Hogan ‘State of the State’ Gives Peanuts to Cecil County Road Aid; Tax Relief to Business,Veterans

Governor Larry Hogan delivered his first “state of the state” address on Wednesday 2/4/15, promising to reinstate some road aid to the counties—but the fiscal reality is that Cecil County might get just a few extra peanuts and not a substantive boost in state road and bridge repair aid that has been cut by over 90 percent in recent years. Hogan also promised some help for military, police and emergency responder retirees with a phase-in of income tax reductions on their retirement pensions. And, in fulfilling a campaign pledge, Hogan promised to seek repeal of the so-called “rain tax” imposed on Western Shore counties, but not Cecil County, to offset costs of dealing with storm water runoff that pollutes streams and the Chesapeake Bay. The new governor, who ran on a platform to make the state more “business-friendly,” also proposed revisions in the state’s “personal property” tax that is actually a business inventory tax and which has been cited by small business groups as a deterrent to new business location in the state. Of most significance to Cecil County was the new governor’s proposed revisions to his Fiscal 2016 budget—presented just a week ago and a few days after Hogan [...]