From the halls of the State House to the heart of county government, the Conduit Street Podcast breaks down the decisions shaping Marylanders’ daily lives. Produced by the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo), this weekly podcast offers smart, accessible insights on the latest state and local policy — with counties always at the center.
Explore how legislation, executive actions, and agency decisions affect essential public services like education, infrastructure, public safety, health, and other core functions that matter most to Maryland residents. With special guests from across the state and the occasional world-famous dad joke, Conduit Street keeps you informed, engaged, and ready for what’s next.
Whether you’re a policymaker, a public servant, or just policy-curious, this is your front-row seat to Maryland’s political landscape.
On the latest episode of the Conduit Street Podcast, Kevin Kinnally, Michael Sanderson, and Natasha Mehu discuss the latest news on the novel strain of the coronavirus, known as COVID-19. Calvert County Health Officer, Dr. Larry Polsky, joins the podcast to discuss state and local efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19.
MACo has made the podcast available through both iTunes and Google Play Music by searching Conduit Street Podcast. You can also listen on our Conduit Street blog with a recap and link to the podcast.
On the latest episode of the Conduit Street Podcast, Kevin Kinnally and Michael Sanderson discuss the latest news and notes on the Kirwan Blueprint legislation - which received its public hearing on February 17, and in the last several days has sprung to life, with House action appearing imminent.
The House’s two committees with joint jurisdiction of the bill – Appropriations and Ways & Means – reviewed a set of “leadership” amendments culled from many submitted by stakeholders, and now appear ready to advance the bill.
What's In?
Among a lengthy list of bill amendments are two items that affect county funding, in both cases seeking to limit the funding obligation left for county governments to absorb through the multi-year phase-in of the plan.
The “Relief” table distributed to House members earlier this week is shown below – encompassing the series of amendments that alter the required county contributions under the bill.
What's Out?
No “County Phase-In” After All
When the Kirwan Commission’s subordinate Funding Formula Workgroup met over the summer and fall, it considered most of the fiscal details embedded in the final legislation.
At their final meeting, where the body rendered its decisions, that Workgroup accepted and approved a motion “that the local share be phased in,” and then (after a five-year timetable had been suggested) decided to “articulate that [the local mandate] should be phased, but let that play out.” The motion was then re-stated as “the ramp-up of the local contribution should be phased…we could leave the phase-in of the local share to be determined.” This motion was approved by the body.
However, the bill is moving forward without a "county phase-in."
In-Budget/Off-Budget School Funding
Another item decided during the October 15 Workgroup decision meeting was to ensure that counties could count dollars toward their required school obligation regardless of the source or means by which they provide them. The essential issue here is that counties are inconsistent with offering certain services within the school budget – school nurses and resource officers are the most often-offered examples, where the county may fund those services through the County Health Department or Sheriff/Police, rather than in the school budget per se.
Until this over-arching funding obligation takes hold, that difference is immaterial – but without including those costs, counties providing such “in-kind” funds would be at a funding disadvantage.
MACo has made the podcast available through both iTunes and Google Play Music by searching Conduit Street Podcast. You can also listen on our Conduit Street blog with a recap and link to the podcast.
On the latest episode of the Conduit Street Podcast, Kevin Kinnally, Michael Sanderson, and Alex Butler discuss the latest news and notes from Annapolis, including the "bag ban" bill; a proposal that would require Maryland to establish a bottle deposit program; and interesting tidbits from the latest Goucher College Poll.
MACo has made the podcast available through both iTunes and Google Play Music by searching Conduit Street Podcast. You can also listen on our Conduit Street blog with a recap and link to the podcast.
On the latest episode of the Conduit Street Podcast, Kevin Kinnally, Michael Sanderson, and Natasha Mehu discuss the latest news and notes from Annapolis, including a recap of the hearing on the Blueprint for Maryland's Future - the bill to implement the recommendations from the [Kirwan] Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education; a new proposal to fund the Blueprint by "modernizing" Maryland's sales and use tax; and a breakdown of the wave of tech-related bills connected to public safety.
MACo has made the podcast available through both iTunes and Google Play Music by searching Conduit Street Podcast. You can also listen on our Conduit Street blog with a recap and link to the podcast.
On the latest episode of the Conduit Street Podcast, Kevin Kinnally and Michael Sanderson discuss the latest news and notes from Annapolis, including a breakdown of Kirwan Commission Blueprint bill, with far-reaching recommendations for school funding and outcomes; a bill to apply the sales and use tax to (some) services; a bill to ban most plastic bags, which, as introduced, would preempt several existing or pending county programs and divert revenues from important local environmental purposes; and other tidbits around town.
MACo has made the podcast available through both iTunes and Google Play Music by searching Conduit Street Podcast. You can also listen on our Conduit Street blog with a recap and link to the podcast.
On the latest episode of the Conduit Street Podcast, Kevin Kinnally and Michael Sanderson discuss the latest news and notes from Annapolis, including the long-awaited introduction of the Kirwan Commission bill, with far-reaching recommendations for school funding and outcomes; MACo’s partnership with LOCAL Maryland to fight against state preemption — including legislation to clarify the process for any future legislative preemption; and "cranky cancels."
MACo has made the podcast available through both iTunes and Google Play Music by searching Conduit Street Podcast. You can also listen on our Conduit Street blog with a recap and link to the podcast.
On the latest episode of the Conduit Street Podcast, Kevin Kinnally, Michael Sanderson, and Natasha Mehu discuss the latest news and notes from Annapolis, including a breakdown of multiple bills aimed at curbing tobacco use/vaping; a rare parliamentary maneuver on the House floor; a look at what's really going on during the first few weeks of session; and commentary on the first video live stream of the House of Delegates.
MACo has made the podcast available through both iTunes and Google Play Music by searching Conduit Street Podcast. You can also listen on our Conduit Street blog with a recap and link to the podcast.
On the latest episode of the Conduit Street Podcast, Kevin Kinnally and Michael Sanderson discuss the latest news and notes from Annapolis. This week, we break down the Built to Learn Act of 2020 -- which would drive an additional $2.2 billion in school construction funding, by leveraging casino “lockbox” revenues for bonds.
MACo has made the podcast available through both iTunes and Google Play Music by searching Conduit Street Podcast. You can also listen on our Conduit Street blog with a recap and link to the podcast.
On the latest episode of the Conduit Street Podcast, Kevin Kinnally and Michael Sanderson discuss the latest news and notes from Annapolis, including what Governor Hogan's fiscal year 2021 budget proposal means for counties; this week's economic briefing from Moody's Analytics to the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee; and a slew of potential revenue-generating proposals being buzzed-about around town.
MACo has made the podcast available through both iTunes and Google Play Music by searching Conduit Street Podcast. You can also listen on our Conduit Street blog with a recap and link to the podcast.
On the latest episode of the Conduit Street Podcast, Kevin Kinnally, Natasha Mehu, and Michael Sanderson preview the 2020 session of the Maryland General Assembly. School funding, school construction, public health, mental health, taxes, revenues, preemption, public safety, and criminal justice issues are all hot topics.
MACo has made the podcast available through both iTunes and Google Play Music by searching Conduit Street Podcast. You can also listen on our Conduit Street blog with a recap and link to the podcast.
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