Harford County Executive David Craig went before the county?s representatives in Annapolis on Friday to ask for more state funding toward schools, roads and detention centers already strained by growth and facing another potential boom on the horizon.
In their first meeting since the beginning of the 2007 General Assembly, Harford?s delegation heard Craig?s presentation of the county?s wish list. It mostly focused on getting the county its share of money for school construction, road projects and expansion of the county detention center.
Delegate Pat McDonough, R-District 7, suggested that the General Assembly could create a special “BRAC-impacted” designation for Anne Arundel and Harford Counties, where many new developments are expected to follow new jobs at Fort Meade and APG under the Base Realignment and Closure Act.
The designation could give the state an extra incentive to fund those areas? unique needs when weighing them against other counties, he said.
However, Craig had some doubts about such a plan, worrying that creating such a designation would lead adjacent counties to push for inclusion and thus increase competition for funding.
Craig did embrace using BRAC to push forward with funding roads and schools. The current six-year timeline for funding and building roads is too long given Harford?s current need and the looming threat of more traffic and development as the military presence increases at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Craig said.
Del. Mary Dulaney James, D-District 34, suggested that the county bring out more data on which roads would need to be improved due to BRAC, so that officials would have a stronger bargaining position. A study had been commissioned last year by The Army Alliance ? a group dedicated to supporting business and growth at Aberdeen Proving Ground ? and could serve as a starting point, she said.
The delegation was generally receptive to the county?s call for at least $18.8 million out of the $400 million in the state?s school construction budget, which was calculated based on Harford?s share of all the students in the state, Craig?s Chief of Staff Aaron Tomarchio said.
