Please attend a hearing at the Harford County Council Chambers at 212 S. Bond Street, Bel Air, MD 21014 this Tuesday, May 7 at 6:30 p.m. and consider supporting Bill 24-011, as introduced by District A Councilman, Dion Guthrie:
https://hcgweb01.harfordcountymd.gov/Legislation/Bill/BillDetail/24-011
Public support is needed to make sure that impacts the community has witnessed downstream of the larger tracts cleared at both Abingdon Woods and Ridgeley’s are addressed by stronger enforcement language on sediment and erosion control, so that disturbances of new projects will be limited to a 20-acre “grading unit.”
If you can’t make the hearing please send in an email in support to council Members using the following email address: council@harfordcountymd.gov
The bill includes an amendment to limit the current grading unit that does not have a maximum to a 20 acre maximum grading unit. It includes language for mandatory fines, timed, at two, four, and six month intervals instead of within a 12 month interval. The bill also includes stepped, civil penalties at $500 instead of $250, $1,000 instead of $500, and $5,000 instead of $1,000 that would be directed to a separate sediment erosion control account. The maximum fine also is increased from $10,000 to $20,000.
A link to the full bill is below:
https://hcgweb01.harfordcountymd.gov/Legislation/Bill/BillDetail/24-011
Please note [] indicate language being amended.
An excerpt from the bill is below.
PURPOSES OF THIS ARTICLE A GRADING UNIT IS 20 ACRES OR LESS.
13 § 214-22 Civil citation and fine.
14 A. In addition to any other penalty imposed under state or County law, a person is liable for a
15 civil fine under this section if the person violates any provision of this article.
16 B. Each day a violation continues is a separate offense.
17 C. The amount of a fine under this section is:
18 (1) For the first violation in any [12] 2-month period, [$250] $500;
19 (2) For a second violation by the same person within [12] 4 months after the first
20 violation, [$500] $1,000; and
21 (3) For a third violation and each subsequent violation by the same person within [12] 6
22 months after the first violation, [$1,000] $5,000.