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Montgomery County officials and unions back bill to let charter counties adopt supplemental property tax for public safety
Summary
Testifiers told the Ways and Means Committee March 31 that SB 520 would give charter counties a narrowly tailored option to exceed local property tax caps for public safety funding; supporters framed it as an enabling tool, while members raised affordability and outreach concerns.
Montgomery County officials urged the Ways and Means Committee to support SB 520, legislation that would let charter counties adopt a supplemental property tax for public safety by a simple majority of their elected councils.
"We are here asking for flexibility when it comes to our public safety budgets," Rich Maddalino, chief administrative officer for Montgomery County, said as he described the bill as an enabling tool that would not mandate a tax increase. Maddalino said the measure mirrors earlier legislation that allowed counties to raise revenue for education and argued the same flexibility is…
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