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Howard County council backs Eastern Howard enterprise zone after contested Gateway amendment fails
Summary
After a contentious debate over including the Gateway area, the council passed CR134 supporting an enterprise zone application with a revised exhibit based on state SDAT parcel boundaries; an amendment to remove Gateway failed after members cited revenue and economic-development evidence (and a 2022 state study questioning enterprise zone effectiveness).
Howard County Council approved CR134, a resolution supporting an application for an Eastern Howard County enterprise zone, after approving a revised exhibit that used State Department of Assessment and Taxation (SDAT) parcel boundaries and after a failed amendment that sought to remove the Gateway area from the proposed zone.
Miss Sager explained that Amendment 2 substituted a revised exhibit using the state’s parcel boundaries, which added commercial parcels at the corner of Snowden River Parkway and Route 175 and increased the proposed enterprise zone area by about 13.7%. Councilmember Sager said the change came from state requirements for SDAT designation. A separate amendment (Amendment 3) sought to excise Gateway entirely. Supporters of keeping Gateway said including it would fill a gap in statewide enterprise-zone coverage and help attract commercial investment; opponents warned of lost tax revenue and cited a 2022 Department of Legislative Services evaluation that, they said, found enterprise tax credits were not effective at providing employment to zone residents. “While enterprise zone tax credits may incentivize some businesses to create jobs within enterprise zones, the tax credit is not effective in providing employment to zone residents who are chronically unemployed,” a councilmember quoted from the state report. Amendment 3 failed and CR134 as amended passed.
