Evening star., 1955-01-19
Complications
Plague Action
On Home Rule
Senators Told Of
Threat to Sale Of
Municipal Bonds
By Gene Goodwin
Stur ssuff CORRESPONDENT

Oy 6euG SOO0WJu
StuF Ssuff Correspondent
. ANNAPOLIS. Jan. l9.-Some
Maryland lawmakers today were
expressing frank horror at the
legislative Frankenstein they
might have created In their
eagerness to give municipalities
more home rule.
Delegate Jerome Robinson.
Democrat. Of Baltimore City. a
self-government partisan, said he
feels it now would be very diff
ficult to get the Legislature to 60
along with a county home rule
bill. Their new attitude is the
result Of enormous difficulties
presented so far In implementing
the municipal home rule amend
ment to the constitution. adopted
by the voters last November.
The biggest Of these difficulties
arose only yesterday when q
prominent Baltimore bonding
attorney told q special Senate
subcommittee that municipali-
ties might find it impossible to
sell any bonds until the Mary
land Court Of Appeals rules on
one key provision Of the home
rule amendment.
Rate Change Threat.
That provision gives the Cen
eral Assembly, for the first time,
the power to alter and set
ceilings on municipal property
tax rates. The attorney, H.
Warren Buckler. jr., said inves-
tors may hesitate to buy
municipal bonds when the State
Legislature can step In at any
time and change rates on taxes
being collected to pay of such
bonds.
The amendment gives the
Legislature power to limit the
amount Of municipal debt. as
well.
Threats to the planning and
1oning setup in suburban Mont
gomery and Prince Georges
counties also were described at
yesterdays hearing by q Senate
judiciary subcommittee assigned
to study Senate bills 5 and 6, the
two legislative council bills
drafted to implement the home
rule amendment.
Legal Vacuum Exists.
without the implementation,
the Attorney General has ruled,
municipal government is In O
vacuum for the time being, since
the Legislature no longer may |
pass laws for municipalities and
the municipalities may not pass
until the amendment |
has been implemented by law.
J. Bond Smith, general coun-
sci for the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Capital Park and Planning Com
said the home rule bills, |
as now drawn, would permit
municipalities, either by amend
ing their own charters or annex
ing territory, to take over PLAN
ming and coming authority now
held by his commission and the
governments Of Prince Georges
and Montgomery.
He proposed an amendment to
prohibit municipalities from
usurping, planning and coming
functions held by any. State,
county or regional agency.
Similar to Nearby Bin.
Mr.. Smiths proposed amend
ment is similar to a bill being
in the House by Dele
gates Blair Lee III. Democrat.
Of Montgomery. and Carlton r.
Sickles, Democrat, Of Prince
Georges. The Lee