By Adam Pagnucco. The State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), which assesses real property values in all Maryland counties, has released its new assessments for 2025. And in the…
Budget and Taxes
By Adam Pagnucco. The Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA), which represents MCPS teachers, has issued a statement of support for Superintendent Thomas Taylor’s recommended FY26 operating budget. Taylor’s budget, requesting…
Taylor’s Huge Ask
By Adam Pagnucco. Last night, Superintendent Thomas Taylor announced the broad terms of his recommended budget. As I am writing this column (on Wednesday night), I don’t have a copy…
By Adam Pagnucco. In a brand new six-year fiscal plan, the county government’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reports that the county is projecting an unexpected windfall of more…
How Exposed is MoCo to Trump?
By Adam Pagnucco. As Donald Trump resumes his occupancy of the Oval Office, state and county leaders are scrambling to assess his potential impact. Governor Wes Moore even hired a…
Council Members Vent Over Grants Debacle
By Adam Pagnucco. Last Thursday, the county council’s Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee took up the county’s beleaguered grants program, a subject of mounting unhappiness among the local nonprofit…
The Gathering Storm
By Adam Pagnucco. Presidential election years are normally sleepy ones in state and local politics. Sure, the identity of the president and control of Congress matter to Maryland and especially…
By Adam Pagnucco. Two days ago, we reported on how an error by MCPS in a state aid application resulted in its request for an additional $21.6 million in local…
By Adam Pagnucco. Yesterday, I reported that MCPS was seeking $21.6 million in additional county money for the Charles W. Woodward High School project because an error in its aid…
By Adam Pagnucco. Earlier today, I wrote about how Superintendent Thomas Taylor’s first recommended capital budget claimed that due to “errors” by MCPS, the school system was going to lose…