Howard County Council hears public concerns over proposed 3¢ property tax shift

Howard County Council Chair Deb Young opened a public hearing and said the council would receive testimony on a proposed real property tax rate change for the taxable year beginning July 1, 2024. The administration’s proposal would shift 3 cents from the fire tax to the county property tax — raising the county rate from $1.014 to $1.044 per $100 of assessed value, according to the notice — and the council is scheduled to set the rate at a meeting on May 22, 2024, at 12 p.m. in the Banneker Room of the George Howard Building in Ellicott City.

Budget administrator Holly Sun told council members the 3¢ swap is intended to be cost-neutral for property owners because the decrease in the fire tax offsets the increase in the county rate. "It's really a tax rate shift we're proposing," Sun said, and the change is meant to "maximize the capacity in the general fund," money Sun said supports the school system and other critical services.

Why it matters: Council members and residents said the proposal must be viewed against recent assessment increases that raise tax revenues even if the…