(3/2020) The Frederick County Council had some lengthy and important
discussions in February. There was the issue of establishing an emergency
climate change task force, the issue of increasing the property recordation
tax, the issue of binding arbitration for firefighters as required by the
charter amendment Question D, as well as some interesting opportunities in
transportation and senior housing.
First, the Council heard a lot of testimony on a proposed resolution that
would declare a climate emergency in Frederick County and a work group that
would make recommendations based on that emergency. I heard the urgency of the
pleas by multiple residents who fear for the future of the climate and I do not
deny their passion. I do think that we have an obligation to look at things
rationally and from a Frederick County perspective and do not believe that it
is in the best interest of the county to view every action that is taken
through the lens of a climate emergency. I do not claim to have expertise in
climate science, but I do know that Frederick County is a small player in this
global effort. Meaningful change on this front will not come from Frederick
County alone, and we should not move in the short term to hamper our citizens
or our economic competitiveness as a county. Ultimately, the resolution did not
pass but will likely be back in some form.
The County Executive and several members of the County Council have proposed
a bill that would raise the recordation tax from $6 to $7 per $500 of assessed
value. Personally, I am opposed to fee and tax increases at all levels. If the
average home value is $300,000, then the average person will pay an additional
$600 at the time of recordation. Much of this increased revenue will be
proposed to be dedicated to agricultural preservation which is a valuable goal.
However, it has been noted that because of state and local law changes,
development pressures have eased on farmland, making it difficult or impossible
to develop agricultural land. Additionally, this is another tax / fee that runs
counter to the goal of housing affordability. We keep adding fees and taxes on
housing and then wondering why housing costs and rents continue to rise. This
bill and discussion will continue into March, so if you have thoughts please
share them with the County Council.
We heard testimony and voted to pass a binding arbitration bill that would
allow firefighters to submit their budgetary demands to binding arbitration.
This bill will allow the firefighters a seat at the table to negotiate on
important issues such as working conditions and pay. If an agreement cannot be
reached, both parties can submit to binding arbitration and the decision of the
arbitrator would then be automatically included in the County Executive’s
budget. There is a taxpayer protection built in; in the event that the
arbitrator’s decision would wreak havoc on the county budget, the County
Council still retains its power to trim the Executive’s budget.
Finally, two other items of note include the Transportation Priorities
letter and affordable housing efforts. The Transportation Priorities letter to
the Maryland Department of Transportation sets forth important goals including
expansion of Route 15 through Frederick, widening 194 to Walkersville High
School, and even sidewalks through Libertytown. We voted unanimously to forward
the letter to the state with our prioritized list. These projects would still
have to be funded by the state, but we set the goals and continue to work with
our state Delegation on funding.
Additionally, the Board of Education is surplusing some property that was
given to them through the development process in Frederick City near Dearbought
and Tuscarora Elementary School. By law the Board of Education must offer the
property to the County first to see if it can be made use of. The County
Council voted unanimously to take possession of these two properties with the
broad goal of offering additional affordable senior housing. These will be
infill projects in Frederick City and will have to be fleshed out in the
future.