City of Baltimore - File #: 09-0111R

• File #: 09-0111R
• Version: 0
• Name: Erroneous Tax Sale Notices - Special Benefit District Property
• Type: City Council Resolution
• Status: Adopted
• File created: 2/23/2009
• In control: Taxation, Finance and Economic Development Committee
• Final action: 3/16/2009
• Title: Erroneous Tax Sale Notices - Special Benefit District Property FOR the purpose of requesting the Director of Finance and the Chief of the Bureau of Revenue Collections to report to the City Council at a public hearing on what caused many taxpayers to receive erroneous tax sale notices, and alley paving bills and what procedures can be put in place to avoid this situation in the future.
• Sponsors: Mary Pat Clarke, William H. Cole, IV, Helen L. Holton, Belinda Conaway, Stephanie President Rawlings-Blake, Robert Curran, Nicholas C. D'Adamo, Warren Branch, President Young, Sharon Green Middleton, Bill Henry, James B. Kraft, Edward Reisinger, Agnes Welch
• Indexes: Resolution, Special Benefits Districts, Tax Sales

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
3/16/2009	0	City Council	Adopted
2/26/2009	0	The City Council	Referred for a Report
2/23/2009	0	City Council	Introduced
2/23/2009	0	City Council	Assigned
2/23/2009	0	Taxation, Finance and Economic Development Committee	Scheduled for a Public Hearing

* 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: Councilmembers Clarke, Cole


A RESOLUTION ENTITLED

A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
Title
Erroneous Tax Sale Notices - Special Benefit District Property

FOR the purpose of requesting the Director of Finance and the Chief of the Bureau of Revenue Collections to report to the City Council at a public hearing on what caused many taxpayers to receive erroneous tax sale notices, and alley paving bills and what procedures can be put in place to avoid this situation in the future.
Body
WHEREAS, In 2008, the Baltimore City Finance Department and the Baltimore City Council recognized that the City had failed to apply legitimate and documented property tax credits due to Benefit District property owners because of the Benefit District surtax related to their properties; and

WHEREAS, Finance applied such credits to all Special Benefit surtaxes in preparing tax bills for fiscal year 2009; and

WHEREAS, Due to computer cliches, hundreds of surtax payers were mistakenly mailed overdue tax notices, including property tax sale foreclosure warnings; and

WHEREAS, Some of these notices included alley paving charges there had been no prior notification of but that were being cited as a basis for sending the property to tax sale; and

WHEREAS, Hundreds of those mistakenly receiving tax sale notices tried to call the phone number listed on their tax sale notices; and

WHEREAS, Many of these taxpayers...