More property tax stuff

Just a quick response to a hypothetical tax portability scenario posted yesterday by HoCoBlog. I only plan on making a few specific points. If you want more background, click here and here.

My neighbors teach in the HoCo school system.



Their house is currently assessed at $245,000 (property tax = $2,485 [Robey plan]) and will phase in to $350,000 in a few years (property tax $3,549). They could easily sell the house for $400,000 (that is conservative - worse houses are going for more than $450,00 in this neighborhood).



Their last kid just graduated from college and is moving to Michigan.



They aren't downsizing, but in case they wanted to downsize here is what it would mean to them.



$1,065 per year. Not much of an incentive, right? If the median income in Howard County is $87,000 then that represents a 2% raise (1.8% in reality - I am rounding up for this exercise). Who doesn't want a 2% raise?

Only, a 2 percent raise is not quite right. First, because local property taxes are deductible from your federal income taxes, you’re not really paying the full price anyway. You’re probably paying, in real terms, about 70 percent of your tax bill, meaning this family would save only about $745 a year, which is equivalent to 0.8 percent of annual median income (and actually, HoCoBlog’s 2 percent is wrong; $1065 is 1.2 percent of $87,000).

A 0.8 percent raise, in my mind, is not a big enough incentive to convince wafflers to move. It certainly doesn’t outweigh the transaction expenses and moving costs (let alone the time and never-ending stress of buying and moving to a new house).

Now, this scenario doesn’t involve the benefits to downsizers – namely, seniors moving to a less-expensive home. When HoCoBlog runs those numbers, he finds that the same couple would save about $1200 a year (factoring in the property tax deduction, it would actually be about $850 a year). Regardless, he has this to say:

Someone might say $100 per month is no big deal. Well $100 per month is a big deal to some people - the same people we want to extend affordable housing to.

Yes, but most of those people – those who need affordable housing – aren’t affected at all by this program. They don’t own houses, which pretty much precludes them from property tax portability.

Finally, he argues that the county would benefit revenue-wise because it is still collecting income taxes on this couple, who presumably would have moved away without a tax portability program. The problem with this argument is that it is completely backwards. Because housing is so expensive in Howard County, many if not most long-time homeowners could not afford to buy the houses they live in now. If we encourage them to stay by making it cheaper to move around, then we’re stuck with their lower incomes, instead of having new, higher-earning families moving in (and providing us more tax revenue).

But also, we have to look at income tax as collected by households – not individuals. In that sense, it doesn’t matter who’s living where – as long as somebody’s living in each house.

I’m certainly not in favor of pushing anyone out of the county. I just don’t think that using income tax revenue as a justification works.

Final finally, much is made about how this plan could help seniors. But what about if they want to actually stay where they are, instead of downsizing or moving to a different part of the county? Why force them to move to take advantage of the tax benefits?

Monday Round Up...

Just a couple of comments on stories from yesterday’s Sun…

More details on the Republican tax proposal: In addition to making it possible for seniors to age in place and for regular families to buy even larger houses, the tax relief measure being paraded around by five Republican county council candidates will also: 1) make it easier for working families to buy homes; 2) increased county revenue; 3) not promote further development. Sadly, for the equine enthusiasts, there’s no word on whether it includes Free Ponies.

Chances are, if something sounds too good to be true (especially in the middle of campaign season), it is neither true nor good. Because I don’t want to write it off yet, I’ll just say that projections of the measure’s success seem a little, um, optimistic.

Without question, the bill would lower the tax burden for current Howard County homeowners who move into new homes, but I don’t think that fact alone is enough to sell the plan county-wide. So, its proponents tack on a few of other benefits, each characterized by varying degrees of dubiousness. To wit:

More Homes for Working Families: The premise behind this claim is that a non-trivial number of current homeowners are desperately longing to move up, but out of fear of increased tax burdens, theyÂ’re staying put. If they did move up, the reasoning goes, more lower priced housing would be available to first-time and low-equity families. The benefits, therefore, would trickle down from the "wealthy" (in terms of equity) to the not-so-wealthy. Is this really the case? Even if it is, is there any way for us to know this?

My guess is that increased taxes aren't preventing a significant amount of people from moving. The decision to move is based on so many factors -- location, family size, income growth -- that a few hundred dollars of tax savings each year isn't going to have a noticeable effect. Because this idea is still new (it has been proposed, though not passed, in parts of Florida), there are no examples for us to use as guidance. If I'm wrong -- that is, if you are looking to move but won't because of extra taxes -- let me know in comments.

Increased County Revenue: This one is similar to the argument peddled by supply-siders everywhere -- namely, cutting taxes leads to increased economic growth that is strong enough to offset tax-rate reductions, resulting in increased revenue. Originally formulated on a napkin, or so goes the story, this idea is known as the Laffer Curve and, according to a study by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (.pdf doc), does not live up to its promise. Of course, the CBO study looked at income and not property taxes, but anytime you have a completely counterintuitive idea that matches your ideology perfectly, a sea red flags should be waving.

