Tuesday, March 27, 2012
The attempt to give county lawmakers the authority to impose a bag tax failed by one vote.
A proposed 5-cent bag fee backed by both County Executive Rushern Baker and the Prince George's County Council died yesterday after falling just one vote short of passage in the House Environmental Matters Committee, reported the Washington Post. The measure would have given county lawmakers the authority to impose a bag tax similar to ones in Montgomery County and the District of Columbia, with the approval of the county executive and council. Prince George's County Delegation Chairman Melony Griffith (District 25), who represents areas of Laurel, opposed the measure, citing concerns about the impact a bag fee could have on low-income residents, according to the Post. The Post also reported that opponents of the measure robo-called …
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Patch has a review of tonight's Mayor and Council agenda items.
The College Park Mayor and Council public worksession will begin at 8 p.m. Tuesday in the council chambers of City Hall, following an executive session to discuss legal matters. Those who will be attending should remember to pick up a free parking pass on the first floor of city hall. A breakdown of some of the agenda items for this evening is below, and the complete agenda accompanies this post. Recycling The city’s Committee for a Better Environment (CBE) suggests that the city takes steps to increase recycling among residents and businesses. This would not only conserve energy and natural resources, but save the city money, CBE argues. CBE will suggest specific strategies, as well as pinpoint entities in College Park that could boost …
Thursday, February 9, 2012
General Assembly puts brakes on proposed 5-cent plastic bag tax.
A push by state and local officials in Prince George’s County to institute a grocery bag tax has come to a halt in the Maryland General Assembly. The Gazette reports that on Wednesday the General Assembly County Affairs Subcommittee voted to put the proposal back on the shelf. The legislation would have required retailers to add a 5-cent tax to plastic bags. Opponents of the legislation said that voters overwhelming opposed the tax. Del. Carolyn Howard (D-Dist. 24) of Mitchellville, who voted against the legislation, said that she received 900 responses against the tax from constituents after sending out a letter. The vote comes after the Prince George’s County Council endorsed the bag-tax earlier this week in legislation proposed by Mary…
Friday, February 3, 2012
College Park-ians who support the fee hope it will lead to positive environmental impacts.
- GOVERNMENT
-
Friday, February 3, 2012
By Drew Grossman Capital News Service As Prince George's County lawmakers move to impose a fee on plastic and paper bags, environmental organizations said a similar fee in Washington, D.C., has sharply reduced the amount of trash in the Anacostia River. College Park-ians who support the fee hope the same positive impacts will be felt here and will help to clean up the waterways. "The plastic in our oceans is really out of control, and it's becoming a big problem,” said Scott Nash, the owner of MOM's Organic Market. The grocery store in north College Park doesn’t offer plastic grocery bags—only paper bags—and encourages shoppers to use reusable bags. Residents who testified at a recent College Park City Council meeting said they already …
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Here's a brief summary of the week's happenings in College Park.
If you're trying to play catchup on this week's College Park action, here's a summary: Maryland Book Exchange The Prince George's County Planning Department approved, with conditions, the detailed site plan for a proposed student-housing complex where the Maryland Book Exchange sits. The vote came a little more than a week after the College Park City Council voted unanimously to oppose the plan. The County District Council will now decide whether or not to take a position on the plan. Bag Tax City Council decided this week to send a letter to the Prince George’s County House Delegation in favor of PG-402, which would give Prince George’s County the authority to charge a 5 cent tax on each plastic or paper bag used in grocery, retail or …
Tim Miller
11:33 am on Wednesday, March 28, 2012
This is the best news I've heard, 1 less tax to worry with. Now we just need to defeat a whole host of other taxes that the good old governor is trying to push onto us. more ›