Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1932-11-04
Commissioners In
Joint Meeting Ask
Part Of Gas Tax
Local Group Attend Frederick
Session With Officials Of
Seven Other Counties

The Board of County Commission
ers of Montgomery met with commits
sioners from seven other Western
Shore counties in Frederick last Friday
to discuss action which may result in a
Legislature to provide for each county
bill being introduced in the Maryland
receiving percentage of the State
gas tax.
The assembled commissioners fav-
ored two resolutions proposed at the
meeting, which was held in the
Francis Scott Key Hotel, and directly
aimed at a reduction in the tax rates
of the counties of Maryland. At the
same time, by unanimous vote, the
commissioners decided to meet with
other county commissioners of Mary
land in Annapolis at date tentative
ly set as between November Is to 10
to draft tax program to be presented
at the next meeting of the Maryland
Legislature.
The resolutions, which were passed
over a dissenting vote from some of
the visiting commissioners, were iden-
tically the same as those approved by
the commissioners of the Eastern
Shore at meeting in Cambridge on
October II. The first resolution:
Roads. The burden of maintenance
of county roads should be relieved by
a change in relation to the gasoline
tax and the motor vehicle license fund
so as to permit revenues derived from
such tax and fund to be applied to
the maintenance of said roads under
the direction and supervision of local
boards of county commissioners of
various counties of the state under
the present method of ALLEGATION of
state road funds"
The second resolution is:
Schools. We recommend that legis-
lation be enacted so that no county
will be required to levy more than
thirty cents on the $100 in order to
share in the equalization fund"
A majority of the county commits
sioners and other officials from Fred
erick, Anne Arundel, Carroll, Garrett,
Howard, Montgomery, st. Mary's and
Washington counties, who attended
the meeting, favored the resolutions,
which were read at the opening Of the
session by W. Clinton McSherry, at
torney to the Frederick County Com
missioners, who acted as chairman of
the meeting.
The commissioners decided not to
wait on the report Of the Tax Survey
Commission, appointed some time ago
by Gov. Richie, which is also study
ing ways and means of readjusting
taxes in the state. Miles H. Fairbank
secretary-treasurer of the State Farm
Bureau, who spoke earlier in the
afternoon, made the suggestion that
the commissioners wait until the COM
mission report is made to Gov. Richie
which is expected to be some time in
November, which would give the COM
missioners a chance to study the re-
port.
Formal notice of the Annapolis
meeting is expected to be sent out in
the near future to all the counties of
the state by Frederick county, which
has taken the initiative in the pro-
gram for tax readjustment. The meet
ing Friday was called by the Fred
erick County commissioners, who en-
tertained commissioners of the other
seven counties at dinner prior to Fri
day afternoons session. In addition to
the commissioners, other officials from
the counties attended, including the
five members of the House of Dele
gates from Frederick county, as well
as members of the state farm bureau.