Call your MoCo Council Member: Just say no to bill 2224 re: Impact Taxes

[Anonymous]

Marc Elrich just vetoed - thank God - the horrible bill 2224. It further reduces and defers any impact taxes for developers in the county.

What this means is that when developers build, the county - you as taxpayers - are left holding the bag for the required capital improvements to infrastructure and schools. As a result of prior Council Member efforts to pander to developers, the county’s impact tax revenue has gone down 74% since 2014. It’s resulted in delays of multiple capital improvements, including badly needed updates to schools in the county.

Listen to Elrich’s weekly update (start at 5:00 to hear about the impact taxes) and more importantly, call / write your council members. Let them know to put their constituents first - not developers. Say NO to 2224.

https://montgomerycomd.blogspot.com/2025/02/message-from-county-executive-marc.html

[Anonymous]

Thank you!

I was not aware.

[Anonymous]

Email Evan and tell him to stop giving his friends tax breaks. He’s been bought by the developers for long enough

[e-mail]

[Anonymous]

Why are we calling if it's been vetoed? The council has always been paid for by developers, and sadly I don't think any calls will change that. I'm very glad we elected Elrich to constrain this madness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are we calling if it's been vetoed? The council has always been paid for by developers, and sadly I don't think any calls will change that. I'm very glad we elected Elrich to constrain this madness.

How many Elrich vetos of development-related bills has the developer-friendly Council failed to override?

That's the reason to call/write the Councilmembers. Hold their feet to the fire, especially as many of them have aspirations for higher office, including the County Executive position now that the county electorate was hoodwinked into the ballot measure approving term limits so that Elrich can't run again. Just like they were hoodwinked into adding 2 at-large seats, and all the salary/staff/office expense that goes with that, for the prior election -- as though that was going to result in anything other than further packing the Council with majority-of-the-majority/total-insider members of the single party running the hegemony that is MoCo.

Too bad that Elrich won't have a say in the ZTAs that largely make up Friedson's and Fani-González's new multi-bill approach to kicking off the Attainable Housing Strategies. Those, apparently, aren't subject to veto, and the Council will avoid any repeat of the listening sessions this past fall, holding the minimum public hearings before voting them through, claiming that they have dealt with the AHS objections, despite the bills having many of the same flaws that were so roundly criticized -- and in some respects increase those objectionable flaws. At least with a veto there could be the additional public scrutiny before the Council goes ahead with it, though even that would not allow the electorate a say before the laws go into effect.

[Anonymous]

This a giveaway to developers and the bill’s sponsor (Evan Glass) doesn’t even seem to realize it. He claims it will save developers millions of dollars but doesn’t seem to understand that savings for developers come at the county’s expense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are we calling if it's been vetoed? The council has always been paid for by developers, and sadly I don't think any calls will change that. I'm very glad we elected Elrich to constrain this madness.

How many Elrich vetos of development-related bills has the developer-friendly Council failed to override?

That's the reason to call/write the Councilmembers. Hold their feet to the fire, especially as many of them have aspirations for higher office, including the County Executive position now that the county electorate was hoodwinked into the ballot measure approving term limits so that Elrich can't run again. Just like they were hoodwinked into adding 2 at-large seats, and all the salary/staff/office expense that goes with that, for the prior election -- as though that was going to result in anything other than further packing the Council with majority-of-the-majority/total-insider members of the single party running the hegemony that is MoCo.

Too bad that Elrich won't have a say in the ZTAs that largely make up Friedson's and Fani-González's new multi-bill approach to kicking off the Attainable Housing Strategies. Those, apparently, aren't subject to veto, and the Council will avoid any repeat of the listening sessions this past fall, holding the minimum public hearings before voting them through, claiming that they have dealt with the AHS objections, despite the bills having many of the same flaws that were so roundly criticized -- and in some respects increase those objectionable flaws. At least with a veto there could be the additional public scrutiny before the Council goes ahead with it, though even that would not allow the electorate a say before the laws go into effect.

All the better for a lawsuit. I hope that they drag Friedson into court for years and years, and I'll donate to both of their political opponents for as long as they have political careers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are we calling if it's been vetoed? The council has always been paid for by developers, and sadly I don't think any calls will change that. I'm very glad we elected Elrich to constrain this madness.

Let council members know we are watching. They - Freidson, Fani-Gonzalez, Glass - are in the pocket of developers and want to overturn the veto. Don’t let this happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This a giveaway to developers and the bill’s sponsor (Evan Glass) doesn’t even seem to realize it. He claims it will save developers millions of dollars but doesn’t seem to understand that savings for developers come at the county’s expense.

And the expense of those of us living in the area. School improvements at Blake and other overcrowded schools are delayed because of low funding. The Forest Glen pass through tunnel - delayed because of limited funding.

It affects the quality of life for residents. Not acceptable.

[Anonymous]

AHS will be too late for the greedy developers. This region's population is about to decline, and hopefully the math stops working for them to build a multiplex on every inch of land they can get.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AHS will be too late for the greedy developers. This region's population is about to decline, and hopefully the math stops working for them to build a multiplex on every inch of land they can get.

They'll be happy to build with AHS/Friedson's legislation whenever it suits them. MD HB 503/SB 430 will allow them even greater latitude. All the legislators are rushing to get these through without due consideration.

In that respect, though not nearly as devastatingly, it's kind of the same as the approach on the other side nationally. Politics over reasonable use of institutions meant to steer governmemt action to broad public benefit while ensuring protections on which that same public relies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AHS will be too late for the greedy developers. This region's population is about to decline, and hopefully the math stops working for them to build a multiplex on every inch of land they can get.

