Howard County delegate seeks public‑notice rules for for‑profit donation trailers

Delegate Watson introduced legislation aimed at requiring public notice and a hearing before Howard County allows for‑profit companies to place donation collection trailers on county property in or near residential areas. She said the county recently granted a license to a for‑profit operation that places a tractor‑trailer‑style donation container on the National Road and that the arrangement appears to give the vendor an unfair competitive advantage over local nonprofits.

Watson told the delegation the vendor collects donations, sells items in retail stores and "pockets the profit," while making some donation to a named charity; she said she has been unable to obtain clear information on how much is donated. "There was no public process for this," Watson…