Wednesday, April 10, 2013
The bill would impose fees on residents, businesses and nonprofits for federally mandated efforts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay.
At least two members of the Baltimore County Council say they would like to delay a vote on proposed stormwater management fees. Vicki Almond and David Marks both said Tuesday they would like to delay the vote for a month. "Considering the enormity of all this and the information that we have I would personally like us to have a little more time to come up with some amendments and really study this even further," said Almond, a Reisterstown Democrat. "I think three weeks really isn't enough to digest all of this," Almond said, speaking of a briefing the council received last month. Almond added that County Executive Kevin Kamenetz developed the new fees without involving the council or holding any public meetings. The council, in its …
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Councilwoman Vicki Almond is the lone dissenting vote as an 11th hour push to table the legislation fails.
A change to how county employees appeal pension decisions was approved despite an 11th hour attempt to delay the final vote. The Baltimore County Council Tuesday night voted 6-1 in favor of the legislation that moves the appeals process from a seven-member panel appointed by the council to one of two administrative law judges appointed by the county executive. Councilwoman Vicki Almond, a Reisterstown Democrat, was the lone vote against the bill and three amendments. Almond, reading from a prepared statement, said the bill would affect the integrity of the council and "county employees for years to come." She said conflicting legal opinions offered by County Attorney Michael Field and county legislators in the General Assembly was reason …
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Tuesday, February 12, 2013
County officials say the proposed changes make appeals more efficient, professional while critics say the county is stacking the deck in its favor.
A proposal to change how some pension appeals are dealt with in Baltimore County has some crying foul. The bill, requested by County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, would move such appeals from the County Council-appointed Board of Appeals to one of two administrative law judges appointed by the executive. Don Mohler, a county spokesman, said the goal is to improve efficiency and provide another layer of hearings for employees while at the same time improving the professionalism of the system. "These are complex issues," Mohler said of the pension appeals. Labor groups say the county is looking to rig the process in its favor after a number of decisions that have gone in favor of employees. "We're fixing a system that doesn't appear to be broken…
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
The law suit filed in Baltimore County Circuit Court seeks to stop a loan to the county that would be used to build a recycling facility in Cockeysville.
The union that represents Baltimore County Police is seeking to stop a $21 million loan from the pension system to the county for a new recycling facility. The 10-page lawsuit filed late last week by the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 4 alleges that the board of trustees for the Baltimore County Employees Retirement System failed to do its duty to protect the pension system including: "The county is using the employees pension plan to fund capital projects," said Cole Weston, president of the police union. "To fund capital projects like this is very concerning." The loan will be used to pay for a new recycling facility in Cockeysville. It's the same facility for which the Baltimore County Council approved $25 million in bond sales last …
Monday, December 3, 2012
Three major Wall Street companies give Baltimore County a Triple-A rating.
Baltimore County continues to maintain its coveted triple Triple-A bond rating companies. Fitch, Moody's and Standard and Poor's all gave the county its highest rating. Only about 1 percent of the counties in the United States have a Triple-A rating from all three companies. [All three reports are attached to this story.] The rating means the county can borrow money at the lowest available interest rates, which saves taxpayers money. All three companies cited the county's fiscal management and budget practices as reasons for the continued ratings. "If we are going to continue to fund public safety, education, and rebuild our aging infrastructure, we must continue to manage our budget in a fiscally responsible manner," County Executive …
Thursday, November 29, 2012
The proceeds of the sale will be used for the county employee's pension plan.
County officials say a better than expected bond sale to be used for the pension system will save county taxpayers $83 million more than originally estimated. The county sold $256 million in bonds at an interest rate of about 3.43 percent—nearly a full percentage point lower than expected. The better than expected result means the county will pay $416 million in principal and interest over the next 30 years instead of nearly $500 million. The County Council approved the bond sale in October. The borrowed money is needed because the board of the Baltimore County Employees Retirement System voted to reduce its expected rate of return on investments. That change, made in July, would result in an additional $15 million payment from the county …
A state delegate criticizes the county for expenses of a lawsuit filed by a William Blake, a Baltimore County Police officer, that amount to more than $750,000.
UPDATED (5:46 p.m.)—Baltimore County now knows the price tag for losing a lawsuit involving a police detective who was ordered to undergo unlawful medical examinations and tests. U.S. District Court Judge Benson Everett Legg ordered the county to pay $494,243.00 attorney fees and $17,716.00 court costs in the case of William Blake. "The significant fee award reflects the serious nature of the case as well as the diligence of counsel," Legg wrote in his decision. "While the total cost to the County is high, there is a silver lining, however. This case may ultimately avoid future litigation by providing guidance with respect to fitness-for-duty examinations." The county has lost a number of similar cases in the last two years. Most recently…
Monday, November 19, 2012
Maryland Court of Appeals reverses lower court decision on a grievance filed over changes to health insurance costs.
As many as 400 retired police department employees could see a reduction in their health insurance costs and be due a refund for charges since 2007. A state Court of Appeals ruling Monday effectively affirmed arbitration and a Baltimore County Circuit Court decision on the case that dates back to 2007. [A copy of the court rulling is attached to this article.] The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 4, which represents county police officers, filed a grievance five years ago after the county increased the costs of health insurance for employees who retired between Feb. 1, 1992 and June 30, 2007. On July 1, 2007, the county changed its share of retiree health insurance costs from an 85-15 split with retirees to an 84-16 percentage. The union …
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
The Court of Special Appeals decision is the latest to go against the county in its case against former County Auditor Brian Rowe.
UPDATED (6:53 p.m.)—Maryland's Court of Special Appeals has denied an appeal by Baltimore County to reconsider a pension decision involving a former county auditor. In its decision, the three-judge panel ruled that the Baltimore County Board of Appeals had not made a mistake when it ruled in 2008 that the county incorrectly calculated Brian Rowe's pension. The appeals court also declined to enter a monetary judgment in the appeal in favor of Rowe but the judges ruled that “the County is obligated to pay Rowe his underpaid retirement benefits" or face additional legal action." Rowe has already filed in Harford County Circuit Court seeking the payment of underpaid retirement benefits on behalf of himself and other county retirees like him. …
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
County Administrative Officer Fred Homan asks to fund pension liabilities with $255 million in debt.
Baltimore County officials are asking the County Council to approve the issuance of $255 million in bonds to fund the pension system. County Administrative Officer Fred Homan told the council during a Tuesday lunch briefing that he wants to use the money to invest in the pension system. "There are market risks to a pension bond deal," Homan said, adding that the risk is not achieving the 4.25 to 4.5 percent rate of interest the county believes the bonds will sell for. Currently, the nearly $2 billion pension system is funded at nearly 77 percent. Homan said the move is expected to lower long-term pension system costs over the next 30 years. The request will be part of a two-bill package introduced Monday night with a vote expected in …
DAVID PATRO SR
6:22 pm on Saturday, April 13, 2013
zach compromise is for all partys to talk now we need to stop the sale . stop the sale SAY NO to the proposed sale of North Point Government Center PARK! more ›