BALTIMORE, MD (Wednesday, February 7, 2024) – The Baltimore Regional Transportation Board (BRTB) is drafting a transportation planning budget for the upcoming fiscal year, proposing $10.6 million for a range of studies, plans and projects. A public comment period on the draft budget closes on March 11.

Staffed and supported by the Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC), the BRTB is the region’s federally mandated metropolitan planning organization. Most of the anticipated funding for the upcoming budget, formally titled the Unified Planning Work Program, comes from the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration, with additional contributions from the Maryland Department of Transportation and local jurisdictions.

“We often ask for feedback from community members on specific plans and projects,” said BMC Director of Transportation Todd Lang. “This is a chance for the public to weigh in on our overall budget and the work we’d like to achieve in the next year.”

The BRTB collaborated with planners in local jurisdictions and community members to develop the proposed budget based on ongoing work, regional priorities and feedback from previous public outreach. Funding items in the proposed budget for fiscal year 2025 include:

• Conducting a Transportation Needs Assessment to identify needs and challenges for users of the region’s transportation system, with a focus on vulnerable populations,
• Continuing the Transportation and Land Use Connection grant program, which quickly unlocks resources to help local jurisdictions improve bicycle and pedestrian facilities,
• Expanding the Look Alive road safety outreach campaign to reach more people who drive, bike and walk in the region through more creative and engaging methods,
• Planning a shared-use path connecting the Patapsco Light Rail Station to Baltimore’s Cherry Hill neighborhood, advancing another piece of the Patapsco Regional Greenway,
• Drafting the region’s next short-range transportation plan (with a five-year horizon) and laying the groundwork for the next long-range plan (with a twenty-year horizon).

These are just some of the items included in the draft budget. If the BRTB and federal regulators approve the transportation planning budget, planning staff at BMC will start this work when the fiscal year begins on July 1. Proposed new tasks are described in detail in the draft document, which is available online via publicinput.com/BRTBbudget.

Members of the public can comment on the draft transportation planning budget by Monday, March 11. After collaborating with local jurisdictions to review all comments and respond to questions, the BRTB will consider approval of the transportation planning budget at a meeting on Friday, April 19.

Ways to comment include:

• Online via a short survey at publicinput.com/BRTBbudget
• Sending an email to FY25BRTBbudget@publicinput.com
• Texting keyword ‘FY25BRTBbudget’ to 73224
• Leaving a voicemail toll-free via 855-925-2801x6880
• Finding us on Facebook, Instagram, X or LinkedIn (comments on social media posts are reviewed, but are not included in the official public record)

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Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC) works collaboratively with the chief elected officials in the region to create initiatives to improve quality of life and economic vitality. As the Baltimore region’s council of governments, BMC hosts the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board (BRTB) and supports local government by coordinating efforts in a range of policy areas including emergency preparedness, housing, cooperative purchasing, environmental planning and workforce development.

BMC operates its programs and services without regard to race, color or national origin in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other applicable laws. Appropriate services can be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities or those in need of language assistance who submit a request at least seven days prior to a meeting. Call 410- 732-0500. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-735-2258 to initiate a TTY call through Maryland Relay. Si se necesita información de Título VI en español, llame al 410-732-0500.

BALTIMORE, MD­­ (Thursday, February 8, 2024) – The Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC) Board of Directors named Queen Anne’s County Commissioner James J. Moran as the 2024 Chair at a meeting on Friday, January 26. Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman will serve as Vice Chair, a role Moran held in 2023.

“The Baltimore Metropolitan Council does important work in all our jurisdictions,” said Commissioner Moran, noting that he is the longest-serving member of the Board of Directors. “I’m looking forward to moving us forward.”

County Executive Pittman moved to nominate Commissioner Moran to serve as chair, seconded by Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly. The vote was unanimous. Commissioner Moran thanked Howard County Executive Calvin Ball, the outgoing chair, for his service on behalf of the region.

Commissioner Moran was elected to the Queen Anne’s County Board of Commissioners in November 2014 after being appointed to a vacant seat in December 2013. He was re-elected in 2018, and again in 2022. He served as president of the Board of Commissioners for the 2017-2018 term.