Won't Increase Development: This may or may not be the case. It's really hard to say, but given the massive development pressures we're seeing now (and will likely see for many years to come), I wouldn't be surprised if there was little or no impact on development as a result of this proposal.

More generally, a plan that encourages unstable neighborhoods because of increased incentives to "move around" the housing market is probably not the best approach. As I said, I support in concept making it easier for seniors to age in place, but when a major proponent of senior issues -- Democratic candidate in District 5 Donald Dunn -- is against the policy, you should probably think twice. Like the Democrats quoted in the Sun's story, I'm apprehensive about any policy that exists only in the vacuum of thoughts. Right now, the debate is strictly theoretical. There is no data or experiences of other counties to look at before making a decision.

It's baaaaaccccckkkk: Belmont. The county's decision to buy Belmont, which seemed like it would make everything hunky-dory on the Ridge of Elk, is apparently not without it's own complications. Grossly oversimplying things a bit, it sounds like even though the county is going to relieve Howard Community College of the public relations disaster it is in, the root cause of the PR snafu remains, which is that a developer still has a valid, contractual claim to some of the land.

Preservationists are opposing an earmark in the capital budget that would provide funds for renovations to the property on the basis that the situation could become a great big legal mess for all parties. Here's an excerpt from the story:

"The contract grants rights, some irrevocable, to the trustee [developer Chip Lundy] that presents severe if not insurmountable fiscal limitations for the county and the college," [Preservation Howard County President Mary Catherine] Cochran said at Thursday night's County Council budget hearing. "We now know that this agreement has put the college and Belmont at risk."

Lundy said Friday that Cochran's fears are unfounded.

"There is no intention - never will be, in my view - of going to court on any issue with this," he said. "We want to cooperate fully with the foundation and the county. There will not be a cloud on the county's title."

Lundy, a prominent county builder, originally hoped to construct upscale senior housing on or next to the Belmont property, which is surrounded by state-owned parkland.

"That's all history now," he said. "There will be no conflict with me."

At the same time, his lawyers have told the foundation that it is premature to refund his $1 million, since his purchase options on land at Belmont don't expire until Dec. 31 next year, he said.

"We have some time," Lundy said. "We have a contract."

It sounds to me like Lundy knows he's got something and he's not backing down, which probably isn't a good thing for Belmont supporters. And, which probably also means that the whole situation could get a lot messier in the future than it ever was in the past.

Friday Pet Blogging...

A bunch of “real” bloggers do it all time, so why can’t I?

Anyway, since I’ve already sent this picture to half my address book, I figured I’d post it on the blog also.



Mr. Finch (not his real name, but close), keeping an eye on his new domain.

Be back Sunday!

WaPo to leave HoCo...

That's the word on the street. Very unfortunate. We benefit from multiple sources of news, and losing one is never good.

It may be too late to reverse their decision, but it can't hurt to send Robert J. McCartney, the Assistant Managing Editor for Metro News, a note voicing your displeasure. He can be reached at mccartneyr@washpost.com.

Thanks to a reader for the tip.

Pull the plug...

…on the affordable housing bill. It’s so jumbled and toothless and probably-ineffective at this point, that there’s nothing left to do but scrap it. Start over, and this time expand the focus. Housing is perhaps the most essential element of a community. Trying to address the housing situation in a vacuum – as this bill would do – is a sure way to accomplish very little.

A Howard County Council bill designed to boost affordable housing likely will drop references to a proposed "middle-income" group of families earning up to $90,000 a year while referring only to low-income eligibility.

Despite a seeming consensus on that issue, a scheduled Monday night vote on two housing bills probably will be delayed one month, council members said, so they can further consider the complex topic. The second housing bill would allow an extra 100 moderate-income units a year in the eastern county, which drew no objections.

…The primary housing bill sought to define a new middle-income category of families, but not create a program to help them buy homes. That would come later, county officials said, perhaps when the final plan for redeveloping downtown Columbia is completed.

Hoping for a program later is probably not the best way to go about this. In general, this bill is probably not the best way to go about this either.

Keep this in mind:

Including higher-income families in housing programs is designed to deal with the situation created by soaring home prices over the past five years. Advocates say a family with an income of $84,000 a year is able to qualify for a mortgage of $245,000, but that includes only 5 percent of county homes for sale.

Median income in Howard County is around $84,000. So, essentially, half the population is vying for 5 percent of the housing. And you’re telling me a couple hundred affordable units a year is going to make an impact?

Let’s forget what we’ve done and start from the beginning.

What about the children?!?

All this talk about enhancing future housing opportunities for current Howard County homeowners got me thinking about a study I read recently for work.

Avoiding Failure to Launch: A Grown Children Benchmark for Projecting Future Housing Needs examines the situation in Orange County, California by collecting data on the housing preferences of local 25 year olds and compares this with the number of 15 year olds living in the county today – giving us a sense of what their needs will be ten years from now.

Like all academic studies, the piece is rife with caveats, but the fundamental model, analysis and results are sound – namely, without taking into account the housing needs of other groups, Orange County in ten years will have far fewer houses than grown children looking for houses.

