Delegation hears bill to add property-tax credits for public safety and school employees; county warns of large fiscal impact

Delegate Rick Metzger presented House Bill 127 to the Baltimore County delegation as a measure to offer property tax credits to public safety officers, Baltimore County Public School employees and volunteer firefighters in order to incentivize recruitment and retention.

"This could be an incentive," Metzger said, adding that volunteer firehouses face recruitment challenges in parts of the county. Metzger noted an amended version would include volunteer firefighters.

Kyantha Twasegye, state legislative officer for the Baltimore County Executive's Office, testified the county opposes HB127 because it would impose a state mandate that creates a significant, unspecified revenue loss for the county. Twasegye told the delegation that the bill lacks specificity on eligibility counts and pointed to discrepancies between the DLS fiscal note and county staffing figures: the DLS note estimated a $5 million impact, while county counts of public-school employees (15,584 per the fiscal note vs the county's 16,056 authorized positions) and public-safety officers (4,545 authorized) suggest the eventual fiscal effect could be higher once volunteer firefighters are included.

Twasegye asked the House delegation to recommend an unfavorable report on HB127 so the county would not be required to absorb the additional cost.

No formal action was taken at the hearing; the delegation concluded the testimony and moved on to the next bill.