Local Political Analysis - State of Howard County: 'Still Strong and Getting Stronger'

By George Berkheimer

In his fourth annual State of Howard County address, County Executive Ken Ulman (D) assessed the county's health as "strong and getting stronger," despite the tough economic atmosphere that continues to exacerbate budget problems throughout the nation.
"Our schools remain among the best in the nation, our streets are safe, our quality of life is enviable and our local economy is well-positioned to weather the economic slowdown," Ulman said.
Focusing on the county's strengths, the county executive praised the county's fire and rescue and police departments for their efforts and accomplishments.
"In less than one year, average [fire and rescue] response times have dropped a full minute, from almost eight minutes in 2008 to under seven minutes in 2009," he noted, adding that two new cost-efficient stations scheduled to open in Glenwood and Jessup during the next two years are expected to drive down response times even further.
Ulman credited recent investments in the police department with helping bring about some of the lowest crime rates in county history.
"Last year we had only two murders," he said. "That's two too many, but a rate that is almost unheard of in communities our size."
The county added 54 officers to the force last year and created new, specialized units designed to streamline the force and help it to work more proactively. Among the new units are a repeat offenders unit that monitors a small number of criminals responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime in the community; satellite offices that increase police presence and access; a new domestic violence unit that works with the Domestic Violence Center of Howard County to ensure victims receive assistance; and a full-time detective assigned to ensure full compliance with the Maryland Sex Offenders Registry.

Quality of Life
In terms of health care, Howard County has provided more than 35,000 H1N1 vaccines to county residents during the current flu season. "We held the largest drive-through flu clinic in the United States in 2008 and again in 2009," Ulman said.
Quality of life in the county continues to improve, he continued, noting the addition of the Meadowbrook Athletic Center in December and the proposed openings of the North Laurel Community Center & Regional Park and the Robinson Nature Center later this year, as well as a planned groundbreaking for the new Blandair Regional Park.
Environmental priorities have added to the quality of life, Ulman said, pointing to county incentives for green buildings and neighborhoods, a Climate Action Plan, land preservation opportunities and other initiatives.
"Our environmental focus is yielding budgetary savings as well," the county executive said, claiming more than $500,000 in savings stemming from the county's recycling efforts and hundreds of thousands of dollars saved through early investments in hybrid vehicles in fleet and transit operations.
The economy remains the biggest challenge the county faces, Ulman said, noting that revenues and property taxes are down. "The most recent residential assessment is down 23%, income tax is down 7% [and] state aid has been cut to the bone."
Not surprisingly, the county has seen more requests for public services than ever. "Library use is up, park use is up, [community college] enrollment is up and requests for energy, housing and food assistance are all up," he said.
The county has responded by cutting inefficiencies and benefits costs throughout government, and also instituted a week-long furlough between Christmas and New Year's Day that saved it nearly $2 million.
Cooperative initiatives including joint bidding for health insurance, joint fleet maintenance, joint paving contracts, shared technology infrastructure and property management agreements are all part of the county's strategy to save money, "but we need to do more," Ulman said.

The BRAC Connection
On a positive note, Ulman pointed out that Howard County retained its AAA bond rating from all three rating agencies (Fitch, Moody's and Standard & Poor's) and that the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process is beginning to solidify.
"Already, 300 workers from the Defense Information Systems Agency are at Fort Meade working in temporary offices and the first new BRAC-related building will open in October this year, with additional agencies and buildings to follow over the next 24 months," he said.
More jobs are expected to follow, including up to 4,000 new positions at the National Security Agency and up to 5,000 new direct jobs that could be created as a result of the new Department of Defense Cyber Command that has been proposed for Fort Meade.
That's good news for Howard County in terms of luring defense contractors and other large businesses to the area. At the same time, the county's BRAC Business Initiative is helping small minority businesses develop the capacity and expertise to win federal defense contracts.
"More than 400 businesses are participating in this initiative," Ulman said, including adviser companies that include Booze Allen, Cyper Corps, L3, SAIC and Unisys.
Expansions and relocations of existing large companies have also resulted in the absorption of more than 1 million square feet of commercial and warehouse space in the past year, he added.

Business Development
Finally, Ulman recognized the Howard County Economic Development Authority's efforts to partner with the local banking community to help small businesses access capital to create new jobs.
Among the stimulus and revitalization loan programs being offered to the small business community are the Catalyst Loan Program (CLP); the U.S. Route 1 Revitalization Loan Program; the Recovery Zone Facility Bonds program; the Industrial Revenue program; and the Maryland Capital Access Program.
A county forum held in January introduced these tools to local bankers, financial planners, business consultants and other interested parties, and the newly created CLP has already garnered its first recipient, Laurel's Andersen-Becker Inc., a manufacturer of women's clothing.
"Their $50,000 Catalyst Loan enabled a larger loan from Howard Bank, both of which were critical to help fund their recent expansion," Ulman noted.
Despite the county's enviable position compared to other jurisdictions, both in location and its fiscal outlook, the challenges ahead are no less daunting, he said.
"We must plan strategically and deliberately shape our future and define the community we strive to be, and it is more important to create opportunities when they are needed," Ulman concluded, citing the creation of a comprehensive master plan for the revitalization of downtown Columbia as one of the most exciting opportunities the county has witnessed since the genesis of Columbia in 1964.
"It is important to recognize, as Jim Rouse did, that doing it right is the right thing to do," he said.