The situation in Howard County, I would wager, is roughly similar. As much as I’d like to recreate exactly the model used in the study above, I have neither the data nor the statistical wherewithal to do so. But I do have the back of this envelope and a penchant for assumptions. Let’s see what happens.

According to the 2004 American Community Survey (published by the US Census Bureau), there are around 43,000 teenagers (ages 10 to 19) among us. How many of them would actually choose to live in Howard County once they’ve grown up? The above study basically says all of them (with the understanding that those who move out for good would likely be replaced by someone of the same age moving in from somewhere else).

Another factor in determining housing needs is the number of people per house. Clearly, some are going to be married. Some will have roommates. And some (well, a few) will live alone.

Using the data available to them, the study’s authors conclude that the ratio of housing to population is around 35 percent; that is, the number of grown-children households is roughly 1/3 the total population of these children when they were 15.

Using their findings, Howard County’s teenagers today will create in the future roughly 15,000 additional households (43,000*35 percent = 15,000) or approximately 1500 households per year beginning sometime in the next five or so years (the age data is aggregated into a 10-year chunk).

Since we currently allocate housing units at a rate of 1600 per year – and many people think this is already too much, and the “built out” drumbeat grows louder – we are probably looking at a significant housing shortfall for our Prodigal Sons (and Daughters). Factor in the fact that people other than our children will likely try to move here, and “probably” becomes “certainly.”

As important as it is that we find ways to help current residents stay in Howard County if they wish, I would argue that a more important goal should be adequate housing for our children once they’ve grown. From a strictly economic standpoint, it would be nice to get some returns (tax dollars) on our investments (public schools). But who cares about economics?

The more important reasons for providing homes for children who have grown up here are related to family, community and values. I know some kids just want to get as far away from their parents as possible when they grow up, but most, I would argue, do not. They seek the family support structure, especially when they start a family of their own (Grandparents: The World’s Best Babysitters).

Others, moreover, have social networks that they wish to keep intact – friends, mentors, teachers, etc. – something that rests to a large extent (for now) on geographic proximity.

Finally, our children are products and stewards of our collective community values. Not only does it make perfect sense that they would choose to live in the community that shaped them, but it also seems ideal for us to have our children return to ensure our shared values are preserved.

Maybe I’m just frustrated by the fact that so many of my friends have been forced to move elsewhere in search of cheaper housing (in fact, western Baltimore County is so crowded with them that we can probably call it North Columbia [wait, isn’t that what we call Ellicott City?]). As far as I know, many of them would have preferred to live in Howard County, but…

It’s great that we are working to make it easier for seniors to age in place and proposals are being floated to ease the tax burdens for most homeowners, but these are reactionary measures meant to address problems that are present now.

While seemingly everyone supports “good” planning, few seem to agree on what exactly “good” means. I don’t have that answer, but I do know that failing to think about the future housing needs of our own children is the epitome of bad planning.

A tax on both houses...

When I first read this post by HoCoBlog this morning, I wondered: “Where is he coming from?” The idea he’s proposing isn’t half bad – though projecting five children in my future is probably a little generous (and don’t even get me started on living in Carroll County) – but it just came out of nowhere. Or so it seemed until I read through the Howard County Times at lunch and found that the concept is being pushed by all of the Republican candidates for county council (if only the Democratic candidates could work so well together…)

Here’s a long excerpt – the plan requires a good amount of explaining:

Republican County Council candidates Tom D'Asto, Gina Ellrich, Greg Fox, Tony Salazar and Donna Thewes unveiled the plan this week. It is aimed at giving homeowners a tax break when they buy a more expensive home in the county.

The plan would allow homeowners to transfer some of the savings they realize from the county's cap on property tax increases to a more expensive home in the county.

The goal is to encourage people to buy better homes without worrying about facing huge hikes in property taxes, Fox said.

The plan relies in part on a county law that prohibits property tax bills from rising more than 5 percent annually, no matter how large the state's tax assessment of the property rises.

In essence, the GOP plan would allow a homeowner to transfer to a more expensive home the tax savings from the cap that he or she is realizing on a current home.

The candidates painted a scenario in which a homeowner living in a house assessed at $450,000 pays taxes, thanks to the cap, on $300,000 of that value - a $150,000 difference.

Under current county law, if that homeowner then buys a home assessed at $525,000, he or she must pay property taxes based on the full assessment.

The GOP plan would allow the homeowner to subtract from their new tax assessment the $150,000 savings he or she realized on their former home. That means the owner would pay property taxes on $375,000 of the new $525,000 home.

Any increases in the annual tax bill on the house would grow from $375,000 and not $525,000.

And here’s what HoCoBlog had to say in his update (you really should read his post for a better idea of how this would work in real life):

I don't think the article adequately explains the benefits to Seniors downsizing to a less expensive home with a greater property tax bill. It also doesn't explain that the plan would still phase in the assessment on the new property.

The plan certainly sounds interesting, but it makes me wonder at what point we (the taxpayers, that is) dedicate too many resources to homeowners, and I say this as one who finally gets to enjoy the fruits of 60 years of federal (and state and local) tax/housing policies.