A military veteran who joined the U.S. Marine Corps 35 years to the day after his father, Commissioner Moran attended Anne Arundel Community College and worked in the concrete construction industry. In 1987, he started his own construction business, which became Increte of Maryland, Inc. in 1991. He then started another business in 2007, Mid-Atlantic Pigments LLC, which supplies color used in concrete construction.

County Executive Pittman was elected Anne Arundel County Executive in 2018, and re-elected in 2022. Raised on a farm in Anne Arundel County, he took over the farm’s hay production and became a nationally recognized horse trainer. He has more than three decades of experience managing nonprofits and small businesses, and has always been a dedicated community organizer, centering compassion in his work with people and animals.

“This organization is very important to Anne Arundel County, the city and all the other counties in the region,” County Executive Pittman said of BMC. “I’m looking forward to working together.”

BMC Executive Director Mike Kelly thanked Commissioner Moran and County Executive Pittman, who will lead BMC through a period of growth. BMC is gearing up to spearhead significant initiatives like a survey of public opinion on housing and transportation issues and the Baltimore Regional Transit Commission, which will give local jurisdictions greater voice in managing local transit.

“We’re building on our momentum and working toward more prosperous and livable communities across our region,” Kelly said. “My thanks to our board for continuing to support that mission.”

BMC’s Board of Directors includes elected executives from Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, Howard and Queen Anne’s Counties, as well as representatives of the state legislature and private sector. It will next meet again on Friday, April 19, 2024.

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Baltimore Metropolitan Council provides a regional forum for members, state and local partners to identify mutual interests and collaborate on strategies, plans and programs that help improve economic vitality and quality of life for all.

BMC operates its programs and services without regard to race, color or national origin in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other applicable laws. Appropriate services can be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities or those in need of language assistance who submit a request at least seven days prior to a meeting. Call 410- 732-0500. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-735-2258 to initiate a TTY call through Maryland Relay. Si se necesita información de Título VI en español, llame al 410-732-0500.

BALTIMORE, MD (Wednesday, January 31, 2024) – The Baltimore Regional Cooperative Purchasing Committee (BRCPC) is launching an open database of regional contracts, making details about the group’s high-volume purchasing of commodities and services accessible to the public.

Supported by Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC), the BRCPC provides a forum for state and local governments, public schools, community colleges, nonprofits and other agencies to buy in bulk, leveraging their collective purchasing power to secure better rates and save millions on expenditures such as energy, vehicles, office furniture, software and services like daycare. 

BRCPC members previously maintained an internal database with thousands of vendors. Now, anyone can access the resource online via baltometro.org/member-portal/regional-purchasing-database.

“Our members use the database daily,” said Debbie Groat, BMC’s cooperative purchasing coordinator. “It has become an essential tool in the region, and by making it public-facing, it can act as a trusted resource for government officials and suppliers alike.”

The database grew organically over time, and committee members decided last year to open up the resource to help more purchasers throughout the region find cooperative contracting and bidding opportunities. BMC will update the database twice a year.

“We’re excited to share this tool with the Baltimore region,” said BMC Executive Director Mike Kelly. “It will serve as a powerful resource for connecting bidding opportunities and vendors.”

Kelly noted that many of BRPCP members are public agencies, meaning that money saved on these bulk contracts frees up funding for public services. The collaborations fostered through the BRCPC help taxpayers save on huge line items like electricity for public schools. Last year, the BRCPC’s Energy Board saved $73.6 million on energy compared to BGE’s standard rates, and has saved more than $290 million on energy since launching in 2007.

Learn more about the BRCPC and check out the regional contract database at baltometro.org/member-portal/regional-purchasing-database or by emailing Debbie Groat at dgroat@baltometro.org.

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Baltimore Metropolitan Council provides a regional forum for members, state and local partners to identify mutual interests and collaborate on strategies, plans and programs that help improve economic vitality and quality of life for all.

BMC operates its programs and services without regard to race, color or national origin in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other applicable laws. Appropriate services can be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities or those in need of language assistance who submit a request at least seven days prior to a meeting. Call 410- 732-0500. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-735-2258 to initiate a TTY call through Maryland Relay. Si se necesita información de Título VI en español, llame al 410-732-0500.