Transfer Tax

tarar@herald-mail.com WASHINGTON COUNTY - The Washington County Commissioners are considering resurrecting a request to state lawmakers for approval to impose a transfer tax on real estate transactions, an idea the local delegation shot down last year. County officials say a 1 percent tax on real estate transactions could generate $1.2 million in revenue that could go toward capital projects for education, urban redevelopment, agricultural and historic preservation and other capital projects.

martinsburg@herald-mail.com MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Applause greeted the Berkeley County Commission's unanimous decision Thursday morning to increase the real estate transfer tax, with the additional money to go toward farmland preservation. Commissioners Howard Strauss, Steve Teufel and John Wright all spoke briefly about their approval of the Farmland Protection Program before voting. The tax, paid by a property buyer, is assessed per $1,000 of value. Because of the commission's vote, the rate increased from $4.40 to $6.60 per $1,000 of value, effective April 1. "I think your foresight and your decision will be a good legacy for you," said Edgar Mason, a county resident and vocal supporter of the tax increase.

charlestown@herald-mail.com The Jefferson County Commission passed a transfer tax increase Thursday that will generate about $600,000 a year to preserve farmland in the county. Given rapidly rising land prices in Jefferson County, it will be a challenge to save farmland with that amount of money, said Commission President Jane Tabb, a Leetown, W.Va., dairy farmer who worked on the county's new farmland protection plan. "It's going to be really tough," Tabb said.

Delegates wary of transfer tax By LAURA ERNDE / Staff Writer The Washington County Commissioners' request for a new transfer tax got a cool reception from state lawmakers Friday. The county wants to add a 1 percent tax on the purchase of a home or business. The estimated $1.2 million per year raised would be used for school renovation, agricultural land preservation and urban redevelopment. All are worthy causes, lawmakers said, but they aren't sold on the need for the tax, which would have to be approved by the Maryland General Assembly.

Transfer tax draws fire By SCOTT BUTKI / Staff Writer A dozen Washington County residents addressed a transfer tax, private schools, animal control and a new stadium Saturday during a public hearing for citizens conducted by the Washington County's delegation to the Maryland General Assembly. There were about 35 people in the audience for the two-hour hearing, which is held annually. The speakers commented on more than a dozen topics. Delegation Chairman Del. Bob McKee, R-Washington, requested comments on a proposed real estate transfer tax. Two residents and a delegate responded.

Transfer tax vote delayed again By LAURA ERNDE / Staff Writer ANNAPOLIS - The Washington County delegation to the Maryland General Assembly once again delayed voting on a controversial new transfer tax Wednesday while its chairman tries to drum up support for a compromise. Delegation Chairman Del. Robert A. McKee has shelved a vote on the tax so far this legislative session because he knows that there aren't enough votes for it to pass. Sen. Alex X. Mooney, R-Frederick/Washington, and Del. John P. Donoghue, D-Washington, suggested the delegation take a vote Wednesday.

laurae@herald-mail.com State lawmakers who rejected a transfer tax two years ago said last week they are willing to entertain a renewed request by the Washington County Commissioners. "I'm keeping an open mind. I'm not going to pass judgment," said Del. Christopher B. Shank, R-Washington, one of the most vocal opponents of the commissioners' 2001 request for a transfer tax. The commissioners on Tuesday decided to seek state authority to tax real estate transactions.

Legislation that authorizes up to $52.5 million in bonds for capital improvements at Cacapon State Park in Morgan County and one other state park is still “very much alive” in what is shaping up to be a tight budget year, state Sen. Herb Snyder said Friday. A committee substitute for Senate Bill 362 pending in the Senate Finance Committee would make $3 million in funding for annual debt service on the bond issue available July 1, 2013, Snyder said. The original version of the bill proposed the funding be available this July, but the one-year delay amended into the legislation earlier this month by the Senate Natural Resources Committee made it more palatable to Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and others, said Snyder, D-Jefferson/Berkeley.

More than 3,000 acres of Berkeley County farmland now is protected from development through conservation easements, the executive director of the county farmland protection board said Thursday. The addition of easements for 175 acres owned by David and Sharon Malatt in the Hedgesville area in December and 127 acres owned by Paul and Evelyn Ashton in Gerrardstown last month pushed the total acreage under easements held by the Berkeley County Farmland Protection Board to 3,195, according to Board Executive Director Robert “Bob” White.

HAGERSTOWN -- The main focus of a proposed Washington County "employment boost package" would be on jump-starting new industrial and commercial development projects that would bring long-term jobs to the county, Washington County Commissioner James F. Kercheval said Thursday. Kercheval introduced the idea for the package to the other commissioners Tuesday and suggested they consider it over the next few weeks as they finalize the county budget. The package, developed through meetings with local economic development officials, would involve investing up to $2 million in incentives to offset industrial and commercial development costs and to reduce the upfront cost of buying a home.

Washington County would have to set a residential excise tax rate of $3 to $4 per square foot to meet budget estimates by 2013, according to a report prepared by the county's budget and finance department. The three-page handout was given to the Washington County Commissioners as they began their review last week of the Excise Tax Task Force's report, which recommends setting the tax rate at $2 per square foot. The commissioners have reached an informal consensus on most of the task force's 14 recommendations, but disagree on where the tax rate should be. Some have argued for a $2 per-square-foot rate; others say the rate should be closer to $4. The tax is charged on new home construction and pays for new school capacity.

Commissioners discuss requests With the Maryland General Assembly's regular session approaching in January, the Washington County Commissioners are starting to discuss their 2008 legislative requests. During their weekly meeting Tuesday, the commissioners reviewed a list of 13 requests from department heads that was compiled by the county attorney's office. The list of requests ranged from wide-reaching revisions to county ordinances to minor language changes in county employee job descriptions.

Samples of the O'Malley-Brown Transition Report's recommendations: · Parole and probation: Improve monitoring and tracking of child sex offenders · Agriculture: Promote biodiesel use in school buses · Environment and natural resources: Increase the transfer tax on farms that are converted to development · Health and mental hygiene: Establish a dental clinic in every local health department ...

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Elected officials and others in Franklin County, Pa., continue to lament the impact of development on roads, schools, and water and sewer systems, while saying that state law affords them few options to protect the infrastructure. Three state representatives last year sponsored a bill that could establish impact fees, increase the real estate transfer tax and create temporary moratoriums on development in designated counties. Now, two of the bill's cheerleaders are out of office and the remaining champion's political party is in the minority at the capital.

Mayor: 2C needs a full-time delegate for the next term To the editor: This letter is submitted in support of Paul Muldowney, candidate for the 2-C District of the House of Delegates. Muldowney is challenging John Donoghue, a 16-year incumbent to the Maryland House and a part-time delegate to the City of Hagerstown. The reason I say that he is a part-time delegate is because of his absence within the City of Hagerstown three years and eight months out of a four-year term.

CHAMBERSBURG, PA. - "The Mason-Dixon Challenge" has found out-of-state developers submitting plans for thousands of new homes in Franklin County, Pa., as they avoid impact fees in neighboring Washington County, Antrim Township (Pa.) Manager Ben Thomas testified Tuesday. Water, sewer, road and school systems are suffering in the southcentral Pennsylvania county that grew 6.3 percent over the last five years, Thomas and others told the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Local Government Committee.