Taxing District

Baltimore's planning commission enthusiastically endorsed plans yesterday for a publicly financed convention center hotel, saying that without it, the city won't stay competitive in the convention business. In the first in a series of public hearings on the hotel, to be developed and owned by the city, the commission unanimously approved bills that would create a property tax district for the hotel, authorize the sale of revenue bonds to pay for it and close streets for its construction.

The Crofton Civic Association may not be allowed to use tax district money to enforce real estate covenants, county lawyers say.Enforcing covenants is not a public improvement or a municipal service, the only purposes for which the county allows tax districts, according to an opinion written by Patricia A. Logan, a senior assistant county attorney.The opinion was written last February, but board members did not see it until it was distributed with an information packet for this month's meeting, held Monday.

GIVE MICHAEL PACE credit. The Anne Arundel County school board member's idea of creating special taxation districts to generate more money for education suffers from some fundamental flaws, but he raises an interesting question: How long can Anne Arundel, given its existing tax cap, maintain the quality of its school system and provide other essential services?Mr. Pace's intent is noble. He wants to develop a palatable method of raising more money for education. In his plan, the county would be broken into smaller units, such as councilmanic districts.

A plan floated recently in Annapolis by County Executive James M. Harkins to add Harford to the short list of counties that have taxing authority to offset development costs has been met with skepticism by the community and lawmakers who say Harkins has not presented a clear picture of why he wants this new power. Harkins is seeking to create special taxing districts in the county, primarily in the Perryman area, which the county has designated for growth, but which has roads woefully ill-equipped to handle more traffic.

The County Commissioners are asking Carroll's General Assembly delegation for authority to create special tax districts that would allow communities to pay for infrastructure improvements. Faced with a projected $5 miloking for financing alternatives."This is a new age for government," Commissioner W. Benjamin Brown said. "It gives us another tool to keep on the shelf. The county can't afford new financial obligations."The commissioners have promised cuts across the board, leaving only the economic development office untouched by the budget ax."

Hoping to expand its influence downtown, board members of Baltimore's first special tax district are pushing city officials for the right to issue capital improvement bonds for projects they say are inadequately funded by City Hall.The move, unprecedented locally, could give broad power to the Downtown Management District and make it more like a second city government.The Planning Commission conditionally approved the tax district's request yesterday, pending a review by the city's Law Department.

By all accounts, County Executive John G. Gary thundered around the State House this year, pushing an eclectic agenda with a clear message: Anne Arundel County must grow.Moreover, he wants to be the one to control it.The first-term Republican lobbied hard for chain restaurants to be allowed more than one liquor license. He orchestrated a brash gambit for school-board control. He pushed legislation that would have allowed him to charge trash-hauling companies for the privilege of doing business in a promising county.

Many Howard County residents will pay more in fire taxes next year under a bill County Executive Charles I. Ecker sent to the County Council this week.The bill would substitute two fire districts and two sets of fire taxes for the six fire districts and six sets of fire taxes the county has now."The six districts were drawn at a time when it made sense," Mr. Ecker said. In those days, the companies were mostly volunteer. The idea was for each district to pay for its fire service out of the fire tax.Today, some fire companies spend more time fighting fires and responding to emergencies outside their districts than they do inside, Mr. Ecker said.

Anne Arundel County Executive John G. Gary is pushing controversial legislation that would make it cheaper for developers to build subdivisions by relieving them of the cost of new roads and sewers.Under a bill the County Council is scheduled to discuss today, developers could ask the county to create special taxing districts that would charge future residents for these services.Gary administration officials argue that the taxing districts would help middle-class homebuyers by reducing the developers' costs and, therefore, cutting the price of new homes.

Ten years after trading a 100-acre horse farm in Baltimore County for a Mount Vernon Square apartment, Beverly Fuller is the leader of the latest grass-roots experiment to improve the quality of life in the city.On July 1, she will begin overseeing spending of $635,945 -- funds from taxes agreed to by the residents of Mount Vernon-Belvedere, Bolton Hill, Madison Park and Charles North for extras the city cannot afford. The dollars began flowing April 1.Surrounded by 700,000 city residents, she sees a small town.