Commissioners put off dues for national association

Board split on value of $1,693 annual membership cost for group that represents interests of county governments

Friday, Nov. 6, 2009

St. Mary's County has been a member of the association and is also a member of the Maryland Association of Counties.

The bill for dues for the national association is $1,693.

Commissioners Larry Jarboe (R) and Daniel H. Raley (D) had problems with the renewal.

"I think there's certainly a point in time we have to look at all the bills," Jarboe said. County government now has a hiring freeze for new positions.

Commissioner Thomas A. Mattingly Sr. (D), the board's representative to the Maryland Association of Counties, said the national membership has benefits in advertising positions on a nationwide basis and it offers a program for less expensive prescription drugs.

"It's to our advantage to continue it," he said.

Maryland has 100-percent participation in MACo and because of that, "It gives MACo an additional benefit in representation in NACo," Mattingly said Wednesday.

Raley said he wanted more time to understand the benefits of membership.

NACo produces a newsletter. "It goes right into the recycle bin," Jarboe said of his copy.

"There's a lot of good information contained in the news piece we get," Mattingly said Wednesday.

The $1,693 "is budgeted in the budget. It's not going to save $6 million [Jarboe] wants to save by doing constant yield."

The constant yield rate is the formula for property taxes to bring in the same amount of revenue as the year before.

More funds come in because of rising assessments.

jbabcock@somdnews.com