Aberdeen taxpayers are getting their day in court to fight a 48 percent property tax increase.
A court hearing scheduled for Monday in Harford County Circuit Court could decide whether the city followed its own charter when passing the property tax increase.
Barbara Kreamer, a resident of Beards Hill Road, is pushing for the court to issue an injunction against the city imposing the tax hike.
Kreamer, along with several other city residents, recently submitted affidavits to the court claiming that Mayor S. Fred Simmons violated the city?s charter by presenting the city?s budget after the 40 days before the end of the fiscal year, and the city failed to advertise a public hearing within a seven-day required time period.
She said the city ran an ad announcing the June 12 public hearing on June 9, which falls short of the seven days required by the charter.
“They interfered with the citizen?s right to speak,” Kreamer said of how the city council altered its June 19 agenda, bypassing a public comment session to approve
the budget and property tax increase.
“I think they were tickled to death that the public could not respond,” said former Aberdeen commissioner John Feroli, on the city residents who had filed an affidavit with the court.
“It?s almost as if the mayor and city council are saying “we can do whatever we want,? ” he added.
“The Council is not threatened by this action at all,” Simmons said via e-mail Tuesday. “Apathy is a far worse concern for a city government.”
When asked about the claims Kreamer was making, Simmons responded, “a good lawyer will always tell you that in the end it really
does not matter what you say, it?s what is in the documents that counts.
“Everyone needs to keep in mind that this council works night and day for the good of the citizens and just as Ms. Kreamer?s filing is part of the process, so too is the election process that chose the mayor and council to make these types of decisions for the people,” he said.
