The City Council will hold two public hearings on Wednesday, April 25, at 6:30 PM in the Community Center Auditorium. The first will be a hearing on the FY 2019 proposed property tax rate. The second will be a hearing on the FY 2019 proposed budget.

All interested residents should attend the hearings and sign up to speak. Written comments may be submitted to the City Clerk for distribution to the City Council. Email clerk@takomaparkmd.gov.

Note the early start time for the public hearings. They will begin at 6:30 PM. The proposed budget is available for review online.

CITY OF TAKOMA PARK NOTICE OF A PROPOSED
REAL PROPERTY TAX INCREASE AND PUBLIC HEARING

The City Council of the City of Takoma Park proposes to increase real property taxes.

1. For the tax year beginning July 1, 2018, the estimated real property assessable base will increase by 5.38%, from $2,269,258,527 to $2,391,297,820.
2. If the City of Takoma Park maintains the current tax rate of $0.5348 per $100 of assessment, real property tax revenues will increase by 5.38% resulting in $652,666 of new real property tax revenues.
3. In order to fully offset the effect of increasing assessments, the real property tax rate should be reduced to $0.5075, the constant yield tax rate.
4. The City of Takoma Park is considering not reducing its real property tax rate enough to fully offset increasing assessments. The City of Takoma Park proposes to adopt a real property tax rate of $0.545 per $100 of assessment. This tax rate is 7.39% higher than the constant yield tax rate and will generate $896,578 in additional property tax revenues.
A public hearing on the proposed real property tax rate increase will be held at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, April 25 in the Takoma Park Community Center Auditorium, 7500 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park, Maryland.
The hearing is open to the public, and public testimony is encouraged.
Persons with questions regarding this hearing may call 301-891-7267 for further information.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON THE FY 2019 PROPOSED BUDGET

Immediately after the public hearing on the real property tax rate, the City Council will hold a public hearing to receive comments on the FY 2019 Proposed Budget.  The proposed budget may be viewed online.

Learn how to make your lawn beautiful without harmful herbicides & pesticides!

Learn from the nation’s expert on the essentials of pesticide-free lawn care, including caring for your living soil,  proper techniques to keep weeds down, and use of natural, organic products. Also get your lawn care questions answered at this workshop.

This free public event is part of the City of Takoma Park’s Safe Grow initiative to protect public health from exposure to harmful herbicides & pesticides, and forward community efforts in environmental sustainability.

Join us at the Takoma Park Community Center (7500 Maple Ave) on Saturday, April 28 from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm.

This event is open to all – to RSVP, go online: bit.ly/myorganiclawn

The City Council will hold a public hearing on the proposed FY 2019 Budget on Wednesday, April 11, at 7:30 PM in the Auditorium of the Takoma Park Community Center, 7500 Maple Avenue. Interested persons should attend the public hearing and sign up to speak.

Comments may also be submitted online:

Comment Form for FY 2019 Budget

Link to Proposed FY 2019 Budget and City Manager’s Budget Presentation

The FY19 Proposed Budget is now available for review online.

Please take time to look over the Proposed Budget as we prepare to engage in the budget process over the coming weeks.

See you at the Budget Open House on Saturday, April 7 from 2:00 to 5:00 pm in the Azalea Room of the Takoma Park Community Center!

Notice of Proposed Administrative Regulation for the Implementation and Enforcement of Takoma Park Code, Chapter 8.16, Sale of Food and Drink, Section 8.16.090 Outdoor Cafes on Public Sidewalks

An Administrative Regulation is being proposed for the implementation and enforcement of Chapter 8.16, Section 8.16.090 Outdoor Cafes on Public Sidewalks (see Ordinance 2018-8). The regulation addresses permit modifications, renewal and revocation procedures, application fees, annual permit fees, calculation of annual fee increases, right-of-way lease terms and conditions, insurance and indemnification requirements, City approval of alcohol sales, City- imposed limitations on the hours, additional permit criteria and standards, and prohibited activities.

Pursuant to the requirements of the “Administrative Regulations Ordinance” (Authority: Chapter 2.12 “Administrative Regulations,” of the Takoma Park Code), notice of the City’s intention to adopt an administrative regulation must be publicly noted, allowing for the opportunity to comment on the proposal.

