ANNAPOLIS - Four Washington County bills advanced Thursday in the state Senate.
The Senate gave final approval to a bill letting Washington County issue up to $80 million in bonds for construction projects. The House approved the bill 134-0 in February.
Three other bills received preliminary Senate approval Thursday:
·Removing the cap on the county's excise tax on new residential construction for one year so the county can switch from a flat rate to a progressive rate based on square footage
·Clarifying and amending regulations for the county's fire police
·Letting the county issue civil citations for infractions of trade and building codes instead of filing criminal charges
The bills must come back before the Senate for final approval.
The House passed the excise tax bill 131-7 last month. In separate 137-0 votes, it approved the bills about fire police and civil citations.
