Ex-state budget secretary to serve on tax task force

Frederick W. Puddester, former state budget secretary in the Glendening administration, has been appointed by Annapolis Mayor Ellen O. Moyer to serve on the city's new Task Force on Local Tax Relief Policy.

Puddester, an Annapolis resident, served as state budget secretary until 2000, when he left the Glendening administration. Before working for Glendening, he was then-Gov. William Donald Schaefer's deputy chief of staff. He is executive director of budget and financial planning and analysis for the Johns Hopkins University.

The task force will make recommendations on possible tax relief for Annapolis homeowners. Options include the possibility of freezing the city property tax for homeowners older than 65 and for households that make less than $35,000 a year.

The eight-member task force will deliver its recommendations by March 15.