Howard County's state legislators put off voting on higher hotel taxes and slots for veterans groups, but they approved liquor tastings and all but one request for state bond money at a meeting Wednesday in Annapolis. It remains unclear, though, whether the state's budget crisis will allow any discretionary bond bill borrowing this year.
Del. Warren E. Miller amended his liquor-tasting bill to reduce the total amount of alcohol that could be consumed from 4 ounces to 1 ounce in quarter-ounce shots. Miller, a Howard County Republican, noted that liquor tasting is allowed in Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties.
Del. Elizabeth Bobo was the only member of the Howard delegation to vote against the bill.
"To me, there is a big step from tasting wine to tasting liquor with a higher alcohol content," the chairwoman said.
Bills that affect only Howard County must be approved first by the county's 11-member delegation and then by the General Assembly before they can become law.
Miller's second bill, which would allow up to five slot machines at the Ellicott City VFW Post, did not come up for a vote.
Del. Frank S. Turner, a Howard Democrat who heads the subcommittee that oversees gambling, said bills that would expand any form of gaming are unlikely to succeed until all five slots casinos authorized by the state are up and running. That is not likely for two to three years, he said.
"I think this is going to happen," Turner told Craig Murphy and Albert Hernandez of VFW Post 7472, who attended the meeting, "It's a matter of when it's going to happen."
Eight Eastern Shore counties allow veterans halls to have up to five slot machines. Turner said bar owners, volunteer firefighters, veterans and others want permission to install slots.
Hernandez reminded legislators that his post sold land for half its market value a few years ago to enable the county to build Veterans Elementary School and said the his group wants slots to attract younger members and to raise money for people who need emergency aid.
"We took a loss on the sale of our land because we wanted the school there," he said.
"What's the logic of allowing [slots] on one side of the bay but not on the other?" Murphy asked.
Sen. Allan H. Kittleman, a Howard Republican, said he did not understand Turner's logic. "I have a hard time seeing how five slot machines in a VFW post is going to compete with [a casino] at Arundel Mills mall," he said.
Del. James E. Malone Jr., a Democrat who represents parts of Baltimore and Howard counties, said he's planning a Baltimore County bill that would allow volunteer firefighters and veterans groups to have "casino night" games that award cash prizes and suggested that that might work for the Ellicott City post.
The delegation is to discuss the issue again Wednesday.
Howard is proposing a short list of local legislation this year, including the annual requests for state bond money, Miller's two bills, and a proposal to raise the hotel-motel tax from 5 percent to 7 percent and plow most of the money back into tourism promotion and economic development.
The $1.7 million in bond bills seeks two $500,000 state grants to spur work on Blandair Park in Columbia and Troy Regional Park in Elkridge, $125,000 to restore farm buildings at The Nature Conservancy in Woodstock, and $144,000 for renovations and an addition at a group home owned by ARC of Howard County. If approved, the grants must be matched locally.
Those measures were approved by the delegation, with Dels. Miller and Gail H. Bates, a fellow Republican, voting no. A vote was postponed on a bond request for up to $450,000 to renovate the former post office on Main Street in Ellicott City, a historic stone building that would be used as an expanded tourism center.
Several legislators said they do not support the state borrowing money for even small local projects next fiscal year because of the projected $1.6 billion shortfall, but said that if money is to be distributed, Howard should get a share.
Sen. Edward J. Kasemeyer, the Howard Democrat who chairs the Budget and Taxation Committee, said no decision has been made on whether to allow bond bill borrowing.
A proposal to raise the county hotel tax has drawn the most debate, and Ulman administration lobbyist David B. Nitkin offered an amendment that would write into law the split of new revenues, with one-third each going to the Tourism Council, the Economic Development Authority and the county treasury.
Nitkin said the county wants a share of the money to pay for tourism-related service increases and facility improvements.
Several legislators urged that the uses be designated by law to prevent the money from being siphoned off for the general county treasury.
Kittleman, who said all of Carroll County's hotel tax revenue goes to pay for tourism promotion, said he will offer an amendment next week that would split the new revenue in half, leaving out the county treasury. He noted that all $2.8 million of the current hotel-motel tax revenue goes to the county treasury now. The county is spending $424,000 on tourism this fiscal year, and economic development gets about $1.4 million.
The proposed increase in the hotel-motel tax to 7 percent would match Anne Arundel County's rate and is lower than the rates in Baltimore and Baltimore County.
County Executive Ken Ulman has said he passed the request along from Howard County business interests, who want to use the money to hire sales agents to increase economic activity.