Between the mortgage interest deduction, phased-in assessments, and other perks, homeowners are already given considerable priority over renters in our tax code; over $120 billion in federal tax dollars are foregone each year because of the mortgage deduction.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating for the repeal of the mortgage interest deduction, at least not until I’m paying considerably less in interest. But, at some point, we have to say enough is enough with middle class homeowner entitlements and special treatment.

Yes, I know it sucks to have your annual property tax bill more than double when you move into a new home that is maybe worth only 30 percent more than your previous one. But it’s hard for me to have much sympathy for someone spending upwards of a half a million dollars on a home.

Under this plan, first-time homebuyers, who pay taxes based on the full assessment, would be the only ones ever paying their full share of property taxes, which is about as close to backasswards as you can get (if it were seniors and first-time buyers, that would be completely backwards, but I digress). Do we really need to make it harder for first-time buyers – those without considerable pools of equity – to join the club?

How does this plan make it harder for them? Consider this:

Two families are identical in nearly every way, except one owns a house and the other does not (for the sake of this example, the non-house-owning family has a sizeable portfolio of stocks and plans to use this wealth as “equity” for a down payment). Both really like the same house and decide to bid on it. Naturally, the cost of the house is near the upper limits of what each can afford, only the repeat-buying family manages to outbid the other family mainly because they benefit from having owned a home in Howard County and therefore, unlike the first-time buyers, don’t have to pay taxes on the full value of the house, meaning their total out-of-pocket house payments are lower.

In this case, the tax plan acts kind of like the Bonus Card at Giant – it offers lower prices if you’re in the exclusive club.

I will grant you that there is a decent argument for using tax policy to help those who currently live in Howard County and wish to stay here. But I’m not convinced that this is the ideal solution.

Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in…

Like a bunch of dirty hippies reveling in the age of Aquarius, Columbia voters charged to the polls Saturday demanding that light be shed on the inner workings of the ultra-secretive NSA Columbia Association. I understand candidates for CA’s Board of Directors need something to campaign on, but, really, the debate over open meetings strikes me as the worst strawman since Michael Jackson in the Wiz.

Is CA really secretive? I don’t know and nor do I care, because that’s not what this is about. This is about broader things – the charrette, individual politics – that have barely any relevance to CA.

With respect to closed meetings, does anyone ever bother asking why? Why would a member choose to close meetings in the first place? What is in it for them? What’s their incentive? If we’re all just lab monkeys pushing buttons for food (or electric shocks), what are they getting (or hoping to get) for pushing our buttons? Voted off the board? Endless criticism?

As far as I’m concerned, meetings are closed because they deal with contracts, personnel matters and other such things that will either come to light shortly or will never come to light for legal reasons.

However, if you can answer the above questions without using conspiracy theories, then we might just have to get together and sing…

Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in…

I think board chairman Tom O’Conner sums up pretty well why all this closed meetings stuff is a bit of a farce.

O'Connor added that improving the CA board's openness and its communication with residents are goals all members share.

"I think we all agree with that and we all strive for that," he said. "I think (Coyle and Kirsch's) opponents advocated that. That's like saying, 'I love Mom and apple pie.' "

I prefer Free Ponies, but Mom and apple pie aren’t bad.

Fear and loathing at Merriweather...

I’d like to highlight some really good (and one really bad) letters to the editor about the HFStival in the Flier. First, the good stuff:

The concerns raised in your article "Merriweather's HFStival sparks some concern" stink of candidates for office in search of an issue late in the campaign. It seems that they are almost nostalgic about supposed transgressions of the "Deadheads" of long ago.

…I suggest that before Stephen Meskin, Cynthia Coyle and David Willemain pass judgement, they buy some tickets and go to the concert. The music may not be to their liking and the audience may be a bit younger than your average Wine in the Woods attendee, but they will certainly see that concerts such as this are attended by people looking to have fun, not cause problems. Perhaps they will even see that some of us moved to Columbia because of Merriweather, not despite it.

How right you are, Fred Johnston of Hickory Ridge.

Tell me there’s more. Yes, yes there is.

I am writing in response to "Merriweather's HFStival unnerving residents" in the Columbia Flier ("Merriweather's HFStival sparks some concern" in the Howard County Times) April 20. Why does the Times choose to put a negative spin on something positive for Columbia because of the opinions of a few choice residents?

Ask the numerous restaurants, shops and other businesses that stand to gain from the influx of upwards of 54,000 concert attendees. Ask the parents of children in the Columbia vicinity who will attend the concert if they prefer their children to be close to home instead of trekking down to the District or, worse, Northern Virginia. Ask the legislators and the folks from Save Merriweather who struggled to save a legendary Columbia landmark from becoming yet another apartment and townhouse community.

I know pretty well the people behind Save Merriweather, Michael Milburn, and I can tell you unequivocally they were not contacted for the horrible story in question. But, thankfully, people like you are not afraid to call out journalistic sloppiness.

