Emotions ran high and discussions ran long as the Board of Public Works approved $7 million in Baltimore County school renovation projects – but not a cent of it going toward air conditioning in old schools. Comptroller Peter Franchot voted against the projects because he felt the lack of air conditioning in 65 of the 172 county schools should be the district’s top priority. [...more]
Later this month, the Board of Public Works will be voting on new guidelines requiring future purchases of energy efficient products -- including phasing out most state use of bottled water. “Generally we’re looking at things that are environmentally friendly, but also to save on cost,” said Michael Haifley, procurement director of the Department of General Services. [...more]
Under protests from Comptroller Peter Franchot, the Board of Public Works approved an emergency contract to build out a new home for the Annapolis-based Maryland Higher Education Commission in the same Baltimore building as the State Board of Education. [...more]
The Board of Public Works awarded $18 million in grants coming from the new 3% alcohol sales tax for school construction projects in Howard, Montgomery, and Anne Arundel counties. [...more]
With 430 assistant attorneys general working throughout Maryland state government, you might think that transferring one of them to the new Health Benefit Exchange could be a way to save the state a bit of money. Deputy Attorney General J.B. Howard told the Board of Public Works that definitely isn’t the case. “Our office has virtually no discretion to find these types of efficiencies you are describing,” Howard said. [...more]
Maryland state government is going to be moving to cloud-based e-mail, after a divided Board of Public Works approved a contract for up to $56 million with California-based SADA Systems on Wednesday. The state currently has 57 different e-mail systems leading to duplication, inefficiency and extra costs. [...more]
The Board of Public Works approved $350,000 on Wednesday to give a last push to advertising the Maryland Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program. The state received $36 million in federal funds to give out as loans to people who are in financial trouble and unable to pay their mortgages. They have a very short window to use that money – between April 2 and Sept. 30. If the funds are not used by the end of the month, they go back to the federal government. [...more]
As the world is still reeling from the partisan gridlock in Washington over raising the federal debt ceiling, Comptroller Peter Franchot sounded the alarm on Wednesday over a project that may force Maryland to have to raise its own debt limit. The project, a 20-year lease for the Maryland Economic Development Corporation to sell bonds to construct and equip a new state Public Health Laboratory in the Johns Hopkins University Science + Technology Park, will cost the state $15.3 million a year. [...more]
Despite being a fan of renewable energy and jobs for western Maryland, Comptroller Peter Franchot voted against a long-term lease for the state’s largest solar energy farm at the Board of Public Works on Wednesday. [...more]
While discord over the national debt and budget cutting sizzled Wednesday in Washington, D.C., the Board of Public Works approved the sale of $512 million in state bonds at some of the lowest rates ever – and had harsh words for uncompromising Republicans in Congress. [...more]
