Consulting and Technical Assistance Projects

Methodologies and Estimating the Fiscal Impacts of New Developments and Annexations for the City of Aberdeen

Experiencing growth over the last 10 years including both new developments as well as 10 annexations during that period, the City of Aberdeen expressed concerns about the impacts of such growth on their capital services and existing infrastructure. IGSR developed a prototype model for estimating: (1) the appropriate development impact fees based on the need for capital facilities to serve new development; and (2) the impact on a jurisdiction’s operating revenues and expenditures. The scope of project work included the analysis of what the cost of growth was assuming that existing infrastructure did not have excess capacity and estimating potential levels of revenue from new growth. IGSR proposed different ways to offset growth using impact fees, taxes, bonds, and other funding. Designed to handle commercial, residential, and mixed-use development, the model was applied to five proposed developments then under review by the City of Aberdeen.

Principal Investigator: Jeanne Bilanin

Analysis of Potential Zoning Changes and the Impacts on Property Values in Carroll County

Facing growth pressures under its current zoning scheme that would include an additional 40,000 residents, Carroll County’s services and infrastructure would be severely strained by such an increase in population. Carroll County began exploring zoning changes that would ease the impacts of such growth and development. Working closely with the Planning Department, IGSR conducted a peer review of the Department of Planning’s analysis of the impact of development under several potential changes to current land use and zoning designations, then disclosed findings and offered suggestions on key issues. The investigation began with an analysis and review of a pre-decisional working draft and a critique of the fiscal impact analysis using various scenarios that involved changes in zoning within the jurisdiction. In an effort to explore the zoning changes that would decrease the level and impact of new development, IGSR also developed an estimate of the impact on property values associated with the potential zoning changes.

Principal Investigator: Jeanne Bilanin

Fiscal Impact on the Town of North East of the Proposed Annexation of the Futty Property

The Town of North East in Cecil County proposed the annexation of a 210-acre property for the development of single-family homes with set-asides for stream buffers, storm water management areas, open space, and recreational facilities. IGSR conducted the fiscal impact study of annexing the property addressing three major concerns: (1) whether the revenue of the proposed annexation generated to the Town would be sufficient to offset additional operating costs to service the area; (2) the fiscal impacts incurred by the Town during the build-out period; and (3) estimating the additional capital costs faced by the Town to accommodate new residents to the area. The analysis used various fiscal impact and computation models as well as historical development information to generate estimates and support findings.

Principal Investigators: Jeanne Bilanin and Monika Thompson

Strategic Planning Process Design and Facilitation for the Town of Bel Air

The Town of Bel Air enlisted IGSR to design and facilitate a strategic planning process to implement changes to their 2006-2011 Strategic Plan. A three-step process was designed that included pre-planning phases to the draft review and approval phase by the Town Board of Commissioners. Facilitation included conducting focus groups, goal setting, designing implementation strategies, developing a Strategic Plan Steering Committee, and the development of a draft plan for public review and approval.

Principal Investigators: Philip Favero and Nan Booth

Analysis of Potential Zoning Changes in Carroll County

IGSR reviewed and critiqued an analysis conducted by Carroll County of the fiscal impact on the county of several scenarios involving major changes to zoning within the jurisdiction. IGSR also analyzed the impact on property values of these proposed zoning changes.

Principal Investigator: Jeanne Bilanin

Changing the Organizational Culture for Juvenile Offenders

The Division of Pretrial Detention and Services at the Baltimore City Detention Center (BCDC) is an adult facility that at any given time also houses approximately 100 juvenile detainees in a specialized unit. The juveniles are both male and female, range in age from 14 to 17, and have been charged as adults for serious criminal offenses. IGSR assisted with the development and implementation of the program, which is a coordinated effort between BCDC and the Eager Street Academy of the Baltimore City Public Schools. It provides a daily structured schedule during the period of the juveniles’ detention, which lasts an average of six months.

Principal Investigator: Jayme Delano

Department of Juvenile Services: Developing an Integrated Assessment System

This project deploys web- and network-based applications and solutions in conjunction with existing IGSR and state Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) technology to compile accurate statistics and reliable information on several aspects of the state juvenile program. IGSR’s role is to design, program, and implement software and technical solutions to capture, track and share data for screening and needs assessments, treatment planning, case management and other functional areas as a supplement to the existing ASSIST system.

Principal Investigator: Stephan Sherman

Estimating the Fiscal Impact of New Developments and Annexations

IGSR developed an Excel model for estimating (1) development impact fees based on the need for capital facilities to serve new development and (2) the impact on a jurisdiction’s operating revenues and expenditures. Designed to handle commercial, residential, and mixed use development, the model was applied to five proposed developments under review by the City of Aberdeen.

Principal Investigator: Jeanne Bilanin

Facilitating Large-Scale Cultural Change in the Division in BCDC

Together with the Center for Human Capital, Innovation, and Technology at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, IGSR assisted the Division of Pretrial Detention and Services (DPDS) and the Baltimore City Detention Center (BCDC) to execute and sustain their long-term plan for organizational change. This initiative provided a comprehensive strategy to address cultural change through various complementary approaches, including organizational assessment and feedback, leadership development, personnel and staffing changes, organizational restructuring, improving decision making processes and procedures, organizational communication, and redesigning and training for new roles and responsibilities.

Principal Investigator: Jayme Delano

Implementing and Institutionalizing CompStat in Maryland

The project team for this IGSR-led project is a combination of researchers and practitioners with experience implementing and working with the important components of CompStat supervision and management, crime mapping and analysis, and problem solving. The team has developed a multi-phased plan designed specifically to assist Maryland law enforcement agencies in implementing CompStat and institutionalizing it into their organizational structures. The overarching purpose of this project is to extend CompStat to as many Maryland police agencies as possible by providing tailored assessment, training, and technical assistance and making available to these agencies standardized systems for accountability and crime analysis. The web site www.compstat.umd.edu is maintained as a part of this project, as a means to provide CompStat resources to Maryland law enforcement agencies. (The Maryland Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention has funded this project with a grant of $185,696, representing 100% of project costs, through the Byrne-Justice Assistance Grant Program.)

Principal Investigator: Laura Wyckoff
Co-Principal Investigators: Jeanne Bilanin, Rachel Boba, and Jon Shane

Maryland Office of Problem-Solving Courts and SMART

IGSR is providing, operating, and maintaining software and hardware, as well as providing the training and technical support required for the implementation of the Statewide Maryland Automated Record Tracking system (SMART) as the case management automated tracking system for all drug courts in Maryland.

Principal Investigator: Stephan Sherman
Co-Principal Investigator: Kathleen Lester

Statewide Maryland Automated Record Tracking System (SMART)

IGSR, with funding from the Maryland Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration (ADAA), is customizing, programming, enhancing, implementing, supporting, managing, and maintaining a Statewide Maryland Automated Record Tracking system (SMART) based upon the federal Web Infrastructure for Treatment Services (WITS) project. SMART programming includes additions and modifications to existing WITS screens, database structure, and functionality necessary to meet ADAA data and outcome tracking within Maryland. The WITS project is a federally developed software package that has modules that aid states receiving Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Federal Block Grant Funding in the collection and coordination of treatment episode data. The data are needed for ADAA reporting to the Health and Human Services/Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which is the SAPT Block Grant funding source. The SMART software and system are designed to track data the state collects in the federal Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) format and allow ADAA to meet federal data submission requirements from the Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Principal Investigator: Stephan Sherman