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Municipal League backs civilian review of speed-camera citations and seeks authority for local food-and-beverage fee
Summary
The Maryland Municipal League briefed the Eastern Shore delegation on two municipal priorities: a bill to allow trained civilians to review automated speed-camera citations and a proposal to authorize local food-and-beverage fees for on-site consumption to raise municipal revenue.
The Maryland Municipal League told the Eastern Shore delegation that it supports a pair of bills intended to ease local staffing pressures and expand municipal revenue options without increasing property taxes.
“Currently, it’s exclusively a law enforcement officer that has to do the review,” Bill, a Municipal League presenter, said of the speed-camera review process. The crossfiled bills are Senate Bill 390 and House Bill 343; the league said the change would allow a trained civilian reviewer to handle image review and citation issuance so sworn officers can return to patrol duties.
The league’s advocacy director, Angelica Daley Fuquari, said the bill does not change fine amounts, camera placement rules or the process to contest a citation; it is limited to who may perform the back-end administrative review. “This is literally just changing, or adding an option for local governments on who is the person behind the computer reviewing the images,” she said.
On revenue flexibility, the league’s legislative representative, Justin, described House Bill 997, which would authorize local governments to create a food-and-beverage fee on on-site consumption that would return revenue to the jurisdiction where businesses are located. Justin said the measure is aimed at capturing revenue generated by the state’s large visitor economy without broadening property taxation.
“We have 43 million visitors annually to the state of Maryland,” Justin said. “While they do pay hotel tax if they stay, if they go out and use services, we really don’t capture revenue from the services that they utilize.” The league asked delegations to support the proposal and to consider other revenue tools that would not shift costs to property owners.
Ending: Municipal League speakers asked legislators to consult with town administrators and finance officers on the drafting and to consider the bills as ways to preserve municipal services in the face of flat or reduced state support.
