Bel Air to pursue boundary survey of nine irregular parcels; consultant price quoted at $36,650

Bel Air staff presented a proposed boundary-survey contract to identify and correct nine areas where town boundaries are inconsistent or incomplete, including enclaves, half-road parcels and a town-owned pumping station.

Kevin, who led the presentation, described a prior review that flagged nine areas of concern and walked commissioners through each task — from annexing a 20-foot strip along Tollgate Marketplace to correcting half-stretches of South Atwood Road and clarifying property ownership around a pumping station. “The price they’ve given us right now is $36,650,” Kevin said, noting that the estimate exceeds the $25,000 amount in the current capital plan but that staff are attempting to use a county piggyback contract to manage procurement.

Staff proposed splitting the work into two phases: an initial phase for the simpler, low-permission tasks the town can handle alone and a second phase for more complex parcels that will require outreach, title work and potentially property-owner cooperation. Commissioners and staff discussed homeowner outreach (including the possibility of partial tax rebates to incentivize annexation) and noted statutory annexation thresholds under Maryland law — staff said a petition by contiguous owners representing 25% of property owners in an area can drive annexation even when individual consent is not unanimous.

Lisa said the town could identify $11,000 in the current-year budget to cover the difference and recommended doing the entire project this fiscal year to avoid splitting costs across years. Kevin told commissioners he expects parcel-level title research and annexation paperwork to occur over the coming six months if the contract is approved.

What’s next: Staff will provide an itemized proposal and a final contract recommendation; commissioners indicated support for completing the work this fiscal year if funds can be found.