Now that the Maryland General Assembly's 1999 session has ended, and most of the news coming out of Annapolis concerns the local city council's attempt to control loitering, it's time for the Washington County delegation to start getting its ducks in a row for the 2000 session.
Why so early? Because with all due respect, the delegation came back from the state capital with less than it should have this year. Better planning just might yield a better return next year. A few of the items we have in mind include:
- After watching the county government bring in a series of distribution centers and terminals, adding hundreds of trucks to local roadways, does it really make sense to oppose the increase in the gasoline tax that will surely be proposed next year?
We know it would make the "no new taxes" crowd happy, but not improving roads for new industrial clients makes about as much sense as inviting someone to dinner, then telling them there's not enough food to go around. If there's an alternative to raising this tax, like cutting some other projects, we'll listen, but we don't see that Washington County has the clout to get other jurisdictions' money transferred to local projects.
