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Eastern Shore communities consider tax increases
SALISBURY — Local governments in Maryland’s shore communities are weighing whether to raise taxes as they struggle with budgets hurt by declining property values. The Daily Times reports that Salisbury Mayor Jim Ireton has proposed raising the property tax rate to 1.5 cents. It hasn’t changed in four years and the city’s tax base has […]
Board holds state property tax steady
ANNAPOLIS — Maryland’s property tax will hold steady for now, but Comptroller Peter Franchot is warning about rising debt service obligations in upcoming years. The Board of Public Works on Wednesday held the state property tax to 11.2 cents per $100 of assessed property value. But Franchot noted that debt service obligations will increase in […]
Baltimore taxpayers invited to speak out on proposed city budget
The city’s Board of Estimates will hold its annual Taxpayers’ Night on Wednesday beginning at 6 p.m. at the War Memorial Building near City Hall. The event is a public forum on the proposed 2013 budget of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, which will also be the topic of several public hearings before the City Council this […]
Week in review: 3/23/12
High court rules against Md. man A former court employee’s $1 million lawsuit has ended in the U.S. Supreme Court, which held that states cannot be sued under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act’s self-care provision. Daniel Coleman, once the executive director of procurement and contract administration at the Administrative Office of the Courts in […]
Rawlings-Blake’s property tax rate reduction bill to be introduced Monday night
A bill to lower Baltimore’s property tax rate by 20 cents by 2020 will be introduced Monday night before the City Council. The legislation is a follow up to a campaign pledge made by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake last year while she ran for a full term and comes at a time when taxes and audits […]
Construction to begin on expansion of Towson Circle development
Look for construction to soon begin on the expansion of the Towson Circle development on Joppa Road near the traffic circle. Sources say this $35 million extension and redevelopment is ready to launch after several years of uncertainty because of the sagging economy. The local development team from The Cordish Cos. is planning to turn […]
Many cities imposing broad cuts as revenue shrinks
WASHINGTON — More than half of U.S. cities have cut staff, canceled construction projects or raised fees this year, according to a report from the National League of Cities that catalogs the vast damage from shrunken property- and income-tax revenue. Cities are struggling from the same problems that have left the national economy sputtering: high […]
Report: Cities strapped by declining tax revenue
WASHINGTON — More than half of cities have cut staff, canceled construction projects or raised fees this year, according to a report from the National League of Cities that catalogs the vast damage from shrunken property- and income-tax revenue. Cities are struggling from the same problems that have left the national economy sputtering: high unemployment, […]
Q&A: Joseph T. ‘Jody’ Landers III
1. The Daily Record has published a number of articles this year about the $1.8 billion redevelopment of Middle East by East Baltimore Development Inc. How would you rate the EBDI development so far in terms of public accountability, financial transparency and economic impact? How do you see its impact on the city’s future? The […]
The property tax shuffle
One of the top questions in this year’s mayoral race is how to lower the city’s residential property tax rate, the highest in Maryland at $2.268 per $100 of assessed value. All of the candidates have a plan. And those plans are repeatedly bashed on the campaign trail by the candidates in a round robin […]
Rawlings-Blake wants to reduce property tax rate by 20 cents
A plan to reduce Baltimore’s homeowner property tax rate by 20 cents per $100 of assessed value by 2020 was unveiled by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake Wednesday. The plan would use revenue from a yet-to-be-constructed slots parlor in the city to make up for the tax rate decrease. Lowering the city’s tax rate is a central […]
O’Malley names new heads at Maryland Insurance Administration, SDAT
Gov. Martin O’Malley appointed a new insurance commissioner, top property tax assessor and a new health care board Thursday. Therese Goldsmith, a member of the Public Service Commission and formerly a white-collar litigation attorney with Hogan & Hartson, will take the insurance post July 1. “We are confident that her extensive expertise and commitment to […]
