Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Governor calls budget package "good for all Marylanders." Republicans say burden to local governments may force county governments to increase taxes.
The Maryland House of Delegates gave final approval Wednesday to a package of three bills that increases taxes on some state residents, shifts part of teacher pensions to local governments and undoes the so-called "doomsday budget." The votes Wednesday afternoon capped the three-day special session called by Gov. Martin O'Malley in order to override more than $500 million in cuts made in a budget passed in early April. The Senate approved the same three bills Tuesday. As part of the package, legislators approved by a vote of 86-51 what amounts to a 50-50 split of teacher pension costs with local governments. The split will be phased in over the next four years beginning July 1 with the new budget year. That bill also includes a doubling of…
Sunday, May 13, 2012
This week's top Prince George's County news.
Speed, Buzzard Contributing Factors in Sunday's Motorcycle Fatality David Christopher Norris, of Upper Marlboro, died Sunday after his motorcycle struck a buzzard causing him to veer off the road. Engine Overheats in NASA Goddard Building Containing Radioactive Material An engine at NASA Goddard overheated and smoked in a building containing radioactive material Thursday. Cafritz Hearing is Adjourned After six days, the Prince George's County District Council ended the evidentiary hearing for the Cafritz rezoning request. The developers want to rezone about 37 acres just south of College Park, in Riverdale Park, to Mixed-Use Town Center so that they can construct a Whole Foods Market, almost 1,000 residential units, and both retail and …
Friday, May 11, 2012
Students learned about science and nutrition while getting a lesson in bread baking.
Nearly 100 students from Yorktown Elementary School in Bowie learned how to make bread with Breadmaking EZ last week as part of a program to advocate for healthier students. Breadmaking EZ is funded through a grant from the Clinton Foundation and provides students with interactive, hands on, interdisciplinary lessons in science and nutrition. The program is active in 17 Prince George’s County Schools, but Yorktown was the first to use this special program.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Four Bowie teens were awarded a total of five scholarships by the city.
The City of Bowie honored four of its most promising, college-bound high school seniors this week by awarding them each with $1,250 in college scholarships. Applicants were required to their submit their cumulative high school grade point averages, SAT scores, teacher recommendations, resumes, and personal essays to the city’s Education Committee. The recipients of the scholarship were: Adesulu Adewole of Bowie High School, who plans to attend the University of Virginia and major in finance and accounting; Danielle DiGregory also of Bowie High, who was admitted to the Honors program at the University of Maryland and plans to major in business; Victoria Gray of Eleanor Roosevelt High School, who will attend Duke University and major in …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
In an interview on ABC News, the president says he supports same-sex marriage. The issue is likely to go to referendum in Maryland this fall.
President Barack Obama picked the day after a decisive vote in North Carolina to announce that his "evolution" on the issue of same-sex marriage was complete—he now supports it. In an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, Obama said: I have to tell you that over the course of several years, as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors, when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don't Ask Don't Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage—at a …
Plan to fix "Doomsday Budget" includes $247 million in tax increases and elimination of exemptions for single filers earning $100,000 or more and joint filers earning $150,000 or more.
UPDATE (5:59 p.m.)—Some Maryland residents will pay more taxes in the coming year under a plan worked out between Gov. Martin O'Malley and legislative leaders. O'Malley, accompanied by House Speaker Michael Busch and Senate President Thomas V. "Mike" Miller, announced the nearly $35.8 billion plan during a Wednesday morning news conference in Annapolis to discuss the upcoming special session. "To leave this budget incomplete, to leave this budget as it stands right now, would damage the very forward motion that all of us, together, have worked so hard to achieve for our state," O'Malley said. "Progress is a choice," O'Malley said. "Job creation is a choice. Building America's number one schools, making a college education affordable, …
Tell Patch what you think about some of the hot button items in the City of Bowie's proposed budget!
If approved by the city council on Monday, May 21, the City of Bowie fiscal year 2013 budget will increase water and sewer fees by as much as 10 percent to build up the self-sustaining City of Bowie Water System’s reserves. And the council may up the user fees at city owned facilities to generate revenue. All the while the city’s property tax will remain the same, at 40 cents per $100 of assessed value. Patch wants to know what you think about these proposed budget changes. Are they necessary to keep the city running efficiently? Are they putting too much burden on taxpayers? What about the property tax rate- would you like to see it lowered, or are you happy it will remain unchanged? Tell us what you think in the comments!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The city manager has recommended that the property tax rate stay at 40 cents per $100 of assessed value.
Water and sewer rates may rise and facility user fees may increase, but residents of Bowie can expect their property tax rate to remain unchanged in the fiscal year 2013 budget. Last night, the City of Bowie held a public hearing regarding its constant yield rate. The concept of constant yield as defined by the Maryland State Department of Taxation and Assessments is that as property values rise, the taxes on the property should decrease so that the revenue derived from property taxes remains constant. The idea is to ensure that there is a constant, reliable source of revenue. Based on constant yield, the Bowie tax rate should be 39.6 cents per $100 of a property’s assessed value. Bowie City Manager David Deutsch recommended that the …
Monday, May 7, 2012
The mayor and city council will meet at 8 p.m. in Bowie Monday.
Bowie's city council members are set to discuss the city's budget, the Fourth of July fireworks display and a number of permits and contracts at their meeting Monday night. In addition to their discussion on the budget, the council is holding two work sessions May 9 and May 14. At a city council meeting in April, animal activists came to show support for overnight shelter services in the Bowie. The activists did not want their lost pets to be transferred over to county services in Upper Marlboro if they were found by animal control. A full agenda can be found on the city's website. The meeting will begin at 8 p.m. in city hall.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
As part of our series on veterans and jobs, we're posting veterans' resumes on Patch. If you're a potential employer, we invite you to take a look.
If you're a veteran or have a veteran in your family, you know that the job market for those formerly in the military can be worse than for civilians. In Maryland, the 8.9 percent unemployment rate among the 28,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is higher than the state’s overall average. Veterans often get preference in hiring from government agencies but it's still tough out there. Patch has begun telling some of the stories of the struggles of veterans facing fewer employment opportunities, and the successes, too. But, we want to do more. If you are a veteran and are looking for work, we invite you to contact us so we can put your job search information on our sites. We'll feature you in your hometown Patch among hometown employers. We…
Piotr Gajewski
7:08 pm on Thursday, May 17, 2012
Dennis, It’s pretty easy to cherry pick accolades and stats. For example Maryland has the highest per capita income, highest per capita number of millionaires and the number one public school system. Rockville has been chosen by Bloomberg as one of top ten cities to start a business (I don’t think any Virginia cities made the list). Then there is the issue of what criteria are used. If low … more ›