Matthew Santoni, The Examiner
2008-05-15 07:00:00.0
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Bel Air, Md. -

The proposed $82 million Bel Air office complex got shot down by the Harford County Council amid fierce opposition.

Since January, County Executive David Craig has touted the plan to consolidate 24 scattered offices into a pair of new buildings to be built in downtown Bel Air.

But council members called the price too high, rejecting by a 5-2 vote the plan to renovate county facilities and erect two new buildings in downtown Bel Air for the county government and Sheriff’s Office.

Rather than paying for it from the county budget, the county would have contracted the project to a private developer, and the county would lease the facilities back on a rent-to-own basis, Craig said.

Along with the price, council members cited a lack of council oversight and tough economic times.

“There’s a lot of excess spending, and they’ve got to get a rein on it,” said Councilman Dion Guthrie, a Democrat representing Edgewood and Joppatowne. “Once we pass that bill, we have no say; it gives all the control to the county executive.”

Craig said he would have to create an amendment to the budget to continue paying rent on all the existing facilities, but added that the council did not understand its role in asking for more oversight on the spending.

“They don’t understand the difference between the legislators and the executive,” Craig said. “They don’t get oversight when we’re building libraries or schools.”

Councilman Richard Slutzky, of Aberdeen, and Councilwoman Roni Chenowith, of Fallston, both Republicans, cast the only votes for the plan.

The council misinterpreted the bill, Slutzky said, saying it would have established an upper limit on the spending and required the council to approve the contract for each building in the project.

“It wasn’t a blank check, the check was ours,” Slutzky said. “We would have had to approve every funding part that came over.”

Craig said the best time for the county to build its project would be during the current economic downturn, when interest rates are low and construction contractors are looking for work.

“You don’t want to compete when the economy’s good, because the contractors don’t need your business and charge you more,” he said.

Craig said he had no plans for revising and reintroducing the bill.

msantoni@baltimoreexaminer.com