They'll be happy to build with AHS/Friedson's legislation whenever it suits them. MD HB 503/SB 430 will allow them even greater latitude. All the legislators are rushing to get these through without due consideration.

In that respect, though not nearly as devastatingly, it's kind of the same as the approach on the other side nationally. Politics over reasonable use of institutions meant to steer governmemt action to broad public benefit while ensuring protections on which that same public relies.

It’s important to make sure that we make sure that everyone knows this is Friedson.

Friedson’s Folly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AHS will be too late for the greedy developers. This region's population is about to decline, and hopefully the math stops working for them to build a multiplex on every inch of land they can get.

They'll be happy to build with AHS/Friedson's legislation whenever it suits them. MD HB 503/SB 430 will allow them even greater latitude. All the legislators are rushing to get these through without due consideration.

In that respect, though not nearly as devastatingly, it's kind of the same as the approach on the other side nationally. Politics over reasonable use of institutions meant to steer governmemt action to broad public benefit while ensuring protections on which that same public relies.

It’s important to make sure that we make sure that everyone knows this is Friedson.

Friedson’s Folly.

AHS is Harris & Sartori (Planning), but they were put in place by the Council.

Of the Council, Friedson and Fani-Gonzalez are the main drivers of AHS, with a healthy dose of Jawondo in there, too. This is moving forward under the more or less direct guidance of the former two as the several bills collectively termed "More Housing N.O.W." Jawondo is trying to position himself differently, where he can support it but say it isn't his baby, in the leadup to the next election.

22-24 is Glass. With the complete buy in of the rest of the Council, of course.

HB 503/SB 430 is Governor Moore's requested state legislation. Sponsors include several of the MoCo state delegation. Montgomery Planning & the MoCo Council, along with developers, are salivating about it in private, and keeping mention of it under the covers in the hopes that it doesn't get noticed the way AHS did, with all the backlash from its deeply unpopular proposals/effects.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AHS will be too late for the greedy developers. This region's population is about to decline, and hopefully the math stops working for them to build a multiplex on every inch of land they can get.

They'll be happy to build with AHS/Friedson's legislation whenever it suits them. MD HB 503/SB 430 will allow them even greater latitude. All the legislators are rushing to get these through without due consideration.

In that respect, though not nearly as devastatingly, it's kind of the same as the approach on the other side nationally. Politics over reasonable use of institutions meant to steer governmemt action to broad public benefit while ensuring protections on which that same public relies.

It’s important to make sure that we make sure that everyone knows this is Friedson.

Friedson’s Folly.

AHS is Harris & Sartori (Planning), but they were put in place by the Council.

Of the Council, Friedson and Fani-Gonzalez are the main drivers of AHS, with a healthy dose of Jawondo in there, too. This is moving forward under the more or less direct guidance of the former two as the several bills collectively termed "More Housing N.O.W." Jawondo is trying to position himself differently, where he can support it but say it isn't his baby, in the leadup to the next election.

22-24 is Glass. With the complete buy in of the rest of the Council, of course.

HB 503/SB 430 is Governor Moore's requested state legislation. Sponsors include several of the MoCo state delegation. Montgomery Planning & the MoCo Council, along with developers, are salivating about it in private, and keeping mention of it under the covers in the hopes that it doesn't get noticed the way AHS did, with all the backlash from its deeply unpopular proposals/effects.

Jawando and Mink said the council shouldn’t take up the AHS right now, so that one is mostly Friedson but he got Fani-Gonzalez to front with him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AHS will be too late for the greedy developers. This region's population is about to decline, and hopefully the math stops working for them to build a multiplex on every inch of land they can get.

They'll be happy to build with AHS/Friedson's legislation whenever it suits them. MD HB 503/SB 430 will allow them even greater latitude. All the legislators are rushing to get these through without due consideration.

In that respect, though not nearly as devastatingly, it's kind of the same as the approach on the other side nationally. Politics over reasonable use of institutions meant to steer governmemt action to broad public benefit while ensuring protections on which that same public relies.

It’s important to make sure that we make sure that everyone knows this is Friedson.

Friedson’s Folly.

AHS is Harris & Sartori (Planning), but they were put in place by the Council.

Of the Council, Friedson and Fani-Gonzalez are the main drivers of AHS, with a healthy dose of Jawondo in there, too. This is moving forward under the more or less direct guidance of the former two as the several bills collectively termed "More Housing N.O.W." Jawondo is trying to position himself differently, where he can support it but say it isn't his baby, in the leadup to the next election.

22-24 is Glass. With the complete buy in of the rest of the Council, of course.

HB 503/SB 430 is Governor Moore's requested state legislation. Sponsors include several of the MoCo state delegation. Montgomery Planning & the MoCo Council, along with developers, are salivating about it in private, and keeping mention of it under the covers in the hopes that it doesn't get noticed the way AHS did, with all the backlash from its deeply unpopular proposals/effects.

Jawando and Mink said the council shouldn’t take up the AHS right now, so that one is mostly Friedson but he got Fani-Gonzalez to front with him.

Jawando and Mink can slither out of that by claiming it isn't the full AHS, even though it goes further in some respects and even though the vocalized plan is that this is just the first step towards it.

Or they can sit on the sidelines if they feel it will get them somewhere. With Leudke, Stewart, Balcombe and Sayles cosponsoring, unless the others all vote against and peel one or other of these four off, the ZTAs will be enacted.

The non-ZTA pieces might be vetoed, but when was the last time anyone on the Council stopped such a bill by failing to join with the rest of the Council to override a veto? It's like asking the last time a conservative-leaning senator (D or R) cast a deciding vote against a conservative appointee or against a meaningful bit of legislation. The reason McCain's was so notable is that it just. doesn't. happen.

As written, the ZTAs, by themselves, will do the most harm, anyway.