University Park Mayor Wants State Bill Overturned

Two recent actions by Maryland's General Assembly have irked University Park Mayor John Tabori and he's looking to get one recent state bill overturned. 

Tabori expressed his displeasure Monday of a newly approved bill that prohibits municipalities from enforcing vegetation management rules on utilities. Tabori said the Maryland Muncipal League did not do a good enough job of informing its constituents about this bill so municipalities could oppose it.

The bill's summary states its purpose is to prohibit a county or municipality "from taking specified actions that interfere with, or materially increase costs of, compliance with vegetation management standards."

"I'm incensed by the fact that the gentlemen who introduced it works for a utility," Tabori said.

The House bill was introduced by Delegate Dereck Davis, D-Prince George's County, who is the deputy director for community relations for Prince George's County. Previously, he worked as an administrator for the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission and the Department of Labor, Licensing, Regulation.

The council approved town staff to research legal options to look at ways to overturn the bill. Gov. Martin O'Malley has not yet signed off on the bill.

Tabori said he was also annoyed that the state will no longer return taxes collected at the gas pump to municipalities and counties.

"This is a tax, which is paid by all of us at the gas station and it's supposed to be distributed to us through the state's counties and municipalities," he said.

The council also introduced the fiscal year 2014 budget Monday. The proposed budget includes $1.26 million for public works; $968,000, police; $977,000, miscellaneous; and $725,000, general government. Proposed revenue is expected to be around $3 million, according to town information.

The council is set to review the budget in the following meetings and vote on the budget May 20.

Also on Monday, council members expressed some concerns about the Cafritz development.

Council Member Arlene Christiansen said she had concerns about where the developers planned to put the bridge in the development and that the plan wasn't to make the route a regional connector, but only local connectivity.

Council Member Len Carey said his understanding was that the bridge was a temporary location.

"I think they needed to put it somewhere so planning could go forward," Carey said. "Nobody seems to think that it is an optimal location."

A town forum is set for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the University Park Elementary School.

The council finished its meeting with an executive session about acquisition of real property, but had not indicated on its agenda what property it was looking to acquire.