Bill would let a specific Anne Arundel HOA act as controlling authority for a 24‑home sewage system, county attorney says

Delegate Dylan Baylor presented House Bill 1424 to the committee as a narrowly drawn bill applying to a single homeowners association and development in Anne Arundel County. Baylor said the bill was requested by the county executive and had unanimous delegation support.

"This bill is applicable to 1 specific HOA and development in Anne Arundel County," Baylor said, and introduced Greg Swain from the county office of law to provide detail.

Greg Swain, Anne Arundel County attorney, described the system as a private shared sewage disposal facility that serves 24 single‑family homes in a subdivision called Southern Hills. "These types of systems require a controlling authority, and it has to be a governmental entity," Swain said, and he told the committee that Maryland Environmental Service (MES) had originally served as the controlling authority but attempted to withdraw, leaving the system operating without a controlling authority.

David Katz, attorney for the current fee owner, said the bill would provide optionality for residents to operate the system and argued it would be more affordable for residents than MES operation, while preserving MES as a state backup if residents failed to manage operations.

Committee members asked technical questions about what the HOA would manage and whether the bill 'authorizes' the change. Presenters characterized the facility as a small wastewater treatment plant that treats on‑site flow and discharges filtered water to a retention pond, and said a private designee is currently servicing the facility despite legal constraints. The proponents said the bill includes guardrails and a mechanism for state involvement if needed.

The committee did not take a vote at the hearing.