Matthew Plum, The Examiner
2007-04-16 07:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

Harford County -

Harford homeowners have come under attack, according to the home building industry, and the only way for residents to keep their money in their pockets is for developers to build more houses.

Because the Harford County Council passed an adequate public facilities ordinance halting development in six school districts, taxpayers will be asked to fill the void left in the absence of income created by new housing, said Frank Hertsch, president of the Harford County chapter of the Home Builders Association of Maryland.

“There is no revenue if there is no new construction,” Hertsch said Friday, speculating that Harford may have to make up the difference by imposing a transfer tax to be paid to the county when an existing house changes hands.

“I suspect the county will have to dip into its rainy day fund to pay for water and sewer enterprise funds,” Home Builders Association of Maryland spokeswoman Susan Stroud said.

She said Harford repays loans for water and sewer infrastructure improvements through hook-up fees paid by developers connecting new houses into the system.

Now that development is set to stop in affected school districts, so will the hook-up fees, she said.

Stroud said the bill also may create sprawl by forcing developers to build in agricultural areas outside the county’s development envelope.

More immediately, builders may have to cut back on their work force, in some cases more than 50 percent, she said.

The ordinance, which governs development in school districts that are at or over capacity, brings Harford current with state figures that determine school capacity — 23 students per classroom.

County Executive David Craig has indicated he would sign the bill into law.

Hertsch said some home builders are considering challenging the bill in court, but the best solution is to get parents to realize the ordinance does nothing to address inadequate schools.

mplum@baltimoreexaminer.com