Speaker warns House Bill 176 would shift SDAT costs and allow low-level drone property assessments

An unidentified speaker at a St. Mary’s County meeting urged resistance to state bills the speaker said would erode local authority and budget control.

The speaker said the meeting packet contained multiple bills that “erode more rights from us” and singled out an RCA overlay and a childcare matter at All Saints, saying the county was being asked to give up the ability to request variances: “they're asking us to give up our rights to, ask for variance, and that's completely absolutely wrong,” the speaker said.

The speaker raised House Bill 176 by number, saying it follows a prior pattern in which the county bore a large share of funding: “That's last year we we got put on the hook for, 90% of the funding for SDAT,” the speaker said, and asserted that HB 176 would move the state toward using drones for property assessments: “Now they want to use drones to do property assessments. That means low oblique. That means down low enough to look into your windows.” The speaker framed the proposed cost and technique changes as an overreach and said local leaders should fight the measures; the speaker added that “Mako is standing against it at the rural counties coalition” and that the county will see developments in April.

The transcript contains assertions by the speaker about funding shifts and proposed drone assessments but does not include legislative text, supporting documents, or named responses from state officials. No formal motion or vote on these concerns occurred in the recorded remarks.

The speaker concluded by urging resistance and passing the floor to the next item.