Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker’s first signature proposal, a bill establishing an economic development incentive fund, has been shelved for the summer, according to County Council members. Baker’s staff had been pushing to get the bill passed before the council’s August recess, but council members were divided over whether the $50 million fund had the proper checks and balances in place to ensure it would not fail in an effort to transform undeveloped properties around county Metro stations.
Councilman Will Campos, D-Hyattsville, chairman of the finance committee where the legislation had stalled, canceled a Monday afternoon meeting that had been scheduled to vote on the bill.
Baker requested that the measure be pulled, Campos said.
The bill won’t pass before the August recess, Campos said, giving the council and Baker’s staff ample time to iron out their disagreements.
“I don’t want the council to be split on such a major bill,” he said.
Baker, who has made the economic development fund his top proposal, has said his vision is for it to be spent primarily on development around Metro, but also for various “nodes” of business around the county, such as National Harbor and the planned Konterra area in Laurel.
Members of the fiscal management committee have asked for specific goals and benchmarks, such as guidelines for development around Metro stations and goals for hiring local county workers, to be included in the legislation.
“If you don’t write what you want into legislation there is probably no recourse,” said Councilman Obie Patterson, D-Fort Washington, at a recent committee meeting. “If you want something to take place you need to make it a part of the law.”
Baker’s staff has resisted and stressed the need for flexibility when spending the fund’s money.
Developer interest was peaking with word of the fund spreading, Baker said.
“It’s the perfect time. The problem we’ve had in the county is we have waited for so many years,” Baker said.
The fund would be an unheard-of amount in the Washington area, providing the “wow” factor that Baker covets to attract development.
Montgomery County has $2.9 million set aside for luring businesses, with another $2 million set aside for discount retailer Costco in fiscal 2013. A similar fund for the entire state of Maryland is worth $70 million, just $20 million more than what Baker has proposed for Prince George’s.
