The County Times
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Thursday, April 23, 2009 The sentence "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter in the english language
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un Fact
Citizens Demand Halt On Increasing Property Taxes taxes without rent. “This economy can’t stand increased taxes.” The current tax rate of .857 per $100 dollars of assessed value brings in an extra $7.7 million in property tax revenues over last year’s amount, according to county budget figures. For the residents to pay the same amount of property taxes as last year, the Board of County Commissioners would have to vote to lower the rate to .798 per $100 of assessed value. The total revenue collection projected in the proposed fiscal 2010 budget is $93 million, the largest source of county revenues. One resident claimed that over the past several years the county had been consistently inaccurate with regards to the
By Guy Leonard Staff Writer
County officials say that if they enact the constant-yield tax rate that ensures residents continue to pay the same in property taxes despite higher assessments, they will lose about $6 million in revenue to provide services this year. Several citizens who spoke out about rising property taxes at Tuesday night’s public hearing say that they want their government to find ways to take the cuts and give them some tax relief. Many spoke in favor of the constant-yield tax rate, but some maintained it did not make sense to cut revenues and endanger services. “If you yield you lose some $5.8 million in revenue,” said Alfreda Mathis. Photo by Guy Leonard “I want to know where the Tax protestors at Tuesday’s county budget public hearing called for a tax cuts will come from.” rate reduction that would keep their property tax payments the same as Mathis said she would last year. like to see the state give Still, others called strongly for tax relief. more money to St. Mary’s to compensate for any “Stores are closing, builders are not buildemergency evacuations from Calvert County in ing,” said William Callaway, who runs a shopping the event of an accident at the nuclear power plant center in Callaway. “I need money, rents are low. rather than the county make cuts itself. How am I supposed to pay these cockamamie
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revenue collections and their expenses. “You need to hold the constant yield tax rate,” claimed Michael Hewitt. “You’ve underestimated the revenue you’ve collected by $40 million; you’ve overestimated your expenses by $16 million. “ [Commissioner] Tommy Mattingly tells me I don’t know what I’m talking about but I know you paid $5.3 million for a piece of land [the Hayden Farm] valued at $4 million.” Hewitt’s comments got loud applause from the citizens gathered at the Chopticon High School auditorium. Commissioners will make their final vote on the budget in May.
Board Approves Compromise For Hunting Land At Elms Beach Park By Guy Leonard Staff Writer
ing the hunters about 200 acres of the 476-acre parcel for their use, leaving the remainder to the school system to operate its facility nearest the bay waters. His proposal, which had the support of Commissioner Kenneth R. Dement (R-Tall Timbers), failed however. Commissioners who were opposed to Jarboe said that the state might not agree to operate the 85-acre set aside for bow hunting, which meant that getting them to manage 200 acres would probably be out of the question. “We’ll be lucky to get the proposal by staff approved,” said Commissioner Thomas A. Mattingly, Sr. (D-Leonardtown). “I just don’t think this [200 acre compromise] stands any chance of getting approved.” Steve Riley, the sole member of the Elms Advisory Committee who has opposed hunters being banned from land they once used, said that the board’s decision was a step in the right direction.
Hunters may regain access to 85 acres of a county-leased, 476-acre parcel of land now used for environmental education in the Elms Wildlife Management Area near Dameron if state agencies agree to a compromise proposed by the county school system and county government staff. One hunter and civic activist said that the compromise was a start, but that it again limited hunters because the area off Bay Forest Road would only be reserved for bows, not guns. “I wish they would not limit it to bow hunting,” said Rich Johnson of Valley Lee. “There’s other hunting that could be done down there; there’s turkey hunting with shotguns that are short range only.” Schools Superintendent Michael J. Martirano said that the plan he and County Administrator John Savich presented to the Board of County Commissioners Tuesday provided for student safety and hunters’ rights. “I do believe we have a win-win situation here,” Martirano told commissioners. “We need to ensure safety of our students and maintain the integrity of our program.” The environmental education program had 6,384 students, nearly all from the county, attend the center during the 2007-2008 school year, according to school system figures. Savich said that officials with the state Department of Natural Resources would have to sign off on the agreement with the county and school system. For several years hunters have claimed that the Elms Advisory Committee The county-leased portion of the Elms property could have 85-acres at the and county public schools southern portion reserved for bow hunting. system with the cooperation of the state DepartBut he said that the 2004 lease agreement ment of Natural Resources have expanded the between the Department of Natural Resources no-hunting zone around the Elms Environmental and the county compelled the state to manage Education Center to encompass the entire 476- wildlife on the property whether they wanted to acre tract of land the county leases. or not. County leaders have said that the bound“It’s already in the lease that they have to aries were expanded without their knowledge manage it,” Riley said after the 3-to-2 vote afor consent and asked the school system, coun- firming the 85-acre compromise. “It’s definitely ty staff and state representatives to attempt a a step from where we were. compromise. “We were at zero acres.” Commissioner Lawrence D. Jarboe (RBoth Jarboe and Dement voted against the Golden Beach) offered another proposal giv- 85-acre compromise.