KEVIN KAMENETZ April 13, 2017 County Executive Council Chairman Quirk, members of the County Council, and fellow residents of Baltimore County, good morning. Visitors to our Baltimore County website will find plenty of photographs. We put them there because each picture tells part of a story. There are images of a company joining our thriving business community, bringing new jobs and new economic opportunities. Images of a new neighborhood school opening, providing world class education to serve our ever-growing population. A groundbreaking for another affordable senior housing community, helping ensure our older adults can age with dignity and respect. A new nature center and new turf fields for young people – and kids of all ages. Retraining workers to find jobs in this technology-driven age. Each image is part of our broader story, showing the progress we have made together. And each gives us reasons to pause, to celebrate and to reflect. What often strikes me when I stand with a shovel at a groundbreaking or hold those big scissors at a ribbon cutting is Baltimore County’s size and scope. As county executive of Maryland’s third largest jurisdiction, I have the privilege to serve more than 830,000 residents who are committed to this place that we proudly call home. Our dedicated government workers truly get the job done. They’re teaching in our classrooms, they are patrolling our streets, they are issuing permits and, sometimes, they are literally in the trenches. To all our government employees, for all of the ways you contribute to our success, thank you for serving our County well. Here’s more tangible acknowledgement of your hard work: The budget we are submitting today includes a 2% cost of living increase for all County employees, effective July 1. I also want to thank the members of the County Council, our State delegation and Maryland’s federal elected officials for your continuing support. So why do people want to live and work in Baltimore County? I’ve heard it time and time again – it’s our safe welcoming neighborhoods, quality schools, and the understanding that County government is meeting the needs of its residents and employers. Keeping communities healthy and safe In Baltimore County, leading by example means helping to keep people secure and healthy. Our police, firefighters and paramedics understand that keeping the public safe requires community cooperation and mutual respect. This is an especially tough time for our officers. I am very proud of the brave men and women in our police department. Total crime in Baltimore County dropped by 8% from 2009 to 2016. Our case clearance rates consistently exceed state and national averages. Each week we train more police officers on the proper use of body cameras, and we are on track to have the program fully implemented by the end of September. This budget includes $4.3 million to complete the body camera roll out, including funding for additional evidence technicians in the State’s Attorney’s office. Technology continues to improve public safety. Rob Stradling and his talented team in our Office of Information Technology are spearheading the effort. We recently implemented a back- up 9-1-1 center that increases system reliability. In this budget, we are funding design for a new $27 million computer aided dispatch and emergency communications system. We’ve also continued to witness the tragic surge in opioid overdoses. Like other jurisdictions in the state and throughout the country, we are providing additional resources to combat this alarming epidemic. We have trained and equipped all of our police and EMS responders with naloxone, a quick-response medication that reverses an opioid overdose, giving our first responders a vital tool to save more lives. Our Department of Health and Human Services offers free classes for anyone who wants to learn how to use this life-saving drug. Understanding that this is only the first part of a long-term solution to fighting substance abuse, we continue to study new strategies that expand access to evidence-based treatment, and to connect those who battle the disease of addiction with the resources they need. We also are expanding services to people who experience homelessness. Two years ago we opened a comprehensive Westside Men’s Shelter, replacing trailers. A new Eastern Family Resource Center opens later this year with expanded health services, shelter beds for men and women, and resources for people in need. Women and children who need shelter often are victims of domestic violence and need a safe place to stay for weeks before they secure permanent housing. The new Center will double the number of these transitional housing beds. Our initiative to reduce homelessness includes outreach and workforce development services, rapid re-housing and permanent supportive housing programs. Clean Green County Keeping us safe and healthy also means fighting for clean air and water, and serving as good stewards of our land. With 200 miles of waterfront and 2,000 miles of streams and tributaries in the County, we consider protection of the environment a sacred trust. The Clean Green County initiative is restoring streambanks and shorelines, planting trees, even sweeping streets, all to protect the Bay. Baltimore County has over 64,000 acres of land in permanent conservation, open space that can never be developed. Our single stream recycling facility has sold 174,000 tons of materials that otherwise would be in landfills, bringing in $23 million of sales revenue in its first three years of operation. ii More than 200 County parks offer green spaces and recreation places. From scenic Lake Roland to new trails at Marshy Point, the County has funded a record $67.5 million in new parks, community centers and turf fields since 2010. This budget includes funding for a new regional turf playing field on the CCBC Catonsville campus, not only for college students, but so all the residents in Lansdowne, Arbutus and Catonsville can have home field advantage. We will also fund new turf fields for Randallstown and Perry Hall High Schools, and replace worn turf fields at Hereford, Lansdowne and Woodlawn High Schools. In all, we are funding $10.5 million for recreation, including $4.5 million for 90 maintenance and refurbishment projects throughout the County. Last summer, we announced a County government solar project, a direct commitment to renewable energy. This solar initiative will return clean energy to the grid and save taxpayers $20 million over the next 25 years. Commercial building owners can also go green with our new PACE program, which provides long-term loans so high efficiency improvements can be made now, with zero upfront costs. We are improving our aging infrastructure to reduce the number of water main breaks and waste overflows. Baltimore County’s proposed capital budget includes $470 million to replace and re- line water and sewer pipes in the County and upgrade regional reservoirs, treatment plants and pumping stations. We know these significant investments are making a difference today and will help secure open space and cleaner air and water for future generations. Educating our children We also know that it is vital to prepare every child for a world of rapid change and innovation. Think about it: the college class of 2017 was born in 1996. Dial-up internet access was starting to make personal computing quick, affordable and accessible. Google was a year old and the iPhone was still a decade away. What will be posted on job boards when today’s kindergarten classes start their job searches? One thing we do know is that the jobs of the future will require a more highly skilled and educated workforce. The professionals in our Department of Economic and Workforce Development, under the leadership of Director Will Anderson, are focused on workforce development as the key to growing our economy, and they’re achieving great results. A recent report prepared for the Department examines education from an economic perspective. The report studied the business sectors expected to generate the most County job growth over the next ten years, such as healthcare, information technology and financial services. Almost one-third of these new jobs will require a Bachelor’s degree or above. Baltimore County Public Schools are committed to starting our kids off with a solid foundation. We have the 25th largest school system in the country, with more than 112,000 students, led by our energetic superintendent Dr. Dallas Dance. Last year, the public school graduation rate rose to 89.2%, one of the highest rates in Maryland. That’s six straight years of increasing graduation rates as we keep our academic standards high. Equally impressive is that the achievement gap has closed. African American students in Baltimore County Public Schools are now graduating at the same rate as White students. iii Our public schools are as diverse as our population. Six thousand County public school students do not speak English as their primary language. They proudly bring cultures from around the world and represent 130 languages – from Korean and Russian to Hindi and Farsi. Some students enter our classrooms speaking not a word of English. This budget adds 13 teachers in the English for Speakers of Other Languages, the ESOL program. Today, knowing more than one language is essential to being competitive in our global society. The Passport initiative starts conversational Spanish in fourth grade, when language is learned most naturally. There currently are 40 Passport schools, with funding in next year’s budget to add five more elementary schools to the program. To assure all students achieve their learning potential, this budget also includes funds to hire 15 more special education teachers.