Politics & Government
Executive Veto Looms Over Rezoning Bill for Districts 6 and 7
The Anne Arundel County Council laid the task of trimming a bulky comprehensive rezoning bill at the feet of the county executive's veto power.
On Monday, the council approved Bill 44-11, a thick package of more than 46 individual rezonings throughout council Districts 6 and 7, in its entirety. Most of the changes are geared at making areas of southern Anne Arundel County more open to commercial development, a concept which has drawn the ire of dozens of residents.
The county’s office of planning and zoning pushed against District 7 Councilman Jerry Walker nearly every inch of the way, saying his amendments didn’t fit with the county’s overall plan for those areas. Droves of residents from south county have provided testimony against the legislation, saying it should be tossed out completely and restarted.
“I hope that the legacy of this county council will not be that you are known as the architects of a loss of the rural character of southern Anne Arundel County,” said Virginia Clagett, a former councilwoman, before the vote.
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any portion of Bill 44-11 that did not align with the county’s General Development Plan, particularly in areas that constituted spot zoning.
Council members put Leopold’s words to the test on Monday, by approving the bill with all 46 rezoning amendments intact by a 6-0 vote, with District 4 Councilman James Benoit absent. However, several council members expressed reservations about portions of the legislation before voting.
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District 6 Councilman Chris Trumbauer said of the 46 amendments, the public had raised their voice over maybe a half dozen items, and he didn’t think it would have been prudent to toss out the full bill.
“I have serious concerns about some of the provisions of this bill, and I will be working with my colleagues and the county executive to try and adjust those,” Trumbauer said.
District 2 Councilman John Grasso agreed, saying a line-item veto could offer the best solution.
“It’s really not necessary to nix the bill, because the line-item vetoes are going to [address] some of the areas you guys are really concerned about,” he said.
The full list of all 46 amendments can be viewed at the council’s website at http://www.aacounty.org/CountyCouncil/pendingLegis.cfm.
