proper fiscal management, we may be able to come out better than expected.
Q Robberies have been on the rise in the county, particularly in your district of Glen Burnie and Pasadena.
Is this a concern, and what should be done to quell this spike in crime?
A This is an issue we need to be vigilant about.
This shows we need to recruit more officers to increase enforcement.
We also need to work to curb vandalism.
I?m seeing more graffiti and gang tags in my district, and we need to address that.
