Friday, May 24, 2013
The spending plan contains no income or property tax increases.
The Baltimore County Council unanimously approved a $2.8 billion spending plan proposed last month by County Executive Kevin Kamenetz. The budget for the year that begins July 1 contains no property or personal income tax increases. The county has not raised property taxes in 25 years. The county income tax rate has not been raised in 21 years. Spending on education continues to represent the largest portion of the county budget. The county spends about 53 cents of every county tax dollar on K-12 education. Included school spending in the proposed budget includes: The council last week concluded two weeks of budget hearings after which the seven-member legislative group cut just $100,000. That reduction represented the correction of a math…
The Baltimore County Council lowers open space waiver fees charged to developers but gives more money to a group that protects open space in urban areas.
Developers will pay a little less to side-step open space requirements for residential projects but a group that helps protect open spaces in urban areas of the county will get a bigger cut under a bill passed by the Baltimore County Council. The council Thursday approved the bill that lowers the county's open space waiver fees. As part of the bill, the council also approved an amendment sponsored by Councilmen Quirk and David Marks that will give NeighborSpace of Baltimore County 20 percent of the fees collected. Six of the seven councilmen voted in favor of the bill. Council Chairman Tom Quirk voted against the measure. Prior to the passage of the bill Thursday, NeighborSpace could receive up to 10 percent of the waiver fees collected …
Thursday, May 23, 2013
The timing of a bill that reduces fees for developers comes as an August deadline looms for more than a dozen projects.
The Baltimore County Council Thursday is scheduled to vote on a bill that would lower the rates charged to developers who would rather pay a fee in lieu of setting aside a portion of a proposed development as open space. Michael Harrison, a lobbyist for the Home Builders Association of Maryland, said his group asked for the rates to be updated last November—the first such change in seven years. "The fees were set at the peak of the market and developers could afford those prices," Harrison said, adding that later it became apparent that a number of developers were in danger of losing their ability to move forward because they had not yet paid the waiver fees. If the council adopts the new fee schedule, developers would pay rates equivalent…
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Baltimore City has proposed a 15 percent increase beginning in July.
Water service for county residents will not likely cost more despite a proposal by Baltimore City to raise rates by 15 percent. At least not this year. The increase proposed by city Department of Public Works would increase water bills by nearly $24 per quarter for the typical city water customers. The system supplies water to 1.8 million residents in Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll and Howard Counties. Baltimore County absorbs some costs of the system through a complex agreement with the city. Other costs are paid for through the Metropolitan District Fund that is assessed as a line item on county property tax bills. "Given [the agreement] and the metropolitan fund balance, there was no need to pass this increase on to…
Monday, May 20, 2013
Tuition rates and fees for In-county, out-of-county and out-of-state students will all go up next semester.
Students attending the Community College of Baltimore County will have to dig a little deeper next semester. The college will increase fees across the board by 3 percent. Currently, in-county students pay $106 per credit. Out-of-county and out-of-state students pay $202 and $303 respectively. Under the new tuition rates, those costs will increase to $109, $208 and $312 respectively. General services fees will also increase across the board. Currently, in-county students pay $9 per credit. Out-of-county and out-of-state students pay $18 and $27 respectively. The new increases will bring those fees to $10.50, $20.50 and $30.50 respectively. Registration fees will increase from $40 to $50. Graduation fees will increase from $50 to $75. …
Residency requirements could thwart Timothy Tenne's efforts to get his name on the 2014 ballot
Timothy Tenne has lived in Baltimore County nearly all his life except for the time he spent in the Air Force. The retired Lt. Colonel and commercial airline pilot wants to be Baltimore County Executive but he may need a little help to meet the residency requirements. "There is going to have to be some kind of an opinion from the Attorney General or we're going to need a Charter change," Tenne said speaking of his eligibility. Tenne filed earlier this year and is listed on the Maryland State Board of Elections website as a provisional candidate. "He is provisional until he satisfies his residency requirement of 5 years living in Baltimore County," wrote Katie Brown, director of elections for the Baltimore County Board of Elections. The …
Sunday, May 19, 2013
What advice did the first lady give graduates? Will electricity rates go up - again? Get all the Maryland news with one click on Patch.
- GOVERNMENT
-
Sunday, May 19
By Patch Staff It was a big news week in Maryland last week, with a visit by the first lady, a commuter nightmare in Montgomery and a heads up for a sixth casino in the state. All the headlines from 48 Patch sites across Maryland: Berliner Calls for Better Electricity Service with 'Utility 2.0' Montgomery County Council Member Roger Berliner asked the Maryland Public Service Commission to require that substantial changes be made to electricity services in the state. Meanwhile, Pepco is asking for permission to raise rates. Michelle Obama to Bowie State Grads: It's Time to Feel Hungry Again In a speech rich with historical references, the first lady reminded the BSU class of 2013 why education is important. Report: Quince Orchard Students…
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Council correction of a $100,000 math error represents the smallest budget reduction in the last three years.
The Baltimore County Council Thursday took a little off the top of County Executive Kevin Kamenetz's third budget. The council cut just $100,000 from Kamenetz's proposed $2.8 billion spending plan for the budget year that begins July 1. That plan includes nearly $1.7 billion in general fund spending paid for with county property and piggyback income taxes. "It's a fiscally prudent budget," Council Chairman Tom Quirk, a Catonsville Democrat, said, explaining that the small reduction taken by the council was a reflection of the weakened economy and sluggish property tax receipts. "There really wasn't a lot to trim," Quirk said. "It's all muscle and bone." The proposed budget contains no furloughs or layoffs and no property or income tax …
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The New England College poll previewing the 2016 Presidential primary shows Hillary Clinton with a commanding lead.
Gov. Martin O'Malley finished last among a field of 2016 Democratic Presidential hopefuls, according to a poll released by New England College. The poll released Tuesday by the New Hampshire-based college found that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton led the field with 65 percent of those surveyed saying they would vote for her in 2016. O'Malley finished last among the field of six with zero percent saying they would vote for the two-term Democratic Maryland governor. Rounding out the field is Vice President Joseph Biden with 10 percent, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren with 5 percent, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo with 4 percent and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick with 3 percent. The college surveyed 314 New Hampshire Democratic …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
The three-term Democratic senator believes the death penalty should be placed on the 2014 ballot but finding voters to sign the petition might be a challenge.
Getting the signatures required to place the death penalty on the 2014 ballot is going to take a lot of work, according to Baltimore County State Sen. Jim Brochin. "I give it a 50-50 chance," Brochin said during an interview with Jimmy Mathis on WBAL Radio. The trouble, Brochin said, is finding a constituency to support the petition effort to re-instate capital punishment in Maryland. "If you wanted to get same-sex marriage on the ballot, you went to the Catholic Church. If you want to get the gun issue on the ballot you can go get signatures in North County," Brochin said. "If you're gathering signatures for he death penalty, where do you go?" Brochin, the three-term Democratic Senator from Towson, is part of an effort to reinstate the …
Moe green
4:20 pm on Friday, May 24, 2013
God forbid the taxpayers should pay less and not be treated like an ATM more ›