LA PLATA, Md. - The Charles County Commissioners have announced that they will conduct a public hearing on citizen proposals for the County's Preliminary 2007 legislative package to the Maryland General Assembly. The hearing will take place on Monday, November 20, 2006, at 7 p.m. in the Commissioners Meeting Room of the County Government Building.
Fifteen proposals have been submitted to the county government for consideration. They include requests to:
* regulate towing companies;
* fund a feasibility study for the generation of electricity by alternative energy companies in Southern Maryland;
* create special taxing districts to finance roads, water and sewer systems, and other public infrastructure;
* allow the sale of bonds for the construction of fire and emergency medical service stations in the County, with the bonds to be retired with proceeds from the fire and rescue tax;
* require comprehensive water quality studies of all major tributaries of the Patuxent, Wicomico, and Potomac Rivers in the County in order to locate and eliminate sources of pollution;
* implement a 10 cent per ton environmental fee on gravel mined for sale in the County;
* impose a real estate tax cap on the principal residence of senior citizens;
* publish a County code of ethics. Also, there are proposals to: identify County and State roadways subject to flooding and implement corrective measures;
* amend the base Fair Share School Excise Tax to reflect current costs;
* and four proposals to modify alcoholic beverage laws.
Officials have requested that individuals who have submitted proposals attend the hearing to give a brief synopsis of their proposed initiatives.
Officials are also encouraging citizens, who wish to make oral or written comments on the proposals, to attend the public hearing. Individuals or representatives of groups wishing to speak will be required to sign-in. Speaker sign-up begins at 6:30 p.m., a half hour before the hearing, and ends when the hearing begins.
Each speaker will be allotted three minutes. The hearing will last no longer than two hours. The County Commissioners reserve the right to extend the time frame allotted for the hearing. Written comments may be submitted in lieu of oral testimony, or to expand upon oral testimony.
Following the hearing, the County Commissioners will schedule work sessions to review the proposals and decide which ones will be included in the County's 2007 legislative package and forwarded to the Charles County Delegation for consideration.
For more information or a synopsis of the proposals, call the Office of the County Attorney at 301-645-0555.