Maryland legislators discuss how to better Md. counties

Thousands of Maryland government officials have gathered in Ocean City this week to share their best practices.

The Maryland Association of Counties, or MaCo, is hosting their annual summer conference. It brings local, state and federal legislators together to discuss issues, solutions, and upcoming agendas for this year.

Wicomico Director for Public Works Weston Young says, “Rather than recreating the wheel, each county is creating a new program. MaCo’s conferences are great [they] bring everyone together and see how are [other counties] are solving issues.”

The goal of the conference is to better Maryland counties and this year’s focus is technology and public policy. On Wednesday, local officials went to the Tech Expo, where several vendors showcased their technology and how counties can utilize them in their community. The use of drones for public safety was a big hit.

Local officials tell 47 ABC that traffic and the health of the Chesapeake Bay are topics they want to work to find solutions for. Queen Anne’s County Commissioner, Robert Buckey, is one official hoping to find the answer.

“The Chesapeake Bay is important to the citizens and the fishermen and the tourists but traffic is important to the citizens of the county that can’t get around when that Bay Bridge is shut down or when 301 is expanded,” says Buckey.

Governor Larry Hogan and United States Senator Ben Cardin – are expected to address those at the conference Thursday.