Property Owners

Hoping to avoid a repeat of last spring's legal fight, Anne Arundel and Annapolis leaders are trying to eliminate a perennial point of political friction between them:How to set a fair property tax break for city property owners.The issue, known as the tax differential, has broad financial implications for Anne Arundel, Annapolis and 11,000 city property owners who have seen their tax break from the county shrink for the past three years. Last spring, a dispute over the tax break landed Annapolis and the county in court.

In the Columbia Association's convoluted governing process, amending the homeowners association's covenants is nearly an impossibility - all of the town's property owners would have to agree on the change. Del. Shane E. Pendergrass, a Howard County Democrat, wants to modify that. She's preparing to introduce legislation that would give the association an easier way to amend its regulations. "We would need to come up with some number that's less than a hundred percent but more than an equivalent number to what they're doing in California right now," Pendergrass said.

Visitors to Ocean City are often struck by the contrasting fortunes of the vacant Ocean Plaza Mall on 94 t h Street and the bustle of development along U.S. 50 in West Ocean City , with its new Walmart and other big-box stores. There are a number of reasons for this, but one in particular sticks in the resort town's collective craw: double taxation. In essence, property owners in Ocean City have been subsidizing sprawl development outside town limits, a self-destructive policy that can only be described as dumb growth.

Anne Arundel County's stormwater fee hasn't been collected yet, but the County Council has already changed it. By a 7-0 vote Monday night, council members agreed to reduce the maximum fee that commercial property owners would pay and to phase in the fee for some property owners. The changes were made to make the stormwater fee more palatable to County Executive Laura Neuman, who vetoed the stormwater fee that the council passed earlier this spring. Owners of nonresidential properties still must pay based on the percentage of their lot that's covered by impervious surfaces such as parking lots and rooftops.

Maryland homeowners could lose out on hundreds of dollars in tax bill savings if they miss a deadline that's a week away. Many may not realize they must sign up for the Homestead Tax Credit, which saved the average Baltimore homeowner more than $1,000 in the most recent tax year. To receive the credit in property tax bills starting this July, homeowners must sign up by Dec. 31. "When you say the words 'tax credit' to some homeowners, it doesn't really resonate what they're getting out of it," Baltimore City Councilman Nick Mosby said.

The Hampstead town code requires property owners to shovel their sidewalks free of snow and ice within six hours of a snowfall.If that is not possible, sidewalks must be cleared by 10 a.m. the next day.Town officials ask that property owners be considerate of others by clearing sidewalks as promptly as possible.Information: 234-7408.

Marilyn Phillips of Hampstead will chair a Carroll committee that advises the Maryland Department of Housing on whether to grant waivers to property owners who say they cannot rehabilitate buildings to meet handicapped-accessibility laws.Mrs. Phillips currently is a member of the six-member committee, Department of General Services Director J. Michael Evans said yesterday.The state ultimately decides whether property owners should be granted waivers, Mr. Evans said.

Property owners to get a 2nd chanceELLICOTT CITY -- Property owners making late requests in Howard County's comprehensive rezoning will have a second opportunity to make their case during a meeting tomorrow before the Planning Board.The board, which considered requests last fall, intends to listen to several petitioners who have applied since then.County planners released recommendations Friday on 29 late requests. They recommended six changes to their original proposals.The Planning Board will meet at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow in the George Howard county office building here.

Baltimore County has scheduled a series of public meetings and workshops on the potential redevelopment of parts of the U.S. Route 40 corridor in Middle River. The meetings will be held at Rosedale Baptist Church, located at 9202 Philadelphia Road. "Input from community residents, businesses, and property owners will help craft a long-term vision that could guide redevelopment over the next 25 years," county officials said in an announcement of the meetings. "Decisions about whether or when to redevelop property will be made by property owners.

Because of an editing error, an article in Saturday's paper incorrectly stated the percentage of votes required for a special tax referendum to pass in Charles Village. The measure requires an affirmative vote from 58 percent of all ballots that are returned. Registered voters and property owners in the district are eligible to vote.The Baltimore Sun regrets the error.