Politics

Piggybacking on a push by city residents from various neighborhoods to fight installation of outdoor gas pressure regulators, Baltimore City Councilman Eric Costello announced the introduction of a bill Thursday that would ban such regulators from single family homes. The bill, which Costello unveiled at a news conference at City Hall, would ban regulators from any building that has five or fewer residential units.

Selected customers will receive a full credit for the outstanding debt they accrued during the pandemic — Jan. 27, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2022. Additional recipients will be selected from customers that qualify for low income housing or live in a qualified U.S. Census ZIP code group, Combs said. Scott said customers who have been selected for the credits will receive a letter notifying them they are a recipient and will see a credit reflected on their next water bill.

A Baltimore County councilman wants to exempt a roadway off Route 147 from the county’s long-standing ban on parking along Big Gunpowder Falls. The proposal has the backing of the county executive. However, some who frequent the Gunpowder River corridor from Carney to Perry Hall doubt that reopening the 2.5-mile road to parking will improve hazardous conditions for pedestrians and drivers.

The ordinance to increase rates was introduced to the Town Council last month. If approved, the increases will take effect Sept. 1, for 3,200 water and sewer customers. The proposal calls for the flat fee charged to each customer connected to the water system to increase from $21 to $25; sewer service costs would rise from $21 to $28.

The Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee owes approximately $14,000 in fines to the Internal Revenue Service for two years of unpaid federal taxes, a budget document shows — but committee leadership has kept quiet about the details, including where the cash was spent. According to a fiscal year 2024 budget proposal, the committee, which is a volunteer-run operation responsible for getting local Democrats elected to public office, nominating politicians for open seats in the state legislature and fundraising for the party, owes the federal government $13,608 in fines and fees for not paying federal taxes in 2017 and 2018.

A Baltimore woman and her 10-year-old son are facing a Monday morning eviction after a city judge denied a request Thursday to delay the case, which likely stems from unpaid water bills in 2018. An attorney representing the family said a few missed water payments led to the house going through tax sale foreclosure in May 2018, a few months after the East Baltimore resident noticed a dramatic change in what she owed.

Baltimore City Council members voted Tuesday to advance a proposal to adjust a boundary in the Port Covington neighborhood so as to exclude a developer from having to pay for inclusion in what’s known as a community benefits district. Formed in 2020 to support the Port Covington neighborhood — where the massive, 235-acre and $5.5 billion Baltimore Peninsula project is located — the community benefits district requires participants to pay a fee to privately fund additional city services such as landscaping, snow removal and security within the boundary. The tax currently is set at 19 cents per every $100 of assessed property value.

Some Baltimore City Council members want a citywide ban on external gas regulators amid a long-standing dispute between some residents and Baltimore Gas and Electric. While the utility claims external gas regulators are safe, some city homeowners disagree and complain that installation of the devices damages their houses.

A Maryland congressman is calling for investigators to look into the COVID-19 test scheme involving Medicare. Maryland U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-District 7, told the 11 News I-Team that he wants the Department of Justice, FBI and others to work with Congress to track down those who are sending unwanted COVID-19 tests to people across Maryland and charging the costs to Medicare.