By Adam Pagnucco. In a blast email sent to county employees on Saturday night, County Executive Marc Elrich announced an end to the county’s COVID emergency pay program. The pay…
Budget and Taxes
By Adam Pagnucco. Last week, Maryland Matters reported that the House of Delegates attached a large expansion of the state’s earned income tax credit (EITC) to Governor Larry Hogan’s pandemic…
Two Negotiating Strategies, Two Outcomes
By Adam Pagnucco. In justifying the county’s creation of a $4 million per pay period emergency pay liability, representatives of county government depict it as a good deal for taxpayers….
By Adam Pagnucco. The year 2020 was hugely eventful for the entire world and MoCo was no exception. In our county, 2020 saw a public health crisis, a resulting economic…
Top Seventh State Stories, December 2020
By Adam Pagnucco. These were the top stories on Seventh State in December ranked by page views. 1. What Happened to White Flint?2. The Day of Reckoning is Near3. Jawando…
What Happened to White Flint?
By Adam Pagnucco. Ten years ago, White Flint was regarded as the future crown jewel of MoCo. With a shiny new master plan, a tax district for infrastructure and an…
By Adam Pagnucco. On October 27, the county council overrode County Executive Marc Elrich’s veto of Bill 29-20, which mandates 15-year property tax breaks for developers at Metro stations. This…
Follow the Money
By Adam Pagnucco. To understand the growing strains on MoCo’s pandemic-stricken budget, it helps to follow the money. Here is an example. Follow This Money Last spring, the county council…
Jawando Calls for a Tax Hike
By Adam Pagnucco. This morning, the county council and representatives of the executive branch discussed the county’s abysmal new fiscal plan, which raises the prospect of cuts to county government…
The Day of Reckoning is Near
By Adam Pagnucco. I worked at the county council during part of the Great Recession. Those were terrible years. Under County Executive Ike Leggett’s leadership, the county slaughtered every sacred…