Property Owners

Carroll County's crowded field of county commissioner candidates shared a brief rush of adrenalin this week when they addressed a roomful of residents likely to vote in the Sept. 15 primary.In past forums, the audience was made up almost entirely of the political entourages of the candidates.This week was different.At least half of the crowd of 80 people attending a Monday night forum sponsored by the Carroll County Landowners Association -- a South Carroll property rights lobby -- were voters genuinely curious about the 19 candidates running for County Commissioner.

Elmira North, a 71-year-old woman living on the edge of a steep ravine off Yantz Creek in Severna Park, wanted to clear a path to the water. It seemed simple enough.Last week, she hired a hedge clipper who cleared some brush and toppled some small trees on a small neighboring island, whose ownership has not been determined.She got a better view of the water. But she also broke the law, and ended up in an angry dispute with a neighbor.North acknowledges that her hired help might have gotten a little carried away.

Elizabeth Frazer wants to ask why the city billed her for someone else's mess. Stanley Ali wouldn't mind an apology for the premature demolition of his house. And Eddie Peete, Lennard Simon and Martha Fields just want a break.These property owners, and others, all have things they'd like to tell the city. But the city isn't calling.A month ago, Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke asked his staff to look into the treatment of property owners who said they were victimized by the city's housing apparatus.

Challenging reports that his agency fuels the blight it is supposed to fight, Housing Commissioner Daniel P. Henson III asserts that owners are at fault for letting their properties crumble -- not the city for stepping in with repairs and demolitions.In his most detailed reply to a Sun series describing a seemingly haphazard housing enforcement effort, Henson outlined his agency's actions in dozens of cases. In essence, he said, the newspaper inaccurately aimed blame for the city's sagging housing stock at his agency's door.

The "Tin Men" didn't just do houses.While the smooth-talking aluminum siding salesmen in Barry Levinson's movie were smothering suburban bungalows in the 1960s, an equally tenacious breed of contractors was wreaking havoc on commercial buildings downtown.These urban Tin Men convinced property owners that a new surface could make their buildings look modern while providing protection from the elements. What they did not mention was that their maintenance-free products invariably sapped all the charm and character from buildings.

Only in a town like Baltimore could a food as foreign as falafel cause such an uproar.When Vassos Yiannouris and his wife, Maria Kaimakis, introduced the Middle Eastern chick pea ball a year ago from their sidewalk cart, they only wanted to make a living after losing jobs in car sales and financing businesses.At first, business was slow at the Cypriana Sidewalk Gourmet at the corner of Light and Water streets. Few people had ever heard of falafel. But soon the couple's food caught the fancy of lawyers, dentists and bankers who stood in line to eat their falafel and grilled chicken in pita bread.

Maryland homeowners will see property values plunge 22 percent on average in the latest round of state assessments — a record drop that won't necessarily translate into lower taxes. State assessors plan to announce the details today as they mail notices to the one-third of residential and commercial owners whose properties were reassessed, about 740,000 in all. Assessed values dropped on 95 percent of the residential properties compared with their last reassessment in late 2007, when home prices were just beginning to reverse after big increases.

A $2.5 million make-over of Towson's business district could be in trouble.With a key deadline just a week away, Baltimore County officials are scrambling to obtain the endorsement of property owners who would have to help finance the brick sidewalks, benches and greenery designed to give the district a new look.County officials remain optimistic that the project -- planned for when a traffic roundabout is to be built on the north end of town -- will not be delayed.But the officials will not disclose how many property owners support the project.

So your property assessment notice came mixed in with the late holiday cards, but it didn't leave you with a warm, holiday glow. The state of Maryland says your house is worth more than you think it's worth, and the increase will be reflected in your tax bill in July.Property owners who disagree strongly enough with an assessment to formally dispute it will likely number about 30,000 this year, state officials are predicting.Still, the estimated market value used to calculate property taxes won't increase or will increase only slightly for most Marylanders, said Ronald W. Wineholt, who was appointed director of the state Department of Assessments and Taxation in February.