Still more…

Merriweather was built as a part of our planned community to expose people of all ages to the cultural experience of live musical performances and to bring added revenue into our community. I applaud Merriweather and their management for working to bring this type of event to our area, and for their ongoing effort to work with the local government to make the necessary arrangements to manage the impact that such an event has on the community. One of the great things about Columbia is that there are both numerous things to do and multiple ways to get around the backups that something like this will cause in the downtown area.
I encourage those that don't like the HFStival to take the time to find something else to do that day, and to find an alternate route to get there if your choice of activities takes you through the downtown area.

The positive things something like the HFStival will bring to our community far outweigh the negatives. It will expose kids, teens and adults to a wide variety of music, and give them an opportunity to relax, blow off some steam and enjoy themselves for a day or two over the Memorial Day weekend.

Will there be drinking, traffic congestion and noise? Sure, but no more then we'd see at Wine in the Woods, the Columbia Classic Grand Prix, the Fourth of July celebration or many other great events that come to our area.

Brad Speierman, writer of this piece, is a tremendous American. Thank you, Fred, Michael and Brad (disclosure: I don’t know any of these fine gentlemen) for bringing some intelligence to a discussion heretofore dominated an irrational fear of young people.

Of course, there were some (well, one) who thinks the apocalypse (perhaps even the Rapture) is set for Memorial Day weekend. I’m calling on you, John L. Preston.

Well, fellow Columbians, forget about having a pleasant Memorial Day weekend. We are about to be invaded by 54,000 fans who will attend Merriweather's HFStival on May 27-28. The festival will feature reggae, rock, hip-hop and punk "music." We can look forward to heavy traffic, circling helicopters, sirens of emergency and police vehicles, drunkenness, drug use and (probably) fights.

One wonders, what does he think qualifies as “music?” I guess it has something to with age of the artist or his/her fans, which I’ve always thought is a pretty good way to judge the quality of something.

Who is responsible for this mess? Well, let's see ... certainly Jean Parker, the general manager of Merriweather Post Pavilion, deserves a lot of the blame. The Columbia Association is complicit because it is leasing land to Merriweather during the "concert" and failed to inform Columbians (but what else is new) of the impending invasion.

Mr. Preston, you can go after CA all you want, even though it is not their job to knock on every door and get approval from every resident before entering into an agreement that is pretty much standard for most big Town Center events, like our cherished Wine in the Woods, an event that actually encourages public drunkenness (or, euphemistically, "wine-tasting").

However, attacking Jean Parker is beyond the pale. Parker is active in the community and very responsive to residents concerns about noise. And, what’s more, she doesn’t even book the shows. That’s the guys at IMP Productions. But I guess details don’t matter when your consumed with anger and set only on attacking innocent people.

Merriweather is not a good neighbor. It does not serve most of the people of Columbia. I would venture that the overwhelming majority of attendees at any given concert (especially the upcoming HFStival) will not be from Columbia or Howard County. Who does Merriweather benefit? You gue$$ed it: General Growth Propertie$.

I’m sorry. You lose all credibility when, without a single trace of irony, you replace the letter S with a $.

But just to humor Mr. Preston, of course the majority of those attending the HFStival will be from outside Howard County. Merriweather, though located in Town Center, operates in a regional market that encompasses much more land than just our little city. And if you look at the attendance numbers, Merriweather sells more tickets in Howard County than any other county in its market, even though Howard is one of the smallest. So, it is disproportionately a place for locals. I know it’s not very fun to have to use facts when making an argument.

Could Merriweather be a good neighbor and profitable as well? Sure it could, by offering an eclectic mix of entertainment. If you don't believe me, take a look at the upcoming schedule of events for Wolf Trap.

Again with the making stuff up. Of course Wolf Trap can offer “an eclectic mix of entertainment.” It doesn’t have to (nor does it) make a profit. It’s a national park and its annual revenue losses are covered by everyone who pays federal taxes. What's more, there's a nonprofit foundation designed specifically to support it's operations. If Mr. Preston would like to discuss establishing a private foundation to fund more artistic and cultural events at Merriweather, I'm sure I can find several people who would be willing to help, including the guys at IMP.

Merriweather and IMP Productions try every year to offer as diverse a lineup as possible, even though they lose money on the more “eclectic” shows. In fact, they readily admit that all of their annual profits are made off of the two or three sell out concerts each year.

I have long advocated for a more diverse schedule for Merriweather and for the venue to host more community events. But I understand this is only possible if we support them as a community and allow them to make money hosting blockbuster events like the HFStival. Perhaps if IMP had a long-term contract to manage the pavilion, they would be willing to take more risks on “real” culture instead of just “pop” culture. And it probably wouldn’t hurt if those wishing to see a more eclectic schedule didn’t seek out opportunities to say how much they dislike the pavilion, its managers, and its supporters.

Sorry, I got a little worked up there...

Wednesday Round Up: Perfect Weather Edition

I’m not usually a fan of high pressure weather – it’s just not very interesting. I like my weather active.

That said, today’s weather is fantastic, thanks to the gusty cold front that blew through last night. With the strong spring sun, warmer-than-crisp-and-cooler-than-mild temperatures, clear skies and a gentle breeze, it is quite possibly the perfect spring day. (Sure, it could be a little warmer and still be nice, but there’s just something great about the combination of crisp air and warm sun…)

And to think, I’ve been cooped up all day, forced to look out the window at the beautiful day and what I once – in much more contentious times – referred to with fellow rabble rousers as the Death Star.

