A Note from Councilman Dick Ladd

The following is from the April edition of a monthly column written by Anne Arundel County Councilman Dick Ladd (R-5th District), a resident of the Broadneck peninsula.

Our new County Executive Laura Neuman is openly and refreshingly reaching out to all interests in the County.  She joined us for the 2013 ASPIRE awards dinner; she will speak to the Greater Severna Park Council soon; she will visit Kinder Park later in the spring; and she attended SPHS’s “Rock n Roll Revival XXIV” with her children.  The latter really displayed the Park’s sense of excellence, community, achievement, and school and family.  I encourage everyone to provide Ms. Neuman the opportunity to get to know you and your organization better.  I will gladly assist in any way I can to help her appreciate the interests and strengths of all parts of our community.

Another new key County official is Dave Cordle, the new Chief of Staff.  Dave is a long-time County resident and is well known and connected to many of you.  A new Chief Administrative Officer appointment is expected soon to replace John Hammond who will return to his previous role as Budget Officer.

There is a continuing need for residents to serve as unpaid members on standing and one-time advisory committees on a wide range of topics such as the County Arts Council and the Ethics Commission.  If you are interested in being considered, please email your resume to me at dladd@aacounty.org.

The County Council did not adopt either of two proposed changes to the district boundaries to make the required adjustments for last decade’s population changes.  (Neither proposal made any changes to District 5 - Severna Park and the Broadneck Peninsula.)  To comply with existing law, some precincts in District 4 need to be moved elsewhere and additional voters need to be added to District 1.  One of the maps made that simple realignment.  The other map did that and moved Crofton out of District 7 into District 4 to make a more rural, south county District 7 and made associated realignments from Districts 4 and 6 to bring the population of District 7 closer to the ideal level of 76,000 residents.

A third option is being developed.  Given that candidate filing for the 2014 primary starts in early April, the Council has little time to waste.  I am embarrassed to say that if changes are not adopted, the matter will likely be referred to the Courts for action as a colossal and unacceptable act of irresponsibility. 

The deliberations and the amendment process for the Storm Water Management Bill (2-13) will continue through mid-April with the fee structure getting the most attention.  The 3-tier ($34/$85/$170) fee structure for residential properties seems to be viewed as fair.  However, there is considerable concern and continuing work within the Council on the fees for Homeowner Associations, Community/Condominium Associations, churches, charitable (non-profit) organizations, and businesses. 

The fee for private roads will be $85.  The fee for community buildings and facilities will be established at $85 per 2,800 sq. ft. of impervious surface, not to exceed $34 per dwelling unit.  The fee for churches is currently $170 with emerging interest in taking it as low as $1 for church buildings and parking and treating all private school impervious surface as commercial property.  

The Council will consider proposals to:  (1) phase in the fees for many organizations over a number of years recognizing the impact of having to pay the “first-year” fee within 90 days of its establishment and half-way through their budget year; and (2) to cap the total fee for businesses and non-profits at a percent (20% to 50%) of their property tax bills.

There will be a credit program that could reduce the annual fee by up to 50% for businesses based on the cost of establishing and maintaining a working storm water runoff mitigation capability and complying with State MDE/NPDES storm water discharge requirements.  A competitive grant program will provide funds to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to support completing and cost effectively enhancing the County storm water management capital infrastructure program.

Finally, it is important to remember that the current fees will increase considerably as construction rates and the associated “debt service” costs rise in order to meet the State’s mandated 2025 completion date.  This increase will require Council approval and must be justified by program execution combined with complementary and supportive progress by neighboring counties and states.

To follow the progress of Bill 2-13 and for other County information, please visit www.aacounty.org or feel free to contact me at 410-222-1401. 

Read more columns by Ladd:

• Ladd Discusses Impact of Latest Stormwater Bill (March)
• Ladd: 'Swirl of Events' Facing County Government (February)
• Ladd Addresses Critical Area Bill in Latest Column (January)