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…
Thursday, April 25, 2013
A 2012 college teaching position held by Councilman David Marks, while legal, should have triggered an amended financial disclosure report.
Baltimore County Councilman David Marks said Thursday that a 2012 teaching job at a local university should have been part of his required financial disclosures. Marks acknowledged the job and failure to file an amended report last year with the Baltimore County Ethics Commission during an interview. "It was an oversight," Marks, a Perry Hall Republican, said after being asked about the job. The undisclosed teaching job as well as two previously disclosed consulting positions do not appear to violate county law. Marks said the teaching job will appear in disclosure forms that he has already filed that will be made public next month. Following the interview, Marks issued a statement by email: "As soon I was offered a three-month teaching …
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
The bill would impose fees on residents, businesses and nonprofits for federally mandated efforts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay.
At least two members of the Baltimore County Council say they would like to delay a vote on proposed stormwater management fees. Vicki Almond and David Marks both said Tuesday they would like to delay the vote for a month. "Considering the enormity of all this and the information that we have I would personally like us to have a little more time to come up with some amendments and really study this even further," said Almond, a Reisterstown Democrat. "I think three weeks really isn't enough to digest all of this," Almond said, speaking of a briefing the council received last month. Almond added that County Executive Kevin Kamenetz developed the new fees without involving the council or holding any public meetings. The council, in its …
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Councilwoman Vicki Almond is the lone dissenting vote as an 11th hour push to table the legislation fails.
A change to how county employees appeal pension decisions was approved despite an 11th hour attempt to delay the final vote. The Baltimore County Council Tuesday night voted 6-1 in favor of the legislation that moves the appeals process from a seven-member panel appointed by the council to one of two administrative law judges appointed by the county executive. Councilwoman Vicki Almond, a Reisterstown Democrat, was the lone vote against the bill and three amendments. Almond, reading from a prepared statement, said the bill would affect the integrity of the council and "county employees for years to come." She said conflicting legal opinions offered by County Attorney Michael Field and county legislators in the General Assembly was reason …
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Monday, January 28, 2013
Fifth District Councilman David Marks and Sixth District Councilwoman Cathy Bevins both support extended hours at the library.
Elected officials are pushing the Baltimore County Public Library to expand hours at a neighborhood branch. Fifth District Councilman David Marks recently wrote to Baltimore County Public Library director Jim Fish asking that the Loch Raven Library have its hours expanded to match those of other branches around the county. A .pdf copy of Marks' letter is attached to this article. Currently Loch Raven Library is open from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays and from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Most other branches in the county are open from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday and form 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. A few branches, such as Towson and Perry Hall, also keep Sunday hours from 1-5 p.m. "We …
Monday, January 7, 2013
The Catonsville Democrat said the council will have to deal with another difficult budget but there's "no political will" for a tax increase.
Newly-elected Baltimore County Council Chairman Tom Quirk is looking forward to a more collegial relationship between the council and county executive and no new taxes in the coming year. "I think 2013 is the year the county executive and the county council work together collaboratively," Quirk, Catonsville Democrat, said, who was elected unanimously by his colleagues. The relationship between the council and County Executive Kevin Kamenetz has undergone considerable strain. Quirk along with then-Council Chairwoman Vicki Almond, Councilwoman Cathy Bevins, and Councilman David Marks all opposed a pension bill that would have ended the use of overtime in the calculation for pension benefits for some county employees. The bill was part of an …
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Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Councilwoman Cathy Bevins denies that a bill passed Monday night affects the Middle River Depot project and could thwart a referendum attempt.
A bill passed by the Baltimore County Council Monday appears to provide an alternative development option for the owners of a Middle River industrial property that is the focus of a zoning referendum effort. The council approved the bill by a vote of 6-0 with Councilman Ken Oliver abstaining. Oliver said he abstained from a vote because a referendum involving the property has not yet been decided by voters. Bevins last week said the bill was about finding creative uses for large manufacturing buildings on the east side of the county that can't be torn down because of their historical designations. "Not only does it create a blight for the community but it's a reminder of the jobs lost," Bevins said of the warehouses, adding that her bill "…
Monday, October 15, 2012
First deadline for turning in signatures closes at the end of business Monday.
Two groups that are attempting to force some zoning changes to the 2014 ballot submitted an addition 16,000 signatures Monday. The groups, the Committee for Zoning Integrity and the Committee for Zoning Transparency, delivered the additional signatures to the Baltimore County Board of Elections. On Friday, the groups delivered more than 70,000 total signatures—34,000 signatures for the petition on the 6th district zoning issues and another 36,662 on the 2nd Council District. The additional signatures delivered Monday come as the first deadline passes for the referendum effort. Opponents of the bills, backed by developers including David Cordish and David S. Brown Enterprises, must submit at least 28,826 verified signatures of Baltimore …
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Bill "contravenes 50 years of regulation" and "is simply not good public policy," according to county executive.
UPDATED (6:03 p.m.)—A controversial bill that granted exemptions to the Metro Centre at Owings Mills project will be vetoed, according to County Executive Kevin Kamenetz. The veto is Kamenetz's first since taking office in December 2010. The bill passed unanimously Monday by the Baltimore County Council was amended to protect the proposed redevelopment of the Owings Mills Mall and Solo Cup. Some of the amendments, sponsored by Council Chairwoman Vicki Almond and Councilwoman Cathy Bevins granted exemptions to traffic studies and prohibited county hearing officers from placing additional requirements on the Mall and Solo Cup project known as Foundry Row. Parts of the original bill were also thought to be problematic. Almond said late …
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Councilman Ken Oliver chastises Chairwoman Vicki Almond for late introduction of amendments to his bill affecting the Metro Centre at Owings Mills.
A disagreement Monday night over amendments to a bill impacting an Owings Mills development led Baltimore County Councilman Ken Oliver to publicly accuse two of his colleagues of working for attorneys of a rival development. A clearly irritated Oliver questioned the motives of Council Chairwoman Vicki Almond and Councilwoman Cathy Bevins after several amendments were introduced immediately prior to the vote. Bevins, an Oliver Beach Democrat who represents Essex, Middle River and Parkville, co-sponsored three sets of amendments that affect the Owings Mills area, split by Oliver and Almond. "How are you going to put an amendment on my bill at the last minute without asking me," Oliver said to Almond. "Is this how were going to legislate in …
Roger
6:23 am on Friday, May 24, 2013
This is theft. I vote for zero waivers and increasing the ratio of green space. more ›