As reported by The Sun ("Parents want school improvements; Kamenetz asks their help to kill unrelated tax break,"Kamenetz's cynical ploy,". I appreciate the opportunity to bring some additional facts into the dialogue.
County Executive Kamenetz upset people across the spectrum including the parents, neighbors near the landfill and lawmakers with his implication that by voting for House Bill 257, legislators would limit or eliminate much-needed funding for projects at Dulaney and Pikesville high schools. Because the county executive didn't like the bill, he wrote to the parents of two large high schools and called out specific legislators by name. I am shocked and dismayed at the targeting of specific members of the House of Delegates in a retaliatory way.
The school projects are worthy but are not related to this bill in any way. Voting down this bill will not mean that the projects will be funded, as was threatened in the county executive's letter to parents. It's also important to know that this legislation does not grant an outright tax credit. It simply allows the neighbors of the landfill to present their case in Towson. A majority of Baltimore County's delegates voted for the bill because they think it is a good idea to allow stakeholders to present their case.
These homeowners most certainly deserve the right to be heard in Towson. They have tolerated the nuisance of a landfill that will well outlive its projected lifespan. This legislation would only grant the homeowners near the landfill an opportunity to plead their case for tax relief. The county council and county executive are the ones who will decide how much, if any, tax relief is appropriate. This would give the county the opportunity to present the Baltimore County Council's letter from 1997 letting neighbors know the county paid for a study to turn the landfill into a golf course as they were considering its future use. They could also discuss the sports complex that had been considered for the site at one time. The lifelong residents of the neighborhood would have the opportunity to present other evidence and explain that the county has now extended the life of the landfill indefinitely.
Baltimore County has signed a $9 million annual contract to process Harford County trash. This expands the operations, prolongs the life of the landfill indefinitely and could potentially allow Baltimore County to process trash from other counties. This means more traffic, dust, noise, odors and clearly enough nuisance to allow affected residents to ask for some property tax relief. On March 12, The Sun editorialized that "proximity to the dump has already reduced their property tax bills because of slower assessment growth over the years." I would hope that the Sun's editorial board is not claiming that it is beneficial to have your property devalued and that a lower property tax is an even trade-off. These people deserve to be heard.
Baltimore County has granted scores of tax credits to many businesses across the county. The county executive's record of significant tax breaks for developers, while denying an opportunity for this small group of impacted families to merely plead their case for a small tax credit, highlights his double standards and disregard of Maryland's ordinary citizens. These 150 families don't have high paid lobbyists and deep pockets to get their tax breaks.
Marylanders are tired of mindless political rhetoric and discord. They expect politicians at all levels to work together to represent their interests. At no point in County Executive Kamenetz's letter does he acknowledge that voting against the property tax break bill would not ensure that the two high schools get funding for their projects. The legislation is clear and he most certainly understands how the system works.
Hopefully, Mr. Kamenetz will reevaluate both his position on the proposed legislation and his communication methods with citizens and legislators. These residents deserve the right to be heard.
Del. Kathy Szeliga
The writer represents District 7, Baltimore and Harford counties, in the Maryland House of Delegates.