Review the Proposed Regulation

CLICK HERE TO COMMENT

Ordinance 2018-8 Amending the City Code Chapter 8.16, Sale of Food and Drink, to Allow for Outdoor Cafe Seating in the Public Right-of-Way

To obtain further information about the proposed regulation, contact Sara Anne Daines, Director, Housing and Community Development Department, 7500 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912, 301-891-7224, SaraD@takomaparkmd.gov.

It’s tax season and there are several resources that Takoma Park residents may find beneficial when filing their taxes: The Maryland Homestead Tax Credit, Homeowners’ Property Tax Credit, and Renters’ Tax Credit.

The Maryland Homestead Tax Credit was designed to help homeowners deal with large assessment increases on their principal residence. The Homestead Credit limits the increase in taxable assessments each year to a fixed percentage. Every county and municipality in Maryland is required to limit taxable assessment increases to 10% or less each year. Click here to view a listing of homestead caps.

The State of Maryland has developed a Homeowners’ Property Tax Credit Program which allows credits against the homeowner’s property tax bill if the property taxes exceed a fixed percentage of the person’s gross income. In other words, it sets a limit on the amount of property taxes any homeowner must pay based upon his or her income.

The Renters’ Tax Credit Program provides property tax credits for renters who meet certain requirements. The plan was modeled after and designed to be similar in principle to the Homeowners’ Tax Credit Program, which is known to many as the Circuit Breaker Program. The concept rests on the reasoning that renters indirectly pay property taxes as part of their rent and thus should have some protection, as do homeowners.

The plan is based upon the relationship between rent and income. If the portion of rent attributable to the assumed property taxes exceeds a fixed amount in relation to income, the renter can, under specified conditions, receive a credit of as much as $1,000. The credit is paid as a direct check from the State of Maryland.

Montgomery County also offers specialized tax credits for individuals over 65 and military retirees. To learn more about this credit please visit their website.

For questions and to learn more about Maryland tax credits, please visit the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation.

Are you a renter, a homeowner, landlord, housing advocate or just interested in local housing issues? Please join us on Monday, February 26 at 7:00 pm in the Auditorium of the Community Center as we continue the conversation on how to address the Takoma Park City Council’s interests in providing diverse housing opportunities to residents throughout our community. We welcome your input.

Representatives from Mullin & Lonergan, one of the firms working on the City’s upcoming strategic plan, will provide background information on current conditions in Takoma Park and the region, give an overview of the feedback gathered from local housing representatives, and discuss the housing recommendations included in the draft Strategic Plan.

Audience members will have an opportunity to ask questions and provide comment to the City Council.

Unable to attend? Weigh in on the discussion on Facebook Live or provide your feedback online at bit.ly/2jnK1fV

The City of Takoma Park will hold a seminar on “Tree Protection Measures for Professionals”  Saturday 02/24/18 from 9 am to 11.30 am in the Azalea room at the Community Center (7500 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912).

Mr. Keith Pitchford will present information about tree preservation measures during construction and Mr.  Jan van Zutphen, Urban Forest Manager with the City of Takoma Park, will provide information about the requirements for tree preservation in the City Code.

While the seminar is geared towards professionals in the fields of landscape design, architecture and construction, anyone is welcome. (RSVP appreciated but not required).  Refreshments will be served.  For more info/RSVP: JanVZ@takomaparkmd.gov or 301-891-7612.

Although the Commemoration Commission public hearing comment period has ended, comments may still be submitted for the City Council’s consideration.  Please submit your comments via this online form.

Background Information

The City Council held a work session discussion on September 13, 2017 about names of City streets and parks that are associated with Civil War figures. Some options under consideration by the Council include the following:

1) seek authority from the Montgomery County Planning Department to change the street names;

2) rely on the procedure already in place for residences and businesses on a street to petition the Montgomery County Planning Department for a street name change, or;

3) maintain the current street names but add commemorative names or markers to the streets to provide a historical context.

Any of these options would require a community process to ensure that the decision reflects the views of the residents on the streets in question.

The Commemoration Commission held a public hearing to gather comments and suggestions from residents, especially those living on the streets potentially named for Civil War generals: Grant Avenue, Hancock Avenue, Lee Avenue, Sheridan Avenue, and Sherman Avenue.

Comments and suggestions were requested on the following options:

1) pursue renaming of the street(s) through the formal process with Montgomery County;

2) maintain the street names but add a commemorative name and signage to provide historic context for the existing names; or,

3) make no change.

The public hearing took place on January 29, 2018.  View the video.