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Farm Bureau asks for authority to levy solar impact fee; local entrepreneur seeks admissions-tax exemptions for family venues
Summary
Two community-originated legislative proposals were presented to the St. Mary’s County commissioners on Sept. 9: the Farm Bureau asked staff to explore whether the county can levy a fee on solar projects sited on prime farmland to fund preservation, and a local resident proposed exempting family-focused venues from the admissions-and-amusement tax.
Two community-originated legislative proposals were presented to the St. Mary’s County commissioners on Sept. 9 for consideration in the county’s 2026 legislative package.
Jamie Raley, representing the St. Mary’s County Farm Bureau, asked the commissioners to explore whether the county can create a fee or excise on solar projects sited on prime agricultural soils and dedicate proceeds to farmland preservation. Raley referenced recent action in Queen Anne’s County, which pursued an approach to collect payments when solar arrays are located on Class I prime soils and use proceeds for conservation. County attorneys noted that charter and code differences across jurisdictions affect what local governments can do, and recommended staff examine whether existing county authority—such as the development excise tax—could be amended to target solar projects or whether the county would need separate enabling legislation from Annapolis.
Christopher McDonald submitted a second community proposal asking the county to exempt youth- and family-oriented recreational venues (examples cited: roller rinks, bowling alleys, theaters, mini-golf, arcades, indoor playgrounds) from the local admissions and amusement (A&A) tax. County staff said the admissions-and-amusement tax is collected by the Maryland Comptroller and the county receives proceeds; the county does not directly administer the tax. Staff advised they could request fiscal data from the Comptroller’s Office; county records provided at the meeting showed the county received about $130,000 in A&A receipts in FY25 and $113,000 in FY24.
County staff told commissioners they would prepare draft language and either identify existing authority (for example, amending the development excise tax) or request a local bill for Annapolis depending on the legal analysis. Both proposals were presented as community requests for the commissioners to decide whether to include them in the legislative packet that will be considered on Sept. 23.
Commissioners did not vote Sept. 9. Staff was directed to research the legal authority and potential fiscal impact and to return with options and draft language. The board noted that statewide political dynamics (the General Assembly’s posture toward solar-siting regulation) may affect a local bill’s chances and that a locally confined excise or permissive exemption often faces fewer procedural hurdles than statewide changes.
