The Calvert County Commissioners will seek state legislation to enable limited use of expedited or “quick take” condemnation authority to spur needed roadway improvements. The authority would be comparable to that already possessed by the State Highway Administration for state roads.
On the CalvertLive website, County Commissioner Evan Slaughenhoupt writes about the proposal (as part of his weekly column, “From the Commish…”):
Under “Quick Take”, the County could acquire immediate possession of a portion of ones property by filing a condemnation petition in circuit court and paying an estimated just compensation to the court. The court determines the amount of just compensation entitled to the property owner.
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The County is requesting such authority that the State Highway Administration has, except ONLY for improving existing roads, not for new road construction. The County would be limited to implementing Quick Take only after delays on a given road project is essentially stopped. Quick Take Authority as described here reduces overall costs in the long term, reduces risks of accidents to vehicle traffic, and increases the likelihood of safer roads for our citizens. Quick Take is a Public Safety issue.
