Another shootout at the 'KO' corral

by David Grand
February 12, 2003

By my count, that's the seventh time that shootout between the delegation and commishes over the transfer tax has been replayed in recent years. And there's never any suspense regarding the outcome, for it always ends the same way, with the delegation led by Sen. Larry "deadeye" Haines and his gang of gunslingers shooting the outgunned commishes out of the saddle and riding off.

Now, not that I could put myself in Sen. Haines mind (nor want to), I'm sure he must be wondering why it is that the commishes keep "beating a dead horse?" For surely they must realize by now that as long as I'm able to read a multiple listing of homes for sale in the county they'll never get it approved, regardless of how imperative they consider that tax to be in maintaining adequate police, fire and emergency services.

And, he might also wonder, why, if they're so bent on finding additional funding for those vital services, they just don't go ahead and raise the property and/or the "piggyback" tax, or establish a new fire tax like Frederick County has, especially since none of 'em would require his (or rather) the delegation's approval.

Whether or not such thoughts crossed his mind-as he hung his gun belt back up on a hook in his real estate office after this latest skirmish- he did a good job in laying out the predicament the commissioners find themselves in, where they'd be dammed if they do find alternate sources of revenue to compensate for the lack of a transfer tax, and be dammed if they don't for leaving those county services still wanting. That's a no-win situation if there ever was one.

But if they do decide to "bite the bullet" and, say, raise the property tax, they'll be the ones, not the delegation, that has to take all the heat from irate taxpayers, albeit that it was the delegation's obstinacy that put them in that untenable position. And as always, when the commishes raise any tax on their own initiative, the delegation's reaction is simply: don't blame us for what those spendthrifts have done, for our hands are as clean as Pontius Pilate's.

Can that imbalance of power in the county be reversed, so as to knock the delegation out of their catbird seat and prevent them from "lording it over" the county government? Of course it can, if (and that's a big "if") Carrollians come to the realization that only by substituting a code home rule or Charter form of government for the existing, antiquated one will the county ever be freed from the iron grip they now have over what proposed bills they will, or won't, approve based on their personal points of view and backgrounds.

Some have suggested-me included- that the best way to resolve that issue of a transfer tax once and for all would be to put the question on the ballot in the November election (when there'd be a large turnout for the presidential race) and let the voters show their preference. But that has been proposed once or twice before by former boards, and each time the delegation turned thumbs-down on the idea of letting the peoples' voices be heard on the question. So much for a government "of, by and for the people."

And in this country's earlier days, they'd be tarred and feathered and carried out of town on a rail for showing such indifference to hearing what the people have to say. But unfortunately, we can't resort to such drastic measures in this day and age, and can do no more than to put 'em on notice, that if they don't quit acting so high and mighty their "numbers will be up" come the election in 2006, when they'll be running again, not on their abysmal record in the legislature, but relying instead on the fact that they're dyed-in-the- wool Republicans and "household names." Now, I don't know about your household, but in mine I only know them as being about as worthless as withered weeds. But not, by any means, prickly or poisonous ones.