ANNAPOLIS | In ways large and small, Maryland residents offered thousands of ideas for Gov. Martin O’Malley to consider as he tries to find about $470 million in budget reductions by Labor Day.
The recommendations were made public on a state Web site Friday, four days after a deadline for residents to respond.
The submissions range widely in tone. Some offer simple constructive measures to chip away at a big problem.
“Do away with the front auto plate,” a Caroline County resident suggested.
Others pleaded for state programs they hoped to be spared from cuts.
“Please keep funds for Adult Education,” one Montgomery County resident wrote. “It’s vital!”
Then, there were the critics who couldn’t pass up an opportunity to cut loose.
“Sell the governor’s mansion and live in your own house,” one Anne Arundel County resident wrote. “Give up your paycheck, go back to practicing law and do governor work on evenings and weekends.”
From raising road tolls to cutting state employee salaries - or just letting the grass grow higher on highway medians - residents from throughout the state took advantage of the governor’s request for recommendations to add their two cents.
Sometimes the recommendations were succinctly stated, while others spent some time over their recommendations.
“Institute a pilot program to operate State government just four days a week,” one resident from Anne Arundel County suggested.
The O’Malley administration noted some of the more popular suggestions and included a response to some.
Residents often recommended raising taxes on alcohol and cigarettes. An increase to the state’s alcohol tax has run into stiff opposition in the Legislature for years. The state raised the tobacco tax from $1 to $2 in the 2007 special session.
Raising revenue from people who live in neighboring states but work in Maryland was on the minds of more than a few state residents. The administration said the state isn’t currently considering a so-called commuter tax, because it’s believed it would discourage outside investment and would be expensive to administer.
Some of the recommendations released Friday include ending a tuition freeze at state colleges and universities and reducing land acquisitions through the state’s Program Open Space.
The extension of the tuition freeze into its fourth year has been a top O’Malley priority. The administration notes that the University System of Maryland has fallen from the sixth-highest tuition in the nation among public universities in 2004 to an estimated 18th-highest, according to an analysis by the Chronicle of Higher Education.
However, officials at the university system have been unable to guarantee that the freeze will continue beyond the upcoming semester.
Other recommendations focused on cutting back on the purchase of public lands, an O’Malley priority. Despite tough fiscal times, Mr. O’Malley moved forward with buying more than 9,000 acres of land late last year and in January at a cost of about $71 million, saying it was simply too ecologically and culturally valuable to pass up. The administration reiterated the importance of Program Open Space in a response posted on the Web site.
Furloughs for state workers were another frequent recommendation. State workers had at least two furlough days in the last fiscal year, and higher paid employees took two or three more days. The O’Malley administration is negotiating with labor officials for another round this fiscal year.
Anti-illegal-immigrant sentiment also was commonly expressed in resident responses. Some recommended ending funding to organizations such as CASA de Maryland. The administration said CASA has received $1 million in capital funding in fiscal year 2009 to renovate a Multi-Cultural Service Center in Langley Park and $33,000 in community development tax credits.
Residents will be able to keep discussing budget reductions on the Web site.
“I hope the people of Maryland will continue to offer feedback on ways we can continue reforming Maryland’s state government,” Mr. O’Malley, a Democrat, said.
Last month, the Board of Public Works, which includes the governor, Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp and Comptroller Peter Franchot, approved about $280 million in spending reductions and fund transfers.
Mr. O’Malley plans to bring about $470 million in additional reductions to the board on Aug. 26.
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