County Code

Just weeks before it is slated to announce new plans to develop part of its campus, Beth Tfiloh Congregation was slapped with a fine yesterday for violating Baltimore County building codes.The congregation, off Old Court Road, was fined $1,500 at a county code enforcement hearing for tearing down a dilapidated house and garage without a demolition permit.James Kemp, a county building inspector, testified that he ordered Beth Tfiloh to stop demolition work on the house April 19 because the congregation lacked a permit.

Richard C. Truitt Sr., Harford County deputy code director, has been elected as a director on the International Code Council Board. As deputy director for the county, he helps administer programs for issuing, maintaining and controlling of licenses and permits required by the county. Through public/private sector collaboration, the Code Council provides support to government by developing codes that allow for safe and sustainable construction. As a result, government does not take on the high cost of developing its own codes and benefits from code uniformity that encourages local, affordable construction growth.

Terry Hanley is fond of his cottage on the water, a cozy four-bedroom house surrounded by soaring oaks and maples tucked into the bank of Broad Creek. "They are Harford County's best secret treasures," said Hanley, who lives year-round in Bel Air but spends many weekends with his family at the cottage, one of about 170 along the shores of Broad Creek and the Susquehanna River. But Hanley's getaway and the other cottages, some that have been on the water for more than 60 years, face an uncertain future as the county begins what an official called one of the largest home inspection efforts in Harford history.

'Boomtown' inspection finds 18 code violations Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold said that an inspection of a downtrodden neighborhood near Fort Meade, which was the site of a recent double fatal shooting, has revealed 18 violations of the county code. Leopold and representatives from the Health Department, the Planning and Zoning Department and the Police Department toured the stretch of Route 175 in Odenton, an area known as "Boomtown," on Dec. 16, a month after four Annapolis men were shot on the parking lot of a bar. Police have arrested three men and a woman in the shootings.

In something of a power struggle, the chairman of the County Council is trying to take away County Executive Janet S. Owens' authority to settle union contract talks that reach impasse. Council Chairman Daniel E. Klosterman Jr. wants the council to be able to give an independent arbitrator final say when union and county negotiators cannot agree. Under current law, the council may make recommendations, but the executive may disregard them. Although Owens blasted the council's attempt in the spring to influence pay raises for county blue-collar workers, in 1998 she suggested to a union political action committee that she would be willing to cede control over contracts to an arbitrator if it was consistent with "constitutional principles."

A Severn landlord who agreed in court last month to correct health code violations at 30 properties he owns told a judge yesterday that many of the required repairs are "cosmetic" and that he can't afford to make them. But Anne Arundel County District Judge Vincent A. Mulieri ordered Mohammad Zuberi and county Health Department attorneys to return to court this month with a list of repairs that both sides agree must be made. The judge then will review repairs still in dispute to determine whether county regulations require them.

A County Council proposal to require real estate agents to share information about the county's long-range land use plans with prospective buyers could carry a $250 to $500 penalty for violators.A storypublished Jan. 20 in The Howard County Sun ("Maps could be required reading for home buyers") noted that the proposal contains no penaltyclause.A penalty would exist, however, under the county code, said Mary Lorsung, an aide to County Councilman Paul R. Farragut.

In Baltimore City Charges expected to be dropped in shooting of bus driver Attempted murder and other charges are expected to be dropped this morning in Baltimore District Court against a city man arrested in the wounding of an MTA bus driver last month, prosecutors said. According to prosecutors, there were no reliable witnesses who could identify Anthony Jackson, 30, of the 2200 block of Whittier Ave. as being the gunman who fired on driver Eartha Collins-Harrison, 49. Police say the intended target was a man who was getting on the bus at 1 a.m. July 20 in the 2400 block of Reisterstown Road.

The Howard County Board of Appeals unanimously approved two petitions from Exxon Corp. to post signs that are larger than allowed by county regulations at two locations -- one in Savage and the other in Elkridge.The signs, both advertising the presence of a combination gasoline station, convenience store and fast-food outlet, are also closer to roadside curbs than usual.In granting approval, the five-member board ignored a recommendation from the county's sign code inspector to reject the request for the Elkridge location because he could see no need for the variance.

An $18 increase in the tax Manhattan Beach residents pay to help maintain community property has come under scrutiny by county officials and some community residents who wonder whether the money can be used to create a $10,000 legal fund.Residents at a community meeting in October voted unanimously to use the one-year increase to set up the fund, but the section of the county code that created Manhattan Beach's special benefit tax district does not specifically list litigation as one of the purposes for which the money can be used.

Jill Farrar Planner Howard County government, Ellicott City Salary : $50,000 Age : 31 Years on the job : One How she got started: After getting an undergraduate degree in environmental studies and working for a New Jersey land conservancy, Farrar went on to earn a master's degree in geography and planning from Northern Arizona University. She worked as a planner in Arizona, relocating to Maryland last year when her husband transferred for a job. After putting in applications with several jurisdictions, she decided Howard County was a good fit. Typical day: Farrar is one of about 15 planners who review development projects as they come into Howard County for approval.

Terry Hanley is fond of his cottage on the water, a cozy four-bedroom house surrounded by soaring oaks and maples tucked into the bank of Broad Creek. "They are Harford County's best secret treasures," said Hanley, who lives year-round in Bel Air but spends many weekends with his family at the cottage, one of about 170 along the shores of Broad Creek and the Susquehanna River. But Hanley's getaway and the other cottages, some that have been on the water for more than 60 years, face an uncertain future as the county begins what an official called one of the largest home inspection efforts in Harford history.

County is upgrading its plan on government actions in emergencies County officials unveiled yesterday an updated plan for ways the government would respond to emergencies, including a planned $57 million replacement of the county's emergency communications network. The government conducted a yearlong review of the county's Emergency Operations Plan, which guides county officials on how to respond to all types of hazards, including any natural and man-made disasters, said Ellen Kobler, a county government spokeswoman.

Six years ago, Anne Arundel County code inspectors ordered George B. Hartsuff III to get rid of the untagged vehicles, the boats, the crab pots, Arizona Iced Tea vending machine and the U-Haul trailer that sat in his front yard. Now he's sitting in jail as his family and friends are cleaning up the Cape St. Claire property. Four large refuse bins weren't enough to haul away all the junk. "He has tried to clean it up - it would get cleaned up, and more things would pile up and it would just get messed up again," said his wife, Sandy, who added that close friends and their three children are pitching in to clean the property.

County's older areas need assistance, too In the article of Sunday, May 20, it was noted that County Executive Ken Ulman was to attend the International Conference of Shopping Centers convention in Las Vegas. In the article, he noted that he was worried about the revitalization of older shopping centers, specifically those in Columbia that have some vacancies. I would suggest to Mr. Ulman that the U.S. 40 corridor, the oldest strictly commercial center in Howard County, needs "revitalization" as studied and recommended by the Route 40 Enhancement Study.

Run-down house ignites dispute in Balto. County Code inspectors who visited an uninhabited house in the Turners Station community of Baltimore County last fall reported that the floor was bare earth and the sky could be seen through holes in the roof. After months of issuing citations, the county government is ready to send in the wrecking ball. But relatives of the woman who owns the house are fighting the government's plans to demolish it, saying the county illegally issued the citations and more than $90,000 in fines.

The Carroll County Commissioners voted unanimously yesterday to send to public hearing a proposed ordinance that would require new residential developments of four or more houses to provide water systems for fire protection - either by installing 30,000-gallon underground tanks or automatic sprinkler systems in the homes. The changes in the county code were recommended in a presentation yesterday by Scott Campbell, the county fire protection engineer and assistant administrator of the Office of Public Safety.

Harford officials plan to revamp county growth policies before taking a second crack at a countywide rezoning bill. County Executive David R. Craig wants to see the zoning code updated for the first time in two decades to bring regulations in line with modern-day design standards. A code revision, which could take 18 months to two years, would preclude another round of comprehensive rezoning, which Craig vetoed in the spring. "Our determination is to do the code first," said Roxanne Lynch, director of government and community relations.

3 Ravens to visit Westminster Giant Three Baltimore Ravens players will visit Carroll County for a fundraiser for the Carroll County Youth Services Bureau. Anthony Weaver, Maake Kemoeatu and Jarrett Johnson will be at the Giant Food store in Cranberry Square from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. tomorrow. They will bag groceries and accept donations for the bureau, which provides child and family care and psychiatric services for children. The fundraiser will include a silent auction from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Giant.