The Fight Thickens


Prince George’s continues to fight for more aid.

A funding dispute between representatives of Prince George’s and Montgomery counties is on a collision course with state budget negotiations and could splinter support for Gov. Martin O’Malley’s proposed $32.1 billion spending plan, some lawmakers warn.

The ill will — mostly emanating from Prince George’s — has long simmered in Annapolis. But with the recession wiping out the state’s ability this year to use extra money to smooth over the problem, several Prince George’s lawmakers say they can no longer turn the other cheek and watch their county lose money to a richer neighbor.

“They make out a great deal better,” Prince George’s Del. Gerron S. Levi (D) said of Montgomery. “I think our delegation is pretty well committed to seeing things change this year for the better for our county. I would expect a rigorous, tough debate.”

In the view of many Prince George’s lawmakers, an outdated formula involving residents’ tax returns allows wealthier counties — Montgomery chief among them — to retain a larger share of funding than they deserve under state statutes designed to distribute money from rich counties to poor ones. For Montgomery lawmakers, the argument makes little sense, given that county residents pay more in state taxes than they receive in state aid, and that neighboring Prince George’s receives far more aid overall.



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