S&P Global Ratings assigned its 'AA+' rating to Washington County, Md.'s series 2017 public improvement and refunding general obligation (GO) bonds. At the same time, S&P Global Ratings affirmed its 'AA+' rating on the county's GO debt outstanding. The outlook is stable. The county's full-faith-and-credit pledge secures the GO bonds. We understand proceeds from this issue will be used to finance various county capital projects. The rating reflects our opinion of the following factors for the county: Strong economy, with access to a broad and diverse metropolitan statistical area (MSA); Very strong management, with "strong" financial policies and practices under our financial management assessment (FMA) methodology; Strong budgetary performance, with a slight operating surplus in the general fund but a
