Maryland officials at the center of conversations about how the state will pay for its said Wednesday they will likely soon need to make politically unpopular decisions — including, potentially, and shifting some taxing responsibilities from the state to new regional authorities. Specific proposals have not yet been formed, and it’s unclear which ideas might receive more attention than others when the Maryland General Assembly begins its annual 90-day session in January. But after significant cuts last year were partially addressed with and , officials said they’ve probably already hit their limit on “low-hanging fruit.
” “There are a lot of political landmines for legislators,” Del. Vaughn Stewart, a Montgomery County Democrat, said during an event organized by the Maryland Chamber of Commerce at the University of Maryland. Stewart said he and his colleagues will have to make tough calls “even if it means that maybe we lose some votes in our next reelection, because if we don’t get this [funding] done, and then some, I think we’re cooked economically as a state.
” Maryland’s transportation system is increasingly starving for cash — putting at risk needed upkeep, expansion plans and long-term goals like building out Baltimore’s light rail network with the . Cuts announced in the last year have paused new construction and deferred some maintenance in areas like roads and transit. A total of in the 6-year plan were pitched early this year, though some .