Politics & Government

Howard County Citizens Oppose Pension Shift

The governor's proposal for moving teacher pension costs from the state to the counties was the focus of a Feb. 21 hearing.

The Howard County Delegation heard from 36 people in Ellicott City on Tuesday on state and local issues. 

More than any other issue, citizens mentioned concern over Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley's proposal to shift teacher pensions from the state to the county.

County Executive Ken Ulman has opposed the proposal, and his constituents followed suit at the Feb. 21 hearing.

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Council Chair Mary Kay Sigaty testified on behalf of the council: "With county resources already stretched very thinly, this will be an obligation impossible to meet...We cannot absorb the additional cost of the pension shift without significantly impacting critical services that our residents need including police, the human services and public works."

Here’s what the citizens had to say, by the numbers:

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Issue                                               For Against      Total TEACHER PENSION SHIFT 0 15 15 OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY 5 1 6

REFILLABLE BEER CONTAINERS

3 1 4 SHERIFF BARGAINING
2 0 2 SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
2 2 4 OTHER

5


Eight of the 11 Howard County Delegation members were able to attend: Dels. Gail Bates, Liz Bobo, Shane Pendergrass, Guy Guzzone, Frank Turner, Steven DeBoy and Sens. Ed Kasemeyer and Allan Kittleman. Del. James Malone was with his son, who was in the hospital, said Guzzone, delegation chair. 

Patch will have detailed updates on this article. 


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