The fight over who will review developers' erosion- and sediment-control plans and who will pay for that work entered a new phase Tuesday with the Howard County Council's unanimous approval of new fees for the services.
The council's action means the independently run Howard County Soil Conservation District that does the work now can charge developers fees to pay the two employees who review the plans. Previously, the district used $220,000 in county funds - eliminated from the budget July 1.
But the vote doesn't mean the issue is resolved. The fees approved are much lower than those requested by soil district officials: $75 per acre of disturbed earth, rather than $175 per acre.
"If we can't do the job for these fees, we'll have to come back," said Martha Clark, a volunteer trustee for the soil district.
Meanwhile, builders who were angry about having to pay new fees said it was an acceptable compromise. "We're pleased," said Michael Harrison, spokesman for the Home Builders Association of Maryland.
The budget battle between County Executive Ken Ulman's administration and the district leaders threatened to halt processing of all development plans Aug. 28, when the district ran out of money before the council could vote on the new fees.
This year, Ulman sought to shift the work from the district to county engineers, saying it would save money. District leaders said it was a power grab. District supervisors chose to charge fees themselves to pay for the work but ran out of money after county funds stopped July 1. The agency's board then donated $10,000 to continue the work, which led Ulman to call for an audit.
