Baltimore County Council

A Pikesville man has filed an Open Meetings Act violation complaint against the Baltimore County Council, alleging that citizens didn't get proper notice of a meeting where they could have testified about the county's new stormwater fee. The council voted 5-2 on April 15 to approve the fee, which they discussed at a work session the week before. County officials say they properly advertised that work session, where the council also discussed other bills. In his complaint to the state's Open Meetings Compliance Board, Ralph Jaffe said four people testified about the fee at the work session - a fact that he said indicates people didn't know about the meeting.

Manuel M. Nicolaides, an attorney who served for many years on the Baltimore County property tax appeals board, died of congestive heart failure Monday at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The Timonium resident was 92. "Manny served with distinction for many years on the Baltimore County Property Tax Assessment Appeals Board, including as its chairman," said attorney Peter G. Angelos. "I had the greatest affection for Manny, who was my friend for over half a century. "He was always upbeat, smiling and optimistic.

Owners of pet cemeteries in Baltimore County will have to notify customers of plans to sell or lease their graveyards for development under legislation passed Monday by the County Council. The legislation sponsored by Councilman David Marks, a Perry Hall Republican, was spurred by complaints about the Oakleigh Pet Cemetery in Parkville, which has faced numerous code-enforcement fines. Some believe the cemetery could be sold for development. Under the legislation, pet cemetery owners will have to publish a notice in a general-circulation newspaper of plans to develop a cemetery for any other purpose, and give written notice to every plot owner.

The Baltimore County Council could vote next week to reduce fees that developers pay to help the county build parks and buy recreational land. A council resolution would lower — in some cases by nearly 90 percent — so-called open-space waiver fees. A vote is set for May 23. Under county law, developers must set aside land for recreation or open space when they build housing developments. But since 2000, the county has allowed developers to pay cash into a fund instead of preserving land, if approved by the county's director of parks and recreation.

Baltimore County Council members on Monday unanimously elected Councilman Tom Quirk as their chairman, and the Catonsville Democrat pledged to collaborate with County Executive Kevin Kamenetz and work to make local government cost-effective. Quirk, 43, was elected to the council in 2010. He is a financial planner in the private sector and has chaired the county's Spending Affordability Committee. His council colleagues often turn to him for guidance on budget issues. He gained widespread attention last year when he successfully sponsored controversial legislation to protect transgender people from discrimination.

Sam Moxley on Tuesday became the fourth Baltimore County councilman to say he will not seek re-election in the fall, leaving a majority of seats on the seven-member panel up for grabs. Joseph Bartenfelder and Kevin Kamenetz are expected to run for county executive. Vince Gardina plans to retire at the end of his fifth term. "There are always concerns when there is a big change," said Moxley, a fourth-term Democrat who represents Catonsville and much of Southwestern Baltimore County.

Baltimore County Councilman Kenneth Oliver is leading the Democratic primary to hold onto his District 4 seat by about 100 votes with all but provisional ballots counted. Challenger Julian E. Jones Jr. said he has congratulated Oliver but is not conceding defeat. He is considering a recount request, which he would have to file by Sept. 30. There are also about 160 provisional ballots from District 4 awaiting review next week. Jones had been trailing by a slim margin after all of the Election Day results were tallied.

In an attempt to push for a more accountable school board, a majority of Baltimore County Council members say they would support a move from a fully appointed school board to a partially elected one. While the council has no direct say over whether the change will be made, its backing of the measure that will come before the Maryland General Assembly in the next session could help sway legislators. The letter was written to Sen. Kathy Klausmeier and Del. Steve Lafferty, who head a legislative task force looking into whether the board structure should change, and was signed by council members Vicki Almond, Todd Huff, David Marks and Cathy Bevins.

The election for an open Baltimore County Council seat in the east side's District 6 that includes Middle River, Fullerton and Overlea has, in many respects, become a referendum on the status quo and the Democratic administration that has been in place for the past eight years. Democrat Cathy A. Bevins, 51, of Middle River, was part of that administration, working for seven years in constituent service for County Executive James T. Smith Jr., and she said she would like to carry on Smith's approach.

A Pikesville man has filed an Open Meetings Act violation complaint against the Baltimore County Council, alleging that citizens didn't get proper notice of a meeting where they could have testified about the county's new stormwater fee. The council voted 5-2 on April 15 to approve the fee, which they discussed at a work session the week before. County officials say they properly advertised that work session, where the council also discussed other bills. In his complaint to the state's Open Meetings Compliance Board, Ralph Jaffe said four people testified about the fee at the work session - a fact that he said indicates people didn't know about the meeting.

A vote by the Baltimore County Council on Monday will bar new development at Green Spring Station in Lutherville for the near future. Developers cannot build near intersections graded "F" under the county's "basic services maps," which identify deficiencies in public infrastructure throughout the county. The council approved the maps Monday. The intersection of West Joppa and Falls roads near Green Spring Station — which has shops, restaurants and offices — had been labeled failing for about a decade, and the planning board recommended "F" again this year.

The Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce is member-driven, member-supported organization that has been the voice of business in Baltimore County since 1966. On behalf of our members, we have been following the impact of the stormwater fee legislation, passed by the state last year, which mandates Baltimore County to pass enabling legislation by July. A clean Chesapeake Bay is essential for all Marylanders and especially so for businesses in Baltimore County who depend on it for their livelihood.

Ridiculed by some as a "rain tax" and a symbol of government overreach in taxes, storm water management fees mandated by the state were approved Monday by Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties. The Baltimore County Council approved its fee structure 5-2, along party lines, with Republicans David Marks of Perry Hall and Todd Huff of Lutherville voting against it. The Anne Arundel County Council voted 4-3 to approve its version of stormwater fees. Stormwater runoff is blamed for being a major source of pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. As rainwater runs off hard surfaces - roofs, driveways and parking lots - it picks up pollutants that ultimately run into the bay. Last year the state legislature mandated a fee to pay for projects that will benefit bay water quality.

A Baltimore County Council member is calling for the council to delay its vote on a measure to impose stormwater management fees, saying neither the council nor the public has had enough time to study the issue. Councilwoman Vicki Almond, a Reisterstown Democrat, questioned why the county has not held public hearings on the fee scale proposed by the administration of County Executive Kevin Kamenetz. The council is scheduled a vote on the proposal for Monday, but Almond wants to delay it a month.

A Baltimore County Council member has withdrawn a controversial bill that sought to bar protests near public and private schools in the county — a measure that drew wide criticism from organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union, the county teachers union and the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, a national anti-abortion organization. Councilman Todd Huff, a Lutherville Republican, said Tuesday he has asked county attorneys to pull the bill so he could sit down with the teachers' union and "try to see how we can work through this issue, and see what their thought process is" in opposing it. Huff's measure would have barred protests within 300 feet of schools in Baltimore County during the hour before and after school, and while classes are in session.

Baltimore County Council members took heat again last week over their use of taxpayer-funded cars, a rare perk among local councils in the Baltimore area. At a meeting in Towson, county resident Mary Locke said she was surprised to learn that Councilman Todd Huff was behind the wheel of a county-issued, "gas guzzling" Jeep Grand Cherokee last month when he was arrested on drunken-driving charges. She questioned whether the county is doing enough to ensure that the vehicles aren't misused.

Members of the Baltimore County Council on Monday approved spending $3.7 million on school safety equipment, including cameras, improved electronic entry systems and a new visitor ID system. County police, county officials and school leaders proposed the package last week, and the plan was added to the capital spending bill council members voted on Monday. Under the plan, the county will expand the use of cameras in schools, and the video will stream live to police patrol cars, precincts and command staff at police headquarters.