Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Urban Agriculture topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Subcommittee considers expanding urban-agriculture tax credit to include hydroponics
Summary
Lawmakers discussed changes to an optional local urban-agriculture property tax credit: removing acreage and priority funding-area limits, expanding qualifying activities and circulating a friendly amendment to include hydroponics; fiscal notes show current programs are limited to three jurisdictions.
The Local Revenue Subcommittee reviewed changes to an existing optional property tax credit for urban agricultural property that would remove acreage and priority-funding-area requirements and broaden qualifying agricultural activities.
Stan described the bill as a targeted update to an existing program and noted the fiscal note identifies Baltimore City, Montgomery County and Prince George's County as the jurisdictions with programs, which have been undersubscribed since the program's inception. "If you look at the fiscal note in particular, you'll see that the programs are only in Baltimore City, Montgomery County, and Prince George's, and have been under subscribed," the chair said while presenting the bill.
During discussion, Chair Robertson reported a friendly amendment submitted on the House floor by Doug Young to add hydroponics to the list of qualifying activities. Stan and members clarified that hydroponics is a soil-free growing method that can involve immersing plants in a water-rich environment or using drip systems to circulate nutrients. "It's a soil free way of growing... it can involve immersing the plants in water or in a water rich environment," Stan said.
Chair Robertson said the amendment text would be circulated to subcommittee members before further action. No vote was taken at the meeting.
