[RP TownTalk] Cafritz and the County: Sweetheart Tax Deal?

[Vernon Archer]

Kate,

This legislation has, as your impassioned message attests, gotten a lot of
attention.  My reading of the legislation is quite different from
yours; however, prior to spending a lot of time debating it, or lobbying
the state delegation to resist this legislation, I have asked our attorney
to review the legislation and report back on whether or not this will have
any impact on town property taxes.

Clearly, you (and I for that matter) might decide to resist this
legislation for any number of reasons, but lets make sure we are resisting
it for what is actually will do if enacted.

Best wishes,

Vern

On Thu, Dec 8, 2011 at 11:52 PM, Kate Kelly <mrs.ahkelly at gmail.com> wrote:

> Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker has requested that a new
> bill be sent to Annapolis under the sponsorship of Melony Griffith, chair
> of the county's delegation.
>
> See the full text of the bill here:
> http://www.princegeorgeshousedelegation.com/legislation/bill-history?local=PG%20418-12
>
>
> In exchange for "investment" in the county, the bill allows developers to
> negotiate a flat fee to be paid instead of Real Property Taxes. The fee
> would be equal to their current Real Property Tax payment on undeveloped
> land plus 5% of what they would have to pay after development.
>
> The charter of the Town of Riverdale Park says (section 610): All real
> property within the corporate limits of the towns subject to taxation for
> town purposes and the assessment used shall be the same as that for state
> and county taxes. NO AUTHORITY IS GIVEN BY THIS SECTION TO IMPOSE TAXES ON
> ANY PROPERTY THAT IS EXEMPT FROM TAXATION BY ANY ACT OF THE MARYLAND
> GENERAL ASSEMBLY (emphasis added).
>
> Without the tax revenue, the town will need to find another way to pay for
> services to the development, perhaps as much as a half-million dollars a
> year, according to data in the town's analysis of the project's costs.
>
> This is wrong.
>
> Kate Kelly
>
>
>
>
>
>
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>


-- 
Vernon Archer, Mayor
Town of Riverdale Park, Maryland
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