Well, no more looking and longing. It’s time to do something, to escape the soft, liquid crystal glow of the monitor and get outside. I’ve got a dog that needs walking and a bike that needs riding.

For now, I’ll leave you with this, Wednesday’s Round Up:

If you haven’t read The Sun’s series on prominent Howard Countian Randy Nixon, you really should. His story is simply enthralling. Here is Part 1 and here is Part 2.

Still more human interest. Here’s a piece on Nick Kyritsopoulos, owner of Kings Contrivance Formal Wear, provider of my tuxedoes for both proms (junior and senior), and last minute savior before a friend’s wedding in December. If you need something altered, his store is the place to go.

Enough with the fluff. The results are in from the village elections last weekend…well, except for Hickory Ridge, which didn’t have a large enough turnout to validate the results. Other villages had similarly low turnout, though none low enough to require an additional day. I’m not trying to be snarky by asking this, but does paltry voter participation undermine the credibility of the Columbia Council and village boards? Also, have village elections ever generated significant turnout?

In our quest for excellence in our schools, are we going too far?

Parents and administrators are responsible for most of the harassing behavior toward Howard County School System employees, according to a top school union official.

“One thing that really disturbed me was, in some cases, it [the harassing behavior] was in the presence of administrators, where parents screamed during conferences,” said Ann DeLacy, president of the Howard County Education Association, which is the union that represents teachers, instructional assistants, nurses, cafeteria workers and secretaries, among others.

Granted, this is a study conducted by the teacher’s union, but I don’t think that alone is reason to question its results. I have heard from others that this really is a growing problem.

Being involved in your child’s education is good parenting.

But at some point, you have to trust the professionals.

How ‘bout them Eagles? Centennial’s baseball team is kicking ass and singing songs. It puts a smile on my face to see them breaking out some Stevie Wonder in the dugout. The kids are, in fact, all right.

I have to say something...

Naturally.

A two-day music festival that could bring up to 54,000 people to downtown Columbia over the Memorial Day weekend has some residents concerned that the event could lead to civic disturbances and unbearable traffic.

"I think there will be a lot of drinking, and I'm concerned about safety that night," said Stephen Meskin, a Town Center resident who is running for a seat on the village board. "Kids drinking is just not healthy, and I'm concerned about traffic."

...Meskin, 65, who has lived in Town Center 26 years, said he worries the event could become similar to the Grateful Dead's appearances at Merriweather in the 1980s and 1990s.

During those concerts, the rock group's fans, known as "Deadheads" descended on downtown Columbia, slept around Lake Kittamaqundi and sold marijuana, Meskin said.

(Biting my tongue)

Comparing the HFStival to the Grateful Dead is a natural reaction for people who don't know any better -- of whom there are apparently many. Such comparisions, however inappropriate, are inevitable whenever Merriweather and young people come up -- it's a variant on Godwin's Law, I think.

As Jean Parker, manager of Merriweather, said, the HFStival is NOT the second coming of the Dead. The Dead brought dirty hippies. HFS will bring a bunch of suburban teenagers. Trust me, the two could not be more different.

Of course, Teens Gone Wild is not the only concern. Others wanted to have more input into the planning of the concert, a teniously legitimate claim.

"I am concerned," said Burt Knauft, a member of the Town Center Village Board. "I am not sure what can be done about it at this point because all of the commitments have been made."

Cynthia Coyle, a member of the Harper's Choice Village Board, testified at the April 13 meeting of CA's board of directors that she believes residents should have been better informed of the event.

"I'm wondering if there has been enough planning for traffic, security, etc. around town given what I'm told is a very raucous but entertaining event," said Coyle, who is running for the CA board seat from Harper's Choice.

David Willemain, Coyle's opponent in the CA board race, said in an interview that CA should have informed the public earlier of its deal with Merriweather.

"I think that the role of CA is to act as an advocate for everyone in Columbia and that encompasses more than just maintaining the amenities," Willemain said.

If only these same people cared as much when CA coordinated planning for the Capital Jazz Festival and Wine in the Woods, then I'd give their arguments more creedance. Instead, this seems more like outrage that young adults might actually, you know, have something fun to do in Columbia.

Lord knows we can't have any of that.

Coming to you live from...

The central branch of The Greatest Public Library system in the country. (Apparently the internet is working at my house, but there are some many boxes piled in my office that I can't get to the computer.)

Anyway, how about some affordable housing?

I’m glad to see folks pushing for increased allocations of affordable housing, though I still think the predominate affordable housing paradigm – inclusionary zoning – is structurally flawed. But it is the predominate paradigm, and you know how hard it is changing long distance carrierers, let alone paradigms.

A plan to increase the number of affordable apartments in Howard County doesn't go far enough, a representative from the Howard County League of Women Voters said this week.

The plan increases by 100 annually the number of one- and two-bedroom apartments for moderate-income residents that developers can build in areas of the county zoned for affordable housing.

