* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*
CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Kraft
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
Title
In Support of State Legislation - Senate Bill 901/House Bill 1220 - Chesapeake Bay Green Fund
FOR the purpose of supporting this legislation that would establish a Chesapeake Bay Green Fund, prohibit a local government from granting specified permits until a person pays an Impervious Surface Fee, establish a fee for development inside or outside specified areas exempting specified projects, prohibit money in the Fund from reverting or being transferred to the General Fund, require the Comptroller to distribute the Fund to specified units of State government and the Chesapeake Bay Trust, and establish a Chesapeake Bay Green Fund Oversight and Accountability Committee; urging the Honorable Chair and Members of the Senate Rules Committee, the Honorable Chair and Members of the House Rules and Executive Nominations Committee, and the Honorable Chair and Members of the Baltimore City Delegation to the 2007 Maryland General Assembly to support passage of the legislation; and petitioning the Governor to sign the measure into law.
Body Recitals
This legislation established a Chesapeake Bay Green Fund, consisting of charges on new development in order to pay for efforts to reduce nitrogen and other pollutants in the Chesapeake Bay. This effort could raise as much as $130 million a year in order to improve cleanup efforts and improve water quality in the Bay, by 2010.
According to the legislation, a builder would pay $.25 a square foot for any surface water can't get through. The fee would go up 8 times, to $2 a square foot, if the new construction is outside the area designated for growth, otherwise known as priority funding areas.
The fund is to be distributed annually. Four and a half percent of the fund will be shared among the Department of Agriculture for the soil conservation districts, the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension, and the Department of the Environment. Thirty five percent of the fund will be provided to the Department of Agriculture for the implementation of best management practices through the Maryland Agricultural Cost-Share Program, the Cover Crop Program, and any other cost-share programs for farmers. Fifteen percent will go to the Department of Planning to assist with local government implementation of tributary strategies activities and smart growth policies, 10% will be used for various grants and agricultural centers, and the rest will be distributed among the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Department of Natural Resources, and the Baystat tracking program.
This legislation is needed now more than ever. With environmental issues making their way to the foreground, we in Maryland have an opportunity to begin funding the bay cleanup process. With legislation in place to create the Chesapeake Bay Green Fund, we can begin the long and arduous process of cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay and keeping it clean for future generations. We must work to keep our environment healthy, and this legislation will start the Maryland on the path to becoming a more green, environmentally friendly state.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE, That this Body supports this legislation that would establish a Chesapeake Bay Green Fund, prohibit a local government from granting specified permits until a person pays an Impervious Surface Fee, establish a fee for development inside or outside specified areas exempting specified projects, prohibit money in the Fund from reverting or being transferred to the General Fund, require the Comptroller to distribute the Fund to specified units of State government and the Chesapeake Bay Trust, and establish a Chesapeake Bay Green Fund Oversight and Accountability Committee; urges the Honorable Chair and Members of the Senate Rules Committee, the Honorable Chair and Members of the House Rules and Executive Nominations Committee, and the Honorable Chair and Members of the Baltimore City Delegation to the 2007 Maryland General Assembly to support passage of the legislation; and petitions the Governor to sign the measure into law.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Honorable Chairs of the Senate Rules Committee and House Rules and Executive Nominations Committee are respectfully requested to include this Resolution as part of the Committee record of support for legislative proposals to create the Chesapeake Bay Green Fund.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Governor, the Mayor, the Honorable Chair and Members of the Senate Rules Committee, the Honorable Chair and Members of the House Rules and Executive Nominations Committee, the Honorable Members of the Baltimore City Delegation to the 2007 Maryland General Assembly, the Executive Director of the Mayor's Office of State Relations, and the Mayor's Legislative Liaison to the City Council.
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