A bill to give six private, nonprofit swim clubs a tax break and three other measures arising from contentious zoning disputes over funeral home parking and allowing outdoor social events in rural, residential areas are due for introduction before the Howard County Council on Monday night.
If approved, the swimming club bill would cost the county $52,828 in lost property taxes, according to a chart prepared for Councilwoman Courtney Watson, an Ellicott City Democrat who is the main sponsor. Greg Fox, a Fulton Republican, is co-sponsor.
"They're providing a service to county residents" that might otherwise be borne by taxpayers for public pools, Watson said about the six clubs.
The nonprofit Columbia Association's 23 pools would not be covered by the bill, however. Watson said the Columbia Association has other ways to raise money, meaning its property tax-like fees on residents. She said there is precedent for her request, pointing out that a previous council had approved a similar tax break for the Soccer Association of Columbia's complex on Centennial Lane, which also did not cover the Columbia Association.
The measure was requested by Greg Dahle, the vice president of North St. John's Swim Club in the 9200 block of Marydell Road, Ellicott City, in Watson's district. He said anyone in the county is welcome to join the club, which costs $715 per season for a family, though new members also must pay an $800 bond refundable when they resign. To keep those fees from growing higher as the 1960s-era facility ages, he said, the roughly $11,000 a year in savings from the tax credit would be welcome.
"Over the years, all these pools in the area are facing major infrastructure costs," Dahle said. His club spent $225,000 on repairs to underground pipes and electric lights this past winter, he said.
Looking for ways to boost the club's bottom line, Dahle researched state law and discovered a 2006 measure approved by the General Assembly enabling local jurisdictions to grant the tax credits. Then he approached Watson. The other five pools affected are in Atholton, North Laurel, Elkridge, Mt. Airy and a second pool in Ellicott City.
In her memo to other council members, Watson pointed out that Howard County has only one public swimming pool, at the Roger Carter recreation center in Ellicott City, which she said costs $147,000 a year to operate, while other jurisdictions like Baltimore City and Montgomery and Prince George's counties have multiple publicly owned pools.
The bill's reception isn't certain, however. Rob Goldman, chief operating officer and vice president of the Columbia Association, said the giant homeowners association would like the credit too, which would mean an extra $100,000 savings each year.
"We think we should be included. We provide the same service," he said. "We sort of relieved the county of the burden of providing outdoor pools" for decades, he said. Nonresidents may join Columbia's pools or buy a one-day pass, something the association is now trying to encourage to limit the cost of operating them.
County Executive Ken Ulman said he is "sympathetic" to Watson's purpose, but said the timing of the bill seems odd.
"I was surprised that wasn't brought forward during the budget review," he said.
Watson said Ulman's office suggested she delay introducing the bill, but she added that her proposed tax credit would not take effect until fiscal year 2013.
The County Council voted May 25 to approve Ulman's $1.56 billion 2012 budget.
The executive, who once represented west Columbia as a county councilman, also had questions about the Columbia Association: "I'm not sure why CA was left out."
The other three County Council members — all of whom represent parts of Columbia — said they need to study the measure before taking a position. However, Jen Terrasa, who represents the southeastern county, said she too is sympathetic to what Watson and Fox are trying to do.
The other bills slated for introduction could affect protracted disputes over parking at large funeral homes and another a law that allows "limited social assemblies" on parcels over five acres in some zones, if the county grants a conditional use, which means a public hearing.
Fox and West Columbia Democrat Mary Kay Sigaty are sponsoring one of two bills on funeral home parking, an issue that arose over a proposal for a large new Donaldson Funeral Home in Clarksville, next to St. Louis Roman Catholic Church, which opposes the idea. That project is before the county Board of Appeals, though no date for a hearing has been set. If the council acts before a board decision, however, it could make the appeal moot.
Sigaty said that regardless of the Donaldson case, county regulations on funeral home parking are antiquated because they were designed for small funeral homes. The law now requires 10 spaces per visitation room, plus one space per employee. For a large facility like the 23,445 square-foot building Donaldson plans on 3.2 acres, the fear is that hundreds of mourners could easily overwhelm the 34 spaces required, or even the 66 spaces planned for that project.
Their bill would require one parking space per 50 square feet of public space in a funeral home building. Sigaty said that although the bill, if approved, could affect the Donaldson case, that was not the intention.
"Parking is a big issue every single time anything [involving land use] comes in front of us," she said. "Greg and I took this on, but we're not in this to get in the middle of a case." A separate bill proposed by a St. Louis Church member would eliminate funeral homes as a permitted use in areas not served by public water and sewers. That too would affect Donaldson because the proposed location is beyond public utilities, but Sigaty said she does not support the measure. "That is part of a much larger discussion," she said.
The other bill would remove permission for "limited outdoor social assemblies" as a conditional use on tracts over five acres in some rural residential areas. It represents part of an attempt by neighbors of Robert and Maxine Walker on Jennings Chapel Road to stop their plans to rent space for outdoor weddings and other social gatherings on a 10-acre portion of their otherwise preserved 145-acre horse farm. They also want to open a small antiques store.
This case is also pending before the county Board of Appeals, which has scheduled two more nights of testimony in June. If the County Council approves the zoning bill, which was proposed by a Walker neighbor opposed to their plans, it could affect their case.
The council will hold a public hearing on all the legislation June 20 at 7:30 p.m. in the George Howard Building; a vote is scheduled for July.