Grace Kubofcik, co-president of the voters league, said county officials should up the number to 250 annually in order to more closely meet the county's true need for affordable units.

"What we are suggesting is to seriously consider forgetting the 100 and (devote a larger number of affordable units)," she said.

Well, that’s a start, right? But how does it compare to the overall need?

"In the income category of $27,000 and below, Howard County has a deficit of 17,000 units," said Rev. Robert Turner, president of the African American Coalition of Howard County, a citizens group. "There is a surplus of available housing for families earning more than $100,000 a year."

Hmmm…looks like we’re still coming up a little short. Oh, wait, looks like we’re not even talking about this need.

Based on the county's current $82,065 median income, officials define moderate-income households as those earning between $32,826 and $65,652 annually.

So, you have to earn at least $32,826 to qualify for our affordable housing program. If you earn less than that, apparently, you’re a lost cause. Good to know.

Disconnecting...

I'm about to take down the computer now and probably won't be back on the internet until Monday (at which time I'm sure I'll be sweating, shaky and anxious from web withdrawl). Anything I post will be via cell phone, and we all know how well that usually works for me.

It will be nice to read an actual newspaper on Sunday morning, though.

Here's hoping for a window of rainlessness tomorrow between 10 am and 3 pm.

Thanks home depot. The first

Thanks home depot. The first time in weeks I've left the store with a smile on my face. They were actually helpful and had what I needed. Bravo!

Apropos of the Charrette

Since my real name came out, I've heard a lot more feedback from people than when I was just Hayduke. One of the more common things I've heard people say is that my opinions on things, particularly the charrette, aren't very consistent or aren't grounded in some concrete mindset.

I am trying to write a post that better explains my position, but it's taking longer than I expected.

However, today at a training seminar for work, there were several James Rouse quotes posted around the room. One of them stood out to me as a pretty good description of the principle I've tried to adhere to when thinking and writing about the master plan; indeed, I tried to say basically the same thing in a letter to the editor I wrote the week before the charrette.

The quote is: "We need a commitment to boldness in contemplating the future of this country."

If you substitute county for country, it about sums up how I feel about the charrette.

A lot of what has been going on post-charrette, I think, is slowly diluting the boldness of our vision.

Oh, there's also this quote: "Forget feasibility: it will compromise us soon enough."

That's all for today.

Time for some CalvinBall

As of tonight (6:30 pm, I believe) [update: I really mean tomorrow night...just making sure you were paying attention.], Calvin Ball will be the new councilman from District 2. As I said earlier, it is not surprising that Ball, who finished a close second to David Rakes in the 2002 Democratic primary, was selected – he is a smart, engaging and active member of the community and probably won’t rock the left side of the boat.

The right side, however, is a whole ‘nother story. Certainly, the council Republicans have lost their semi-reliable third vote; more distance from the unpredictable Rakes, however, may save them some trouble in the long run.

The bigger question that remains unanswered, at least in my mind, is whether council chairman Chris Merdon can be replaced. A few weeks ago, David Wissing satisfactorily settled this question for himself, but I remain unconvinced. Don’t get me wrong, Wissing’s a smart guy, but he’s no lawyer – at least I don’t think he is -- which is ideally the occupation one should have when trying to answer tricky legal questions. I assume we’ll see tonight or sometime soon whether the Democrats found space in the county charter to oust Merdon.

Regardless of how many words go before Merdon’s name, the road ahead does not look smooth for him. Although his majority was short lived, he did manage to upset the Democrats substantially with his handling of the first smoking ban debate, using Rakes’ vote to muscle through a political bill that he knew was destined for a veto. Considering the importance of this bill to his competitor, it is unlikely Ulman will forget (or let Merdon forget) any time soon the way the issue was handled.

As we knew when Rakes announced his resignation, things just got a whole lot more interesting.

Racing against no one...

Perhaps you have heard the Tatyana McFadden’s story. She’s a 16-year-old wheelchair athlete who brought a suit against the Howard County School System as part of her effort to race with her fellow members of the Atholton High School track team. Note the emphasis on “with.” She doesn’t want to compete against runners competitively, just at the same time as them. From The Sun today…

A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction against a school district that will allow a wheelchair athlete to run at track events at the same time as her able-bodied teammates.



Tatyana McFadden, 16, won two medals at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens and is a student at Atholton High School in Columbia. The Howard County school system had allowed her to practice with the track team, but ruled she must compete in separate wheelchair events.

That meant she mostly competes by herself, according to Lauren Young of the Maryland Disability Law Center, which filed a federal suit on McFadden's behalf.

The judge’s decision was met with mild derision from David Wissing and some of his commenters. Likewise, noted law blogger Eugene Volokh completely misses the point:

Nonetheless, how can it make sense to have wheelchair racers racing against foot racers? Even if Martin was rightly decided, and the requirement that one walk rather than riding from hole to hole while playing golf isn't really essential to golf, surely the requirement that one run rather than riding is essential to racing, no? You wouldn't have foot racers racing against bicyclists, unicyclists, or swimmers; these are just different sports. And if the response is that it's logically impossible to tell whether they're different sports or not, then that cuts in favor of the dissent in Martin, and against any disability law interference with the rules established by sporting event organizers.

Ugh. Apparently, the only person to actually get it was the judge, who said:

The more I hear your argument, the more transparently arbitrary and capricious it becomes," the judge said to Blom and P. Tyson Bennett, who represented the Howard County Board of Education and the superintendent of the Howard County Public Schools. "She's not suing for blue ribbons, gold ribbons or money - she just wants to be out there when everyone else is out there."

That’s it: she’s tired of “racing” alone. She doesn’t want to take medals from runners. She doesn’t want to exploit her “unfair advantage” (I never thought I’d say that about someone in a wheelchair). She just wants to have someone else on the track at the same time as her. What’s so hard to understand about that? And what makes that an unreasonable request?

Sheesh. We’re talking about freaking high school sports, the goal of which is (or should be) to build character. I know some people are hyper-obsessed about their pro-athlete-to-be competing at an extremely high level from birth, but most high school and many college athletes just want to be a part of a team, to be accepted, to enjoy the camaraderie and friendly competition, to contribute to something bigger than themselves. Why is this so hard to grasp?

Where there's smoke...

The 4-man county council Monday debated (yet again) a recently-reintroduced proposal to ban smoking in public places. Of course, all of this is old hat to followers of the county council, readers of the local newspapers, and people who regularly interact with someone from any of the preceding groups (basically, all of us). Still, there could be a reason to rehash everything.

The four council members have heard the arguments on smoking twice during consideration of two bills, while the new member has not heard them at all, Democrat Guy Guzzone said. Howard law now allows smoking in physically separate areas.

"The new member will have the opportunity to review the [video] tape for this evening's hearing," replied Republican Christopher J. Merdon, the chairman. Later, another Democrat objected.

"Tonight is generally an act of futility. It's disappointing that this bill had to be rushed in on an emergency basis since we don't have a fifth member up here," said west Columbia Democrat Ken Ulman, who co-sponsored the original no-smoking bill with County Executive James N. Robey last fall.

..."It's extremely ironic that the people who want to get this legislation done as soon as possible are the same ones advocating a delay," Merdon said.

OK. So it's true that most of us know where we stand on the smoking issue. We also know by heart most of the arguments for our side and theirs. Yet if the ostensible reason for reintroducing this legislation was to give the new council person, who will be sworn in tomorrow, a chance to decide the matter, shouldn't this person have an opportunity to hear arguments and debate with fellow council members? Instead, Merdon -- the one who proposed the new legislation -- basically says "watch it on TiVo."

Ironic in the extreme is probably not the best way to describe what's going on. There may be some irony in there, but since I've never bothered to truly understand the word (moral reasons), I can't say for sure. What I can say, however, is that I really don't think you can blame the Democrats of trying to delay the legislation. I'd say it's more of an attempt at truly representative democracy.

UPDATE: Damn you, Baltimore Sun, for conveniently hiding the news that Calvin Ball was chosen by the Howard County Democratic Central Committee for appointment to David Rakes' seat. Rather than put this very Howard-centric piece of news in the, you know, Howard section, the Sun hid it in Maryland News>Politics where no one (except HoCoBlog, David Wissing, and probably eveyone else but me) could find it. I'll have more to say about this later (maybe tonight), but for now let's just say Ball was a predicatable, but very good choice. Not that there's anything wrong with predictable. We've got enough uncertainty in life as it is...

Tuesday Round Up...

With the moving clock ticking and a considerable amount of work left to do, we're running out of steam here at Hayduke Blog Central. Thanks go out to the little brother for his superb work on the bathroom floors last night. Now, if we could get the new vanity/sink installed, our only bathroom will be fully functional. Here's to hoping the water's flowing by Saturday -- moving day.

On, then, to the news...

As expected, county executive James Robey proposed a 3-cent reduction in our property tax rate. Last month, bloggers, include myself, debated the merits of Robey's proposal as compared to councilman Charles Feaga's, which calls for a 1 percentage point reduction in the annual assesment increases. To read the debate, click here and follow the links.

Two more Democratic candidates enter the District 2 race, swelling to four the number of hopefuls for the currently unoccupied seat. Speaking of which, the Howard County Democratic Central Committee, according to the article, met today to decide on David Rakes' replacement. Though I'm not sure who they will choose, the smart money has to be on Calvin Ball, who finished second to Rakes four years ago and whom he endorsed upon resigning last month.

That's all for now. I know this is a pathetic showing for a Round Up. I'll do better the next time.

What gives?

In the last week, my real name comes out, a story about bloggers is published in The Examiner, and I basically shut down the shop for three days without so much as a failed cell phone photo post.

Blogging had been going at a pretty good clip for a while -- almost daily for several months -- and I guarantee I will return to my normal schedule in about a week. Until then, things will be hit or miss around here, with more misses than hits.

Here are a couple quick things before I go:

Evan's got some information on a Democrat candidates Meet n' Greet tonight at the Glenwood library. Go if you want. Let me know what you think.

Although finding a house was tough (then extremely easy), at least we used money. Some guy is trying to do it with one red paperclip.