The following was sent to Harford County Executive David R. Craig, County Council President Billy Boniface, and County Councilwoman Mary Ann Lisanti. A copy was provided for publication.
Regarding the Etc. column in The Aegis of Sept. 28, "A skeptical view of Harford County property giveaway," by Editor Allan Vought.
The referenced column indicates the county administration wants the county council to declare surplus two houses on Tollgate Road and the two acres upon which they sit (total assessed value: a half-million dollars). The administration could then give the properties to non-profit Catholic Charities, whose affiliate, Anna's House, has been using them to shelter women in need and their children.
Allegedly, the county spends $40,000 annually on upkeep of the properties, implying there are no offsetting rental/lease revenues. If the county were really concerned about the annual upkeep costs, I should think it would negotiate a rental/lease fee to offset at least part of the cost. On the other hand, the county's yearly outlay might be a reasonable quid-pro-quo for Anna's House service to the community. If so, then the relatively minor annual cost to the county is no valid reason to give away the properties.
I believe Anna's House to be a very worthy humanitarian cause, yet I am uneasy about any giveaway of the people's property to a charitable, faith-based organization – even one of my own faith-tradition. The proposed giveaway doesn't make "dollars-and-sense" to me. Moreover, such a transfer of wealth from the county to a religious organization suggests a much-too-close association of church and state.
If the county administration doesn't withdrawal its proposal, the county council should deny it.
Richard J. Coski
Abingdon