The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Howard County's School Surcharge Fee Legislation

The school facilities surcharge fee legislation was signed into law on November 6th, 2019, after it was approved unanimously by the county council. Thank you to all who sent emails, testified (there are so many testimonies in support of an $8 fee), and paid attention. Frankly a fee as high as $6.80 would not be possible without anchoring our demand to $8 per square foot in the first place. Many will remember the initial state bill was at $4 per square foot.

But it was not before significant chunks of the initially proposed $6.80 per square foot was chipped at by various carve-outs. After the dust settled, we are now able to determine the impact of the final version as signed by the county executive. A snapshot of the table is shown and click here to learn more.

Some people characterize this as a major win for the taxpayer. But, what has taken place is tantamount to a bank that accidentally or intentionally depleted a customer’s checking account to zero, having been caught, has replenished only a fraction of the account after a vicious back and forth appeal, despite the glaring evidence.

There is major progress, but we can’t be complacent. We need to keep up the pressure and your voice is needed more than ever to ensure accountability in county government. Your quality of life is directly linked to the decisions made by SIX people in the county.