This is a follow-up to the previous post (Save the Date)
From the Baltimore Sun:
A public hearing on all local General Assembly bills is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 11 in the County Council chambers in the George Howard Building in Ellicott City.
Proposed Legislation to be discussed includes:
- Property tax legislation to allow buyers of moderate-income housing to pay property taxes only on the portion of the home they own.
- Strengthen the county’s power to enforce zoning-violation laws
- Three state bond bills requesting $1.5 million ($500,000 each) for Blandair Park, North Laurel Community Park and the proposed Robinson Nature Center on Cedar Lane.
- Legislation to prohibit carrying a machete at night
- Extend partial voting rights to a student school board member
- Create a new class of liquor license for the sale of organic beer and wines.
- Cut property taxes 30 percent to 50 percent for senior homeowners, depending on how long they have occupied their homes.
- A $500,000 State bond for building a parking garage off main street in Ellicott City
The last two items are being sponsored by Rep. Gail Bates:
One delegation member, Del. Gail H. Bates, is again planning to submit her request for $500,000 in state bond funding to help plan a new parking garage off Main Street in Ellicott City — a project likely to be taken up by the new Howard County Revenue Authority.
Bates, a Republican, said she plans to introduce a bill that failed last year to give older homeowners a property tax cut, depending on how long they have lived in their homes. County Council is preparing to revisit the senior tax issue by appointing a task force to study the law, approved Oct. 30, giving homeowners ages 70 and older a 25 percent tax cut if their income is less than $75,000 a year.
The Senior Tax credit is the same legislation used to create the current Howard County Legislation that is now being reviewed by a Task Force. David has covered this in detail here.
I’ll give Calvin Ball credit for good intentions for proposing “anti-gang” legislation. I’m not sure how large of a gang problem Howard County has. Is there a current problem or is this is a case of being proactive? Either way, stopping gang activity certainly falls under the category of “a good thing to do.”
However, I have three specific problems with the proposed legislation as described:
- Do we need additional legislation?
- Do we need legislation specific to machetes?
- Why is it limited to night?
