Anne Arundel

Trumbauer and Ladd Introduce Stormwater Restoration Fund Legislation

 

County Councilmen Chris Trumbauer and Dick Ladd introduced Bill 79-11 on November 7, 2011 to create a dedicated funding source to reduce polluted stormwater runoff in Anne Arundel County.

The Stormwater Restoration Fund money could only be used for pollution control and stream restoration; funds could not be diverted for other purposes.  The money would be generated from a modest fee of $35 per year for individual residences and $25 for townhomes and apartments.  Businesses would pay $35 for every 2500 sq ft of impervious surface. These fees are expected to generate $12 to $15 million per year for restoration projects in the pipeline, but currently unfunded.

Polluted waterways and eroded streams make up the biggest environmental problem facing Anne Arundel County that has over 500 miles of shoreline and an economy heavily dependent on a clean Bay.  Finding resources to address these problems is even more urgent with EPA's issuance of a TMDL, or pollution diet, for the Bay.  Anne Arundel County is obligated to drastically reduce nutrient and sediment pollution by 2025, and the cost for correcting stormwater problems is estimated at $1 billion.

The County Council will hold a public hearing on Bill 79-11 on December 5, 2011.

If you live in District 5 or 7, please let your councilman know that you appreciate their leadership on this critical enviromental issue.  If you live in other districts, call or email your councilman asking for support for Bill 79-11.

And also let County Executive Leopold know that you support Bill 70-11.  Despite assurances that he would support a Restoration Fund bill if passed by the Council, recent newspaper reports indicate his opposition to imposing any news fees at this time.  We hope the County Executive, who was endorsed by the Anne Arundel Chapter in 2010, will demonstrate leadership in solving the major stormwater problem that keeps our children from swimming in our waterways and undermines the commercial and recreational fishing industries.

To see the copy of Bill 79-11

County Council Rezoning Process Needs Fixing

County Executive Leopold vetoed four rezoning amendments in late May after the Council spent almost two months considering comprehensive rezoning for Districts 1 and 4 (north and west county) and added 31 amendments.

The Chapter had requested a veto of amendments that were not submitted within the process set up by Planning and Zoning or were deemed incompatible with the General Development Plan by Planning and Zoning.

The Chapter wants more transparency and public notification of rezoning changes and is working with Chris Trumbauer and other councilmen to improve the process.

Council district 6 and 7 zoning changes are scheduled for council consideration in June through early August. Districts 2, 3 and 5 rezoning is scheduled for September and October.

Find out about potential zoning changes in your area and let your councilman hear from you on the rezoning process.

Read more: County Council Rezoning Process Needs Fixing

Environmental Funds Survive in County Budget

Considering the financial difficulties facing the county, the 2012 capital Budget submitted by County Executive Leopold was pretty good as far as environmental issues are concerned. And thanks to the leadership of Chris Trumbauer and Jamie Benoit, who we endorsed last year, and votes from other councilmen the funds survived mostly unscathed.

Read more: Environmental Funds Survive in County Budget

County Council Scorecard Under Construction

A primary part of the Chapter's mission is to make elected officials accountable to
their electorate for their actions on environmental issues. To hold the County Council
members accountable we are developing a scorecard that will summarize members' votes
and legislative actions on priority environmental issues. We are aiming for the spring of
2012 to issue the first scorecard.

Read more: County Council Scorecard Under Construction