District Leader Jan Gardner and District Council members are ready to delve into multiple areas of legislation in 2021. This year, many are hoping that coronavirus vaccination will make a more typical government business.
Gardner (D) said some of their bills to be sent to county council in January are in response to voter concerns.
One is to allow deviations for additions or changes to “non-conforming structures”. These structures can be residential or commercial in zoned districts where these uses would not be allowed, but the buildings themselves are usually ahead of zoning regulations. About a dozen cases where the structures are affected occur each year, Gardner said.
“This would allow a property owner to go through the Board of Appeal to request a deviation for approval within certain limits,” Gardner wrote in an email. “It is a sensible solution for people who may have unknowingly bought a property that has a non-compliant structure and then cannot expand or change the structure.”
Another bill aims to regulate farmland that accepts filler dirt from a construction project, which could create nuisances for local residents like dust, road damage and other issues, Gardner said.
A third bill is to align district law with a state law, the Kari Act, which said it requires businesses like a hotel to have phones connected to 911 without having to dial another number to get an outside line Gardner. Frederick County must enact its own ordinance to align with state law, she said.
Working with agriculture takes time as many farmers are often busy during the summer and fall months, she said. That leaves November to March to have a lot of political discussions.
“I’m in this crisis right now,” said Keegan-Ayer.
The Vice President of the Council, Michael Blue (R), is in the preparatory phase to draft a bill to investigate destroyed and abandoned properties across the county. He said he had heard about these structures from local residents and was looking to see if higher taxes or real estate owner incentives could address the issue.
“Some of these properties have been up and running since all mortgages died 10 or 12 years ago,” Blue said, referring to the great recession.
Alderman Jerry Donald (D) is also interested in property legislation, but includes historical labels. There are currently 10 criteria that can lead to this designation. These range from the question of whether a historical event took place there, whether it is a rare example of a style or construction technique, or whether, according to the County Code, it is, among other things, an artistic value.
Donald is concerned that under applicable law, applicants can request designation with only one criterion and then remove that once they have received the designation. People may want the historical name to transform the property into a wedding venue, for example.
“If you want to declare something historical because of ‘x’, the person who asked for something historical because of ‘x’ should leave ‘x’,” said Donald.
Alderman Steve McKay (R) wants to update a bill introduced by former Alderman Billy Shreve (R) that was passed in 2018. It grants property tax credits to military veterans and the elderly.
McKay wanted to forego an “income needs test,” which the county council added to legislation that was not originally included in state law.
“It shouldn’t be about hardship for me, it should be about gratitude and doing this for our retired military out of gratitude for their service,” McKay said.
The first county council meeting of 2021 is scheduled for January 5th.
Follow Steve Bohnel on Twitter: @Steve_Bohnel