Matthew Bieniek Cumberland Times-News
CUMBERLAND — Several pieces of local legislation are set for committee hearings this week at the General Assembly in Annapolis. Senate Bills 333, 470, 586 and 587 are scheduled for hearings over the next few days. House Bill 512 is scheduled for a hearing before the House Environmental Matters Committee today.
House Bill 512 allows the Garrett County Sanitary District to charge a late fee for unpaid water and sewer bills.
Currently, no late fee may be assessed, Delegate Wendell Beitzel said. The only option for late bills has been to turn off the water. In Garrett County, though, many homes are on public sewer but not public water.
While a lien can be placed against the property, it is usually a lengthy process to get a payment. It also would allow the district to require payment of those fees before reconnecting water service. The rate of the late fees would be set by Garrett County commissioners, Beitzel said.
Senate Bill 333, set for hearing today before the Budget and Taxation Committee, would give Garrett County commissioners flexibility on setting the county’s hotel tax rate. It was filed by Sen. George Edwards. House Bill 224 is a companion bill filed by Beitzel. If the bill passes, commissioners could raise the maximum hotel rental tax rate to 6 percent, up from the current 5 percent maximum.
In fiscal 2009, those taxes raised $1,426,900 for the county. Garrett County commissioners asked Beitzel to introduce the bill. Those funds are used for tourist promotions and other county projects, Beitzel said. The bill does not raise the tax, but would give commissioners that option, Beitzel said.
Senate Bill 470, filed by Edwards, would change the way pensions are calculated for Allegany County Orphan’s Court Judges. It will be heard by the Budget and Taxation Committee.
The Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee on Friday will consider Senate Bill 587, which Edwards has filed. Beitzel has filed companion House Bill 222 in the House.
The bills would give the Garrett County Board of License Commissioners discretion in handling offenses relating to nudity or sexual displays that occur at a licensed establishment.
Board members, who asked Beitzel and Edwards to file the bills, are the authority for issuing or suspending liquor licences in the county.
Current law requires the revocation of the license without regard to the circumstances.
If the bill passes, the board could decide on less severe penalties than revocation if it believes the circumstances warrant a lesser penalty. Beitzel said the issue is rare in Garrett County.
Senate Bill 586 is scheduled today at 1 p.m. in front of the Budget and Taxation Committee. A full story about the bill appeared in Tuesday’s Times-News. The bill is designed to cap K-12 education cuts by more than 5 percent in Maryland counties. It is sponsored by Edwards.
Typically, after a committee hearing, the bill is referred to a subcommittee to develop a recommendation to the full committee. The process can take several weeks depending on the complexity of the bill.
Contact Matthew Bieniek at mbieniek@times-news.com.
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