Fees

Starting today, the city Department of Recreation and Parks plans to provide free summer camps for some Baltimore youths for the first time in nearly two decades, officials said. "Budget cuts forced many of these programs to stop in the late 1970s, so this will be the first time in 20 years that a lot of these playgrounds will host free summer programs," said Lynn Baker, assistant to the director of Recreation and Parks. Offered through a grant from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program received through the Department of Social Services, the "Playground Program" will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays through Aug. 11. Children ages 5 to 12 will participate in sports, take nature classes, produce arts and crafts, and work on fitness.

The answer to the new stormwater fees and requirements is porous asphalt ("Churches seek break on city stormwater fee," June 12). When such asphalt is used, rainwater drains through the top layer and eventually runs back into the soil underneath the asphalt. This eliminates the need for drainage structures and drainage areas and stops runoff into ecologically sensitive or protected waterways. Moreover, it costs less overall than traditional paving options, is better for the environment and should be exempt from the high fees imposed by local governments.

A Baltimore councilman is seeking to limit the "convenience" fees Ticketmaster and other ticket sellers add to the price of admission to concerts and sporting events. Councilman Carl Stokes, chairman of the council's taxation committee, introduced a bill Monday that would limit the amount of fees ticket sellers can charge to no more than 15 percent of a ticket's stated price. The bill also would require businesses to disclose such fees in their advertising in Baltimore. "An average ticket has a convenience fee for Ticketmaster of 22 to 25 percent," Stokes said.

The Catholic Church and other religious institutions should stop complaining about paying their fair share of the burden we all bear to clean up our environment ("Churches seek break on city stormwater fees," June 12). If they weren't already exempt from taxes, which is a debatable given the Constitution's ban on laws favoring the establishment of religion, the rest of our secular population would not have the burden of making up the tax loss. The small assessment for such a wealthy church should pose no undue burden on its ability to do charitable work.

A city councilwoman is challenging Baltimore's plan to charge businesses some of the highest stormwater fees in the state - and divert some of the money that had gone to Chesapeake Bay cleanup to help fund property tax cuts. Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke says the Rawlings-Blake administration's stormwater plan would create a financial hardship for many local businesses. And Clarke and environmental groups object to raising revenue intended for pollution abatement to help pay for property tax relief.

City panel will abolish $300,00 in parking fees$ANNAPOLIS -- An Annapolis panel has agreed to abolish about $300,000 in parking fees owed by developers who are building or expanding properties along the city's West Street.Two of the developers who owed $266,000 said they were unable to pay the fees because of the recession.Another $35,000 that has been collected since fees began in 1987 would be returned under the plan, said Alderman Ellen O. Moyer, D-Ward 8. Ms. Moyers chairs the Economic Matters Committee that proposed the plan Thursday.

If Gov. Martin O'Malley refuses to veto the bloated taxes and fees legislation, it will prove that Maryland has become the kind of tyrannical government our Founding Fathers escaped to America to avoid. We came to America to be free, not to be taxed to death. Ken J. Bower, Edgewood

Roberto Pagan-Franco didn't have a bank account for decades. His employer paid him in cash or with a check that the Baltimore resident took to a check-cashing store. A few years ago he lost his job after a severe illness and for a time was homeless. Not exactly the type of customer you'd expect a big bank to court. But Pagan-Franco enrolled in a PNC Bank program that targets consumers who otherwise might be shut out of the banking system. And today, the 54-year-old has checking and savings accounts at PNC and is in the process of getting a credit card.

Funny how Gov. Martin O'Malley used an anti-fee campaign to defeat Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. — only to see his Democratic allies in the House of Delegates steamroll the state into more fees than ever before. This proves that the governor and the Democrats in the 2011 General Assembly don't care about overburdened Marylanders or feel the pain these high fees would cause. These fees were not "tough choices. " Raising fees was the stupidest onslaught against Maryland citizens in the history of the state.

Re "Ehrlich pledges no new taxes if he is returned to Annapolis" (Aug. 26): If Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. is returned to office, maybe he should reduce the "fees" that he increased. Roger L. Kegley, Abingdon

This time, I'm with Santoni. That is to say, I agree with Bob Santoni, the outspoken owner of the Baltimore supermarket that bears his family's name, that some members of the brain trust running our fair city have stepped through the looking glass. "They live in a fantasy world down at City Hall," Santoni said when asked about the latest scheme to nickel and dime people who live and work in Baltimore — a proposal by a young city councilman to impose a 10-cent fee for every plastic bag provided in a retail establishment.

The two Catholic parishes led by the Rev. Robert Wojtek could pay more than $6,000 in new city stormwater fees later this year — an amount equal to an entire Sunday collection at his Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Highlandtown. To Wojtek, that means limiting the parishes' ability to provide services, such as letting community groups use the Highlandtown church hall at minimal cost or giving out food at the pantry behind St. Michael and St. Patrick Church in Upper Fells Point. "One way or another, it's coming down to the bottom line," he said.

A City Council committee on Tuesday approved a 16 percent cut to Baltimore's proposed storm water fees. Under a plan that will go to the full council for a vote Monday, homeowners would pay $40 to $120 per year. That's down from a range of $48 to $144. The legislative committee, chaired by Councilman James Kraft, also approved a cap designed to help businesses avoid what some have called exorbitant fees. The measure would limit fees to 20 percent of property taxes. The committee also approved an 83 percent cut to the administration's proposed rates for religious institutions.

Baltimore has a litter problem in general — trash of all kinds blows down streets, piles up in alleys and parks and clogs streams and the harbor. The company that makes trash-skimming boats uses videos of its products at work clearing massive piles of debris from the Inner Harbor after a rainstorm to advertise the TrashCat. "Has this ever happened to your harbor?" United Marine International's website asks next to a picture of a gigantic floating junk pile. That doesn't speak well of our city or its residents.

Baltimore might impose a 10-cent fee on every plastic and paper bag distributed by merchants in the city - a move praised by environmentalists as a litter deterrent but decried by some businesses who say it would hurt them and their shoppers. City Councilman Brandon M. Scott introduced a bill Monday to charge the fee on bags not just from supermarkets but from convenience stores, shops, service stations or any other "sales outlet" in Baltimore. He says the revenue could be used for parks and recreation but sees the legislation as an environmental measure.

Residents will see clear benefits from paying storm water fee Most people probably wouldn't let their child bathe in a storm drain. Yet allowing him or her to swim or wade in many of the creeks and rivers of Carroll County after a heavy rainstorm is virtually the same thing. That's because of storm water. It's not an everyday term, storm water. But it's a genuine problem. Storm water pollution is increasing around the region. Thanks to cooperation between government, business and citizens, water pollution from farms, sewage plants, and other sources has been reduced.

Reporter Annie Linskey is right to characterize the last-minute budget deal that allows Maryland auto dealers to double and triple the processing fees they charge buyers as "a giveaway to car dealers" ("Businesses see breaks from General Assembly," April 18). That giveaway will be a serious blow to Maryland consumers, however, because they will foot the bill for the $100 million windfall the fee hike brings to the state's car dealers next year. As our economy struggles to emerge from the worst recession of the last 70 years, many low- and moderate-income Marylanders are struggling to afford the cars they need to find jobs, obtain child care and travel to the places that offer products at affordable prices.

Mandating a runoff fee that is the same for all homeowners in a jurisdiction is patently inequitable taxation ("Fees statewide proposed to cut runoff pollution," Mar. 3). There is no justification for charging the same amount for a large property in Mt. Washington or Roland Park and a small one in Pigtown that might have less than a tenth the area. No matter how small the fee, it is unjustly applied. It would make far more sense to make a minor addition to the property assessment worksheet and generate the needed revenue for runoff remediation through a calculation that bears some rational relationship to the size and physical characteristics of the properties producing runoff.

It may be hard to picture, but it's possible for us to have clean waterways in the Baltimore region. Imagine a Herring Run safe for kids and dogs to play in, a healthy Gwynns Falls, or an Inner Harbor that is no longer hazardous but is actually suitable for swimming and fishing. Clean waterways generate enormous benefits. It's not just more aesthetically appealing to live near streams and harbors that aren't polluted. It's healthier and safer, and we know that vibrant natural resources (think Patterson Park)

I am writing about the bill by Councilman Fox proposing changes to the stormwater management fee. Having read about the many issues that have arisen as counties try to implement this fee, I can appreciate Councilman Fox's motivation, but I am opposed to this bill and urge you not to pass it. There are many problems with stormwater management both locally, with many areas suffering flooding or standing water, and regionally, including pollution of...