Public will speak on St. Mary's County tax hikes

Leonardtown, MD – The St. Mary’s County Commissioners will be holding their much anticipated public hearing on looming tax raises facing the county Tuesday, April 23. The decision to raise taxes has been met with starch criticism in the community, most notably from county Republicans.

Since proposing the raises, the commissioners have worked to communicate the necessity to raise both property and income taxes so that they can account for an increasing minimum wage and school spending statewide while trying to pay county employees competitively.

“The commissioners, for the most part, are unified on this. We feel your pain, we campaigned that we didn’t want to raise taxes and we’re going back on our word… the reality is that people want more services and we want our people to stay,” explained Commissioner Todd Morgan [R-District 4] to the citizens during the commissioners’ March 19 budget work session.

The proposed increase would raise income taxes .2 percent (from 3%-3.2%) and increase the property tax rate to $.9078. The lone dissenter for raising the taxes, Commissioner John O’Connor [R-District 3], has equated the raise to a “one foot in the door and one out” approach, stating that he, “can’t support doing it halfway.” The commissioner was quoted as saying that “other options” were available that would not “[place] a burden on the citizens of the county.”

Commissioner Morgan has addressed the concerns from the county by stating that the commission has no choice but to raise taxes largely due to legislation passed by the Maryland Delegation. The two bills in question are HB 166 that raises the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour over a four year period, and the Kerwin Bill (SB 1030) that increases school funding in the form of grants to “schools with high concentrations of students eligible for free or reduced price meals.”

Delegate Matt Morgan [R- District 29A] answered a call from the commissioners to answer questions on the new legislation at a public forum held April 9. Morgan was “concerned” with some of the public’s outcry in the paper and on social media, stating that there were “some misconceptions” pertaining to the aforementioned bills. On the minimum wage bill, Del. Morgan stated that it was a “shame” it “went into effect to start with… when this is fully implemented, minimum wage [in Maryland] doubles Pennsylvania, doubles Virginia, and nearly doubles West Virginia and Delaware. You’ll have the same minimum wage in Ridge as you do in Manhattan.” Though distraught, Morgan clarified to the commissioners that the board of public works has the ability to halt the legislation in the event of an economic downturn.

Though opposed to the minimum wage bill, Del. Morgan was one of 22 red votes that supported Kerwin. Morgan took time to acknowledge the bill’s flaws in funding structure but expressed the need for the bill, citing “83 percent” of Baltimore City schools as having a “two star or less” rating according to the state’s five star ranking system. Morgan finished his address by answering a question from Commissioner Eric Colvin (R), stating, “nobody can tell you what’s going to happen. I can tell you that the legislative intent is to put more money towards education… all 24 jurisdictions are in the same position as St. Mary’s County with probably not enough money to go around.”