According to a state law passed in the 2012 legislative session, ten counties in Maryland are required to implement local stormwater fee legislation by July 1, 2013. The other thirteen counties are exempt from the requirement. Recent coverage in the Maryland Reporter questions whether the General Assembly might step in during its 2014 session to change the law. As described by the Reporter, the Senate approved an amendment to the law on the last day of the General Assembly April 8, but a House committee let the bill die.
“As you see this thing played out, the legislature will do something,” Senate Budget and Taxation Committee Chairman Ed Kasemeyer told a Howard County Chamber of Commerce breakfast. . . “I think it’s not over yet,” said Kasemeyer, who had sought to delay implementation of the fees for two years, amending a bill exempting nonprofit groups and churches from the charges.
For now, county governments subject to the law continue towards implementation, with their legislative bodies developing and considering local bills. Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery and Anne Arundel’s county councils have passed bills, however, as reported in the Baltimore Sun, Anne Arundel County Executive Laura Neuman on Thursday vetoed that county’s version of the state-mandated stormwater management fee, effectively sending it back to the county council for further consideration. According to the Sun, Neuman said the legislation needs more discussion before becoming law,
“Every single person I asked — citizens of this county — not one of them was aware of it. If they were aware, they said, ‘Is this the gas tax?’” she said. “The vast majority of the public is not fully aware that this new tax is coming.”
The following is a list of links that MACo has gathered of local legislation under consideration or passed.
- Anne Arundel County (vetoed by County Executive)
- Baltimore City
- Baltimore County
- Harford County
- Howard County (Howard County Part 2)
- Montgomery County
Other affected jurisdictions are in various stages of development in their own fee schedules.
For more information on this topic, see the full story from the Baltimore Sun, coverage from the Maryland Reporter, and our previous posts on Conduit Street,
Examiner Article Questions State and Local Government Stormwater Fee Exemption
Sun Supports Stormwater Fees Toward Bay Cleanup
