Two Baltimore County Council members Monday night withdrew and immediately reintroduced a bill that would give a property tax credit to county seniors, saying the move would allow them to consider a very similar proposal penned by County Executive Jim Smith at the same time.
Council members said Tuesday that they will likely adopt some combination of the two bills.
“At the end of the day, the seniors are still going to get their tax credit,” said Council Chair John Olszewski, D-District 7, who co-sponsored a credit program with Council Member Bryan McIntire, D-District 3. “It?s just a matter of whose bill we use.”
Early this month, the two councilmen proposed a property tax credit for residents 65 and older who also meet the eligibility requirements of a newly adopted state tax credit at a $1.2 million cost to the county. Officials estimated about 6,500 homeowners would be eligible for the credit, which would be indexed to keep pace with inflation.
But during his annual budget message, Smith introduced a similar but costlier and farther-reaching tax credit program. His $3 million proposal, which was not indexed for inflation, could reach 20 percent more homeowners, officials estimated.
Olszewski said the council will likely amend his bill to benefit more homeowners, or amend Smith?s bill to index it. At Smith?s request, the council also introduced a bill to keep the county?s property tax rate of $1.115 per $100 assessed value stable Monday night. Several members said they would be willing to discuss a blanket rate cut in light of increased property tax revenues.
“There is a general sentiment that if there are available funds, we could support a tax cut,” said Council Member Kevin Kamenetz, D-District 2. “I think my personal view has been if we consider any of those cuts, perhaps we should consider an overall rate cut that benefits all taxpayers.”
The council is scheduled fora budget overview meeting Tuesday and will begin budget hearings the next week. They will likely vote on a final budget May 25.
