New stormwater fees will impact Md. businesses

New stormwater fees will impact Md. businesses

New fees on businesses to pay for cleanup of stormwater runoff are slated to be implemented in Baltimore and nine Maryland counties by July 1. Governor OMalley signed legislation a year ago to comply with U.S. EPA standards for the maximum daily pollution allowed in the Chesapeake Bay. Other states, like Maryland, that are near large bodies of water where polluted stormwater ends up are passing similar laws.

But in Maryland, businesses occupying more than a quarter acre will pay much more than residential property owners, according to estimates. Proposed annual fees for businesses could range from $510 per acre in Harford County to $2,987 per acre in Baltimore, according to a commentary by Donald Fry, president and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee, published in the Daily Record.

These types of added fees (taxes) significantly increase the cost of doing business and make our region noncompetitive compared with jurisdictions that are not subject to EPA permits, wrote Fry.

Large residences will be assessed a flat fee ranging from $39 in Baltimore County to $144 in Baltimore City. Local enabling legislation has either passed or is pending in the ten jurisdictions, including those in the Maryland suburbs of Washington. WANADA and MADA are teaming up to sort out the impact of the new Maryland locality fees on dealerships.