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Auxiliary officers ask council to extend public-safety tax credit to volunteers
Summary
Volunteer auxiliary officers testified in support of Council Bill 33 (2025), asking the council to define "public safety officer" in county law so volunteer auxiliary police who serve Howard County can qualify for the state-authorized property tax credit. Volunteers described tasks they perform and argued the credit would recognize long service.
Volunteer auxiliary officers asked the Howard County Council to expand the county's public-safety officer tax credit to include auxiliary (volunteer) police officers.
Paul Bertulis, a volunteer auxiliary officer and county resident, recounted the history of auxiliary policing and long volunteer service. "When I and other volunteer police auxiliaries in the state found out about this tax credit we were excited..." he said, noting that the state law (House Bill 979, 2017) authorized local governing bodies to define who qualifies as a public safety officer for the tax credit. Bertulis told the council the county currently has eight auxiliary officers and that three meeting residency and service requirements would be directly impacted by the change.
Christopher Sadowicz, an auxiliary officer since 2017, described routine duties that free sworn officers for higher-priority calls: assisting stranded motorists, area checks at senior facilities, traffic direction at county events and towing abandoned vehicles. "While these tasks I mentioned may seem minuscule, they free up sworn officers from time consuming events so they can focus their attention on more serious emergencies," he said.
County finance staff presented the bill to the council as an administrative change to allow the county to define eligibility locally. No final vote occurred at the public hearing; the bill will return for further consideration.
Ending: The measure was presented and supported by current volunteers; testimony emphasized volunteer hours and the operational role auxiliaries play in county policing.
