Glenwood Fire Station Dedicated

The Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services dedicated the county's 12th station on Monday morning.

  Local officials dedicated Howard County's 12th fire station at a small ceremony on Monday morning. The 10,000-square-foot, $3.8 million fire station will service western Howard County and will employ 41 firefighters. The Glenwood station is the first entirely new station to be built in the county since 1994, according to the fire department. The station caused some controversy earlier this year when the County Council voted to raise the fire tax from 13.55 cents per $100 of assessed value in the eastern part of the county and 11.55 cents in the western part, to a unified tax of 17.6 cents, which will help pay for the new station's expenses. The additional tax is expected to generate $63.1 million in Fiscal Year 2012 and $78.1 million in …

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Council Passes Budget, Keeps Fire Tax Hike

Members turn down Fox attempt to lower the amount of the fire tax increase.

The Howard County Council Thursday approved the county administration's expense and operating budgets for FY 2013, adopting eight amendments but rejecting a bid by Council member Greg Fox to cut the fire tax.  Fox’s amendment would have lowered the proposed unified fire district’s tax rate of 17.6 cents per $100 of assessed value to 14.25 cents. Previously, the metropolitan district paid 13.55 cents per $100 and the rural district 11.55 cents. Last week, Fox, the Council’s only Republican, told the Howard County Times he might vote to approve the budget. “There's a chance I might actually go for it this year,” he said, “Other than the fire tax increase." The fire tax increase will fund 42 additional positions in the Howard County …

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Weigh in: Howard County Fire Tax Increase

Do you support the proposed tax increase?

Howard County Executive Ken Ulman is proposing a countywide fire tax of 17.6 cents per $100 of assessed property value in his fiscal year 2013 budget. The change would increase the fire tax rate by 52 percent for the western part of the county and 30 percent for residents in the east, if approved by the county council. The increase would largely go toward funding 41 new positions to staff the Glenwood Fire Station, which will open this year in Western Howard County, and a new paramedic unit for the Ellicott City fire station, according to an article in the Howard County Times. Raymond S. Wacks, the Howard County Budget Administrator, said the increase was needed to offset revenue losses from declining real estate assessments. He said even …

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Howard County Proposed Budget, Taxes, Teacher Pensions

The proposed budget supports more education funding, including potential teacher pension costs.

The county executive’s office has released its proposed operating budget for 2013–a $40 million increase over last year’s budget. Of the $1.54 budget, $898.8 million comes from the general fund, monies collected primarily from property and income taxes, along with other taxes and fees.  The budget includes $878.2 million for education, which includes funding for the Howard County Public School System, the Howard County Library System and Howard Community College. The education budget is about 57 percent of the total operating budget, and a 3.9 percent increase from last year. Last year’s education budget, about $845.6 million, was a 5 percent increase over 2011. Included in the education portion of the budget is $9.8 million to cover half …

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Eliminating Two-Tax Fire District Could Mean Higher Rates

Eliminating a two-tax fire district would mean higher taxes for the entire county.