Legislation proposed to reduce stormwater pollution in Anne Arundel County, comply with Chesapeake Bay "pollution diet."

(Annapolis, MD) November 7, 2011 – Legislation to create a dedicated funding source to reduce polluted stormwater runoff in Anne Arundel County was introduced at the November 7th County Council meeting. The bill was authored by County Councilman Chris Trumbauer (District 6) and co-sponsored by County Council Chairman Dick Ladd (District 5).

The bill is intended to clean up local rivers and streams, create jobs, and improve communities throughout Anne Arundel County. The bill establishes a “stormwater utility,” a proven model that is helping to address stormwater runoff in many other counties and municipalities across the country. The dedicated funding will allow the County to begin working on the large backlog of needed restoration and retrofit projects already identified, but for which there is no funding. The bill would also help Anne Arundel County meet its mandatory obligations to reduce pollution in accordance with the Chesapeake Bay TMDL “pollution diet” and local Watershed Implementation Plans.

“This bill is a much-needed investment in Anne Arundel County,” said Councilman Trumbauer. “The money from this dedicated fund will go directly back into our communities, creating local jobs and cleaning up our waterways. Designing and building projects to reduce stormwater pollution will put County residents to work – in management, planning and engineering type jobs, as well as much needed construction work.

“Reducing polluted stormwater runoff in Anne Arundel County will help clean up our local rivers so we can once again feel safe swimming and fishing in our waterways. In addition, we are protecting our economic industries that rely on clean water – like our tourism and recreation, marina, and seafood industries – and our property values”

Bob Burdon, President/CEO of the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce welcomed the introduction of the bill. “The Chamber of Commerce supported similar legislation a couple of years ago and we were disappointed it was not adopted at that time. We appreciate Councilman Trumbauer bringing this issue back again,” said Burdon.

Nearly one-third of the nitrogen pollution in Anne Arundel County is estimated to come from urban and suburban stormwater runoff, which is also the fastest growing source of pollution to the Chesapeake Bay. Pollution from stormwater runoff is created when developed land, no longer able to act as a “filter” for precipitation, causes rain water to quickly run off paved surfaces directly into nearby waterways. Stormwater runoff carries harmful pollution from nutrients, bacteria, fertilizer, sediment, chemicals and trash straight into our waterways.

Councilman Trumbauer continued, “For too long, Anne Arundel County has suffered from beach closures, waters unsafe for swimming and fishing, and costly flooding and erosion from uncontrolled stormwater runoff. We pride ourselves on our love of the water here in Anne Arundel County – it’s time we got serious about cleaning up our rivers and streams, putting people to work and making this County a safer, cleaner, better place to live.”

The bill would propose a $35 annual fee on the property tax bill for residential properties ($25 for attached units such as condos and townhomes). Non-residential properties will be assessed via a determination of impervious surface, with an Equivalent Dwelling Unit equal to 2,500 square feet. The fee will go into a dedicated fund that can only be spent on the defined purposes – reducing stormwater runoff – and that cannot be raided or diverted.

Projects that reduce polluted stormwater have significant benefits to local communities and neighborhoods. Several other jurisdictions in Maryland currently have some kind of a dedicated stormwater fee, including the City of Annapolis in Anne Arundel County.

The bill number is 79-11 and the legislation will be posted on the County Council website at www.aacounty.org/CountyCouncil/pendingLegis.cfm. The public hearing is scheduled for December 5.

Rezoning Post Game Report

During the last Council meeting, on Tuesday, September 6, the long saga of Comprehensive Rezoning for our District (District 6) finally came to a close. During that meeting, the Council considered the County Executive’s line-item vetoes of 16 amendments from Bill 44-11. Bill 44-11 was passed three weeks prior on August 15, and it contained 46 amendments – some of which were inconsistent with the County’s General Development Plan and the communities’ Small Area Plans. Bill 44-11 dealt with both District 6 (the Greater Annapolis area) and District 7 (South County, and parts of Crofton and Gambrills). 15 of the 16 vetoes were in District 7, and the one veto in District 6 was an amendment that passed despite my opposition. Throughout the entire process, I worked with our communities and the staff of the Office of Planning and Zoning (OPZ) to adhere to the principles of responsible growth, to protect the character of our neighborhoods, and to respect the land use policies outlined in the General Development Plan and the Small Area Plans.

The vast majority of rezonings that occurred in District 6 were proposed by OPZ in Bill 44-11 as introduced by the County Executive. I introduced a handful of amendments to include some proposals not originally put forward by OPZ, and I also modified some of their original proposals. None of the amendments I introduced was strongly opposed by OPZ. There was one particular proposal in the original bill, known as the “Wedding Chapel” property on Generals Highway, which I sought to remove with an amendment. I did this because it was strongly opposed by the neighboring communities and was inconsistent with the Crownsville Small Area Plan. Unfortunately, that amendment was defeated. I asked the County Executive to strike that proposal from the Bill using the line-item veto, but he was unable to do so due to a technicality resulting from the way the Bill 44-11 was structured. In my opinion, that is the one blemish on the District 6 rezoning.

