Homebuilders say the bill is so strict it would paralyze their industry. The PTA says it's so lenient developers could drive a Mack truck through the loopholes.
And now, the rift reflected by those polar views threatens to delay a Baltimore County proposal for long-term rules to ease school crowding.
The bill is scheduled for a council vote Monday, but the cross-fire may push it off the agenda and into the background -- until a more workable solution can be found.
The stakes are high. Monday's session is the last council meeting before Nov. 1, when a 6-year-old building moratorium around crowded elementaries is to expire.
Council Chairman Kevin Kamenetz, who introduced the bill, hoped to enact a so-called adequate public facilities law before the moratorium expires.
But as he scrambles for a compromise to satisfy builders and the PTA, he's being pressured by fellow councilmen to withdraw the bill temporarily to allow more time for amendments.
dTC And now, even the PTA Council of Baltimore County is asking Kamenetz to extend the moratorium 90 days "so the bill would be done correctly," said Linda Olszewski, PTA Council president.
"We know that the moratorium is not a great thing and it's not that we want it there forever," she said. "But we don't want a bill on the books that is not a good bill.
"This is not good for children and we do not want this present version."
But Kamenetz, a Pikesville-Randallstown Democrat, vowed to press on to a solution Monday, planning to work over the weekend to meld comments from the PTA, homebuilders, the Chamber of Commerce and councilmen.
"I'm trying to generate some real planning for the future," Kamenetz said. "I think there are votes on the council to pass some form of this."
The law would be a first for Baltimore County but is commonelsewhere in Maryland -- 11 counties have such a provision. The aim is to block homebuilding until schools can absorb new students.
For six years, Baltimore County has operated under a moratorium that applies only to elementary schools. But no long-term solution has been reached, and that's where the Kamenetz proposal comes in.
His bill would apply to all schools, not just elementary.
Still, some specifics have drawn concern from the PTA.
For instance, "overcapacity" is defined in the proposal as 115 percent of state standards for elementary schools, and 120 percent for middle and high. In addition, the law would provide a number of mitigating factors to allow building to proceed.
But the Home Builders Association of Maryland has concerns -- for other reasons. The group views Kamenetz's proposal as an unfair extension of the moratorium.
Most councilmen argue that they haven't had enough time to come to a consensus because of the just-completed comprehensive rezoning process.
Kamenetz said he would decide the bill's fate just before Monday's meeting.
Pub Date: 10/19/96
