Local officials called upon the federal government to cough up more money to help their communities expand for the coming influx at Maryland?s military bases after a congressional report urged the Pentagon to provide more funding.
The federal government “has reached out to us … but funding for schools is woefully underfunded and inadequate,” said Bob Leib, Anne Arundel?s coordinator for Base Realignment and Closure.
A General Accountability Office issued a report Tuesday that said the Department of Defense needs to do more to reach out to communities affected by BRAC, as well as better coordinate funding efforts throughout the federal agencies.
Twenty communities nationwide will be significantly affected by BRAC, including Fort Meade (5,000new jobs) and Aberdeen Proving Ground (6,000 new jobs).
But Maryland has seen much of the federal aid already doled out ? $4 million ? and local officials said the federal government?s main funding agency, the Office of Economic Adjustment, has been very responsive to their requests for funding.
APG has received the most funding ? $3.6 million ? of the top 20 installations, while Fort Meade has received $1.4 million, according to the report.
Yet more can be done, officials say. Leib said the federal government has put $2.5 million toward educating students of military parents in Anne Arundel, which is well under what it actually costs.
Harford County is hoping the federal government funds a road improvement program to help ease the concern of congested roads ? a top worry among the nation?s BRAC communities.
“We?re working with the Army … but the Army says it has no money either,” said James Richardson, Harford?s BRAC coordinator.
U.S. Sens. Barbara Mikulski and Benjamin Cardin, both Democrats, have urged the Defense Department to pay the $21 million needed to help Maryland?s BRAC communities, particularly road improvements around the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda.
What may help BRAC communities is better organization by the Defense Department, the GAO report said.
An oversight committee mandated by the president has rarely met in two years, the report added.
The report also noted that the Defense Department is not accurately stating how many people are moving due to BRAC.
Local officials said that issue pertains to uniformed military members, and most of the influx in Maryland comprises civilian workers.