District 7 rezoning was a much different story.  Councilman Walker of District 7 introduced dozens of amendments, some of which I supported, but many I opposed. Many friends and colleagues in South County appealed to me to support their communities and vote against the proposals that violated the long-range planning strategies designed to “Keep South County Rural”. I voted against many of these amendments, but despite my opposition, most of them were passed by the other members of the Council. Some of the rezonings were so egregious that I considered voting against the entire bill. Ultimately, I decided to vote for the bill, but to work with the County Executive to strip out some of the rezonings using the line-item veto. I worked hard publicly and behind the scenes to try to uphold many of those vetoes. I solicited an opinion from the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Planning concerning a 2009 state law that stated that local land ordinances needed to be consistent with local planning documents. I met with members of the community and spoke to my Council Colleagues one-on-one. In the end, six of the sixteen vetoes were upheld.

I want to thank the members of our communities for working with me during this very complex process. We have some good work to show for our efforts. In several of the District 6 rezonings, we were able to secure conservation easements to ensure environmentally sensitive areas were preserved and forever protected from development. In others, we were able to negotiate community covenants which forbid certain objectionable activities or uses on the properties. All in all, I am proud of what we accomplished, and I am proud of the communities I represent for being so engaged in the process.

In other news, I hope that we are finished with natural disasters for a while. I know all of us were affected in some way by this summer’s extreme temperatures, the earthquake, Hurricane Irene, or the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee. As our communities continue to clean up, let us be thankful that the cooler temperatures of autumn are on the way. Hopefully the mosquito population will allow us to enjoy being outside once again. I will be celebrating the dedication of the new Reading and Butterfly Garden at Quiet Waters Park on Wednesday, September 14 at 4:45. See here for more information.

As always, I enjoy hearing from my constituents. Feel free to contact my office any time. Also, please let Janice or me know of important events in your community.

I continue to feel honored to represent you on the County Council.

- Chris

410-222-1401
ctrumbauer@aacounty.org

Rezoning proposals in District 6

Dear Community Leaders and Residents of District 6,

I have been working over the last several weeks to finalize the zoning

amendments that I wish to make onto Bill 44-11. I have listed the proposals

below. Some are modifications of existing proposals in the bill, and others

are new amendments, submitted by applicants in accordance with the

procedures laid out before the bill was introduced. In all cases, I have

worked with the Office of Planning and Zoning (OPZ), the applicants, and

nearby communities or civic associations to try to come up with the best

possible proposal.

Comp Rezoning - here we go!

Over the past several weeks, I have hosted a series of community meetings to provide information and solicit feedback regarding the upcoming Comprehensive Rezoning for District 6. Over 100 residents attended these meetings, and there was a good information exchange. Also, last night (6/16), the Planning Advisory Board (PAB) conducted a "listening session" for the public to comment on proposed amendment requests. The three community meetings and the PAB hearing were all very valuable for me as your District 6 representative. Thanks to all of you who attended.

The next phase of the Comprehensive Rezoning process begins on Monday night, June 20. The Comp Rezoning Bill, #44-11, will have a public hearing at the County Council meeting. This is the best opportunity for residents to voice their opinions on any proposals within the bill, or any of the amendment requests. There is expected to be a very large turnout, so if you plan to testify, be prepared to stay a while.

Comprehensive Rezoning for District 6

On Monday, May 16, bill 44-11 was introduced. This bill encompasses all the proposals from the Office and Planning and Zoning for the Comprehensive Rezoning of Districts 6 and 7.

Each of the proposals is listed, along with a brief justification, in a table which can be found here. You can view the proposals on a map here. These proposals will be the topic of a County Council work session on June 13 at 9 am. The public is welcome to attend but there will not be an opportunity for public comment at the work session. The bill will have a public hearing at the June 20 County Council meeting. At that point, amendments may be offered to the bill.

Budget Time

Budget Time is in full swing. The Council has been hearing presentations on both the capital and operating budgets from various county agencies this week.

The view from my desk during a budget hearing...

These budget hearings will continue next week. Next week also presents the opportunity for the public to speak on the budget.

Next up: Budget and Comp Rezoning

The two most important issues of my young Council term are right around the corner: The Budget and Comprehensive Rezoning.

On April 15 at 11:00 am, the County Executive will present his budget to the Council. While I don't know exactly what it will look like, most observers agree that it will not be anything to cheer about. We can be sure that county employees will once again be forced to take a large number of furlough days. Some positions may even be cut. The Executive has signaled that he will not fully fund K-12 Education as required by state law. I also fear cuts to the Library system, community service organizations, and other services that county residents depend on.

First Contact

Dear friends and colleagues,

This is the first of what will sure to be many periodic updates that I will send out to constituents and community leaders to discuss pending legislation and other issues affecting our community. (If you would like to receive these updates by email, please let us know. Contact info is at the end of this post.) Since this is the first communication, let me first say that it is truly an honor to represent District 6 on the County Council. I look forward to working with you, and I encourage you to reach out to me anytime. I want to hear from you!  You can find contact information at the end of this message.