stormwater fee

The two candidates for Baltimore County Executive, Democrat John “Johnny O” Olszewski Jr. and Republican Alfred “Al” Redmer Jr. squared off in front of about 100 people at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Monday night.

By Cody Boteler

Oct 15, 2018

Let's talk about that infamous "rain tax" that Martin O'Malley singlehandedly imposed on the poor citizens of Maryland a few years back. How many times have I

Maryland's governor rain against the 'rain tax' four years ago; Ellicott City demonstrates what happens when you ignore what that fee was supposed to address.

Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts like the 'rain tax' appear to be lifting all boats - if leaders are willing to stay the course.

A Maryland appeals court has rejected a Baltimore synagogue's challenge to a stormwater management levy on city property owners, popularly known as the “rain tax.”

Challenge of Conowingo sediment hasn't changed much - nor have the misleading claims.

Maryland is prosecuting its fewest environmental crimes in at least two decades as Gov. Larry Hogan fulfills promises to ease regulatory burdens on businesses.

By Scott Dance

May 10, 2017

Governor Hogan's 'road kill bill' strategy is a cynical attempt to turn a minor reporting requirement into a transportation apocalypse

State environmental officials signed off Tuesday on a list of projects that aim to reduce the amount of pollution that rain washes into the Chesapeake Bay, despite criticisms from environmental groups that the efforts are inadequate.

By Scott Dance

Oct 19, 2016

Baltimore is grappling with a plan to remove hundreds of acres of pavement — and find more creative ways to drastically reduce the amount of pollution that rain washes into waterways — over the next two and a half years to help clean up the Chesapeake Bay.

By Scott Dance

Jun 19, 2016

The Harford County Council approved $200,000 for the county attorney's office to hire outside counsel for two cases, including one to appeal state requirements for stormwater remediation, previously known as the "rain tax."

The Howard County Council spent nearly two hours on Tuesday evening honing in on the fiscal impact of the phasing out the county's stormwater remediation fee, dubbed the rain tax by opponents.

By Fatimah Waseem

Mar 4, 2016

Carving out space for community services in this year's fiscal year budget was a major talking point at the Howard County Council's annual discussion organized by the Association of Community Services of Howard County.

By Fatimah Waseem

Feb 23, 2016

Republican Gov. Larry Hogan began his first year presiding over divided government by calling for bipartisanship. He ended it as Maryland's most popular politician.

By Erin Cox

Dec 27, 2015

Stormwater fee is flawed approach and it's doubtful Baltimore County is properly using the funds

Phasing out county 'rain tax' will shift burden of pollution cleanup from polluters to average taxpayers

As the Baltimore County Council voted 7-0 without comment Monday to phase out the county's stormwater remediation fee, opponents in the audience held up signs that said, "Show us the $." They were referring to the lack of a plan by the county to pay for federally mandated stormwater remediation, if not with the current fee.

Council should not repeal 'rain tax' given the $16 million annual cost to water quality and to county residents

Businesses stand to save thousands if Baltimore County Council eliminates stormwater fees.

By Pamela Wood

Oct 31, 2015

The Baltimore County Council's stormwater fee repeal will help polluters and hurt regular taxpayers.

County Council's plan to repeal 'rain tax' may not be legal but is certainly unwise

What will happen if Baltimore County repeals its "rain tax"? The homeowners will pay and businesses will get off free.

At a town hall meeting Thursday night, Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman criticized the Howard County Public School System's communication with parents about mold in school buildings.

By Amanda Yeager

Oct 26, 2015

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is warning that the Baltimore County Council may violate state law when it votes to phase out the county's stormwater fees.

By Pamela Wood

Oct 26, 2015

Council members explain why Baltimore County doesn't need the 'rain tax'

Council members explain why Baltimore County doesn't need the 'rain tax'

Should Baltimore County repeal its stormwater management fee, even if it means less money for things like school construction?

Who should pay for water pollution in Baltimore County? Proposed stormwater fee repeal lets polluters off the hook

The Baltimore County Council plans to phase out the "rain tax" on property owners over the next two years.

By Pamela Wood

Oct 19, 2015

The Carroll County Times' July 30 editorial, "Stormwater fee measure continues to spring leaks," unfortunately tarred a clean water program that really works well. Stormwater pollution, or polluted runoff, is the only increasing major source of nitrogen pollution to the Chesapeake Bay and local waters. It is also the most expensive to clean up.

A Montgomery County Circuit Court decision declaring the county's storm-water management fee invalid only applies in Montgomery for now, but it's creating ripples of anxiety in Baltimore area communities that still levy such fees to pay for reducing the polluted runoff fouling local streams and the Chesapeake Bay.

By Timothy B. Wheeler

Jul 26, 2015

Maryland motorists will pay lower tolls, local governments will no longer have to collect stormwater fees dubbed the "rain tax" and military retirees will get a larger tax break starting Wednesday.

By Michael Dresser

Jul 1, 2015

As the Harford County Council began its review Tuesday of County Executive Barry Glassman's proposed $642 million operating budget for the 2016 fiscal year, a ghost of taxes past entered into the discussion.

Kamenetz's sleight of hand tax increases

Rain tax or no, reducing harmful stormwater runoff begins at home

Repealing the 'rain tax' will actually help the bay.

People are generally more supportive of stormwater management fees and less supportive of a rain tax, even though the two are the same thing

To the surprise of many, Hogan proved he isn't the bay boogeyman environmentalists had feared

The latest effort to put an end to the furor over the "rain tax," stormwater remediation fee, as its supporters prefer to call it, comes from Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, who is sponsoring a bill to retool the fee. The bill deserves support

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller's bid to end the long-running political uproar over the so-called "rain tax" ran into some turbulence Wednesday, as witness after witness urged a House panel to retool the Democratic leader's bill.

By Timothy B. Wheeler

Apr 1, 2015

As the General Assembly debates repealing a hotly contested fee meant to pay for efforts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, it turns out the name you give that fee can make it less controversial. Proponents call it the stormwater fee. Critics, including Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, call it the rain tax.

By Timothy B. Wheeler

Mar 28, 2015

A House committee voted along party lines Friday to kill Gov. Larry Hogan's bill to repeal the so-called "rain tax.'' Dealing a blow to one of the Republican governor's top legislative priorities, the Democratic majority of the House Environmental Matters and Transportation Committee refused to roll back the controversial 2012 law that requires Baltimore city and the state's nine largest counties to levy storm-water remediation fees on property owners.

Gov. Larry Hogan's campaign pledge to repeal Maryland's so-called "rain tax" got a Senate hearing Tuesday, where a Republican county executive, a parade of business owners, and even one Democratic senator called the mandatory pollution cleanup fees unfair, burdensome and unnecessary.

By Timothy B. Wheeler

Mar 3, 2015

The Baltimore County Council voted Monday to cut the county's stormwater fees by one-third, after rejecting a proposal to reduce the fees to one penny per year.

By Pamela Wood

Mar 2, 2015

Sun columnist Dan Rodricks calls for the repeal and replacement of Maryland's much maligned "rain tax" stormwater fees.

By Dan Rodricks

Feb 28, 2015