A January 16 Baltimore Sun article reported that Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz is proposing reducing the County’s State-mandated stormwater remediation fee by 1/3. Kamenetz also proposed that the federal government roll back its 2025 deadline for meeting water pollution reduction requirements under the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). From the article:
While the one-third reduction doesn’t amount to much in savings — $13 per year for owners of single-family homes, $7 for those who own rowhouses — Kamenetz said the cut is still important to residents who feel burdened by taxes. …
Kamenetz argues that county governments have been stuck with those cleanup mandates with no financial help to pay for them. Kamenetz said he doesn’t want to get rid of the stormwater fees altogether — “The money has to come from somewhere,” he said — but he thinks a better option is to give counties and states more time to work on the pollution cuts. …
Kamenetz said some of the county’s pollution-busting practices such as street-sweeping have cost less than anticipated. He also plans to delay some more expensive projects, including some stream restorations.
Kamenetz plans to introduce his proposal to the Baltimore County Council on Feb. 2 and expects that it will pass easily.
The article also reported on the strong reaction from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and reactions from the Baltimore County Council.
January 16 Daily Record coverage included a chart of the proposed fee changes:
List of revised fees
Type of property Current fee Proposed fee
Individual home $39 $26
Attached home $21 $14
Condominium $32 $22
Commercial property $69 $46 per 2,000 sf impervious surface
Institutional non-profits $20 $14 per 2,000 sf impervious surface
Source: Baltimore County
