Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-04-02
SUBURBAN RULE
BILL IS ALTERED
Maryland Senate Acts on
Montgomery Measure--Fnal
Passage Assured.
BY stan Correspondent of The star.

BY staff Correspondent of The Star.
ANNAPOLIS, Md, April 2.-Witf
several material changes included In
the forty.nine amendments with which
it appeared in the Senate, the bill Gre
ating the Montgomery County Suburb
an District passed the Senate as'
night and will have to go back to the
House for concurrence in the amend
ments before becoming a law. Inc
latter step is purely perfunctory, as
the legislative ways have been creased
for the bill to have an easy riding now
TO the governors office for signature
before the session ends Monday at
midnight.
The amendments were presented by
Senator Eugene Jones of Kensington,
Montgomery County, after having
been prepared under the direction OF
Speaker Lee, in conference with a
staff of legal counsel.
Question of Tax Rate.
As originally introduced the bill
made it mandatory for the county
commissioners of Montgomery County
TO levy each year a tax of 80 cents
for improvements and to pay interest
and sinking fund on any bond issues.
It originally limited the bond issues to
an amount which could be paid for
by this 30-cent tax. However, one of
the amendments strikes out this man
datory provision and leaves It discre-
tionary with the commissioners as to
whether they should issue the bonds,
and If they should decide to do so, they
fix a limit of $250,000 and re-
strict the time for retirement to 20
years. Another amendment provides
that if bonds are issued, then the
commissioners are to levy only such
tax as will be necessary to pay inter-
est and retire the bonds. The original
draft as ii passed the House required
a straight 30-cent levy a year. but
now it merely fixes 80 cents as the
limit.
How Money Is to Be Spent.
The money received from the bonds,
after paying the cost of issue, an
other amendment provides, is to be
used Exclusively for the construc-
ton, grading, widening and improve
ment of roads, streets, highways, Gull
verts and bridges and for the acquisi-
ton either by purchase or condemna-
ton of land, and any improvements
thereon, easements or rights of way
on any property, or rights necessary
for the location, grading, construction,
Improvement or widening OF roads,
of said district
A change in the method of paying
street and highway improvements is
made by another amendment. The
original bill provided that one-half of
the cost of road and highway inn
proyement was to be assessed against
abutting property owners and the
other half to be paid for by district
wide taxation or the proceeds from
the sale of the bonds.
The amendments already adopted
now provide that the total cost of road
and highway improvement shall be
assessed against abutting property
owners. provided the property is
classified as agricultural or unde.
veloped. However, the amendment
further provides that in the event
that the abutting property found to
be specifically benefited is classified
as residential, whether improved or
unimproyed, or as Industrial, then
one-haH of the total cost of the con-
struction Of improvements shall be as
sessed against the property and the
other half paid by the county.
The classifications of property for
the purposes of the act, are changed
from three in the original bill, to four
in the amended bill. The new classi-
hcations are agricultural. undevelop-
ed; residential, whether improved or
unimproved, and industrial or bust
ness.
One amendment put in limits the
Commissioners in building regulation
10 the kind. size and character of
structures, including the material
used In them Another amendment
takes away the authority of the Com
inissioners to prohibit amusements.
sign boards, recreation halls. pleasure
parks, ETC., but gives them authority
70 inspect, license and regulate and
limit as TO location and to regulate
nut not control the manner of dis.
posing of waste
ClnbhOuses Exempt.
Certain clubhouses in the area were
exempted from the provisions of the
original measure by name, but a new
general provision has been included,
which takes away the county com.
missioners' authority to inspect or
otherwise regulate ''clubhouses of
country clubs within the District
which were in existence and operation
on January 1. 1927. and which on
that date had public or private LIST
or 90 or more bona fide members
paying dues and which on that date
maintained on the club premises at
least two of the following athletic
iacilities for their membership. "a golf
course of nine holes or more. two or
more tennis courts, or a swirnmine,
pool not less than 40 feet in length
and 20 feet in width"
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