Maryland spending proposal could force county tax hikes

A bill before the Maryland Senate would require counties to maintain current levels of spending on public safety, transportations and libraries — something critics say will almost certainly lead to county tax increases.

The legislature passed a similar law last year requiring so-called “maintenance of effort” for education, meaning counties wouldn’t receive their share of state aid to education unless they provided the same level of funding they did the previous year. That effectively forbids them from cutting funding for education.