Eliminating laws that limit Prince George’s County’s ability to raise property taxes is one of the recommendations of a panel assembled to address the county’s structural budget deficit.
If the current financial outlook continues, the county government could face a $250 million budget hole by 2022, officials say.
Prince George’s collects about $800 less per capita in income tax than neighboring Montgomery County. That means Prince George’s draws millions less in revenue and depends much more heavily on state government funding.
The Blue Ribbon Commission, as it was dubbed by county officials, was charged with recommending policies to the County Council and County Executive that would address the county’s structural deficit — the imbalance caused when normal government spending exceeds tax revenues on an annual basis.
According to the report, among the moves the county should consider is a repeal of TRIM, which has been in place since the late 1970s as a way to limit huge increases in property taxes in the county. Other measures adopted in the past to limit property tax increases also need to be repealed, the report said.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by John McNamara over at the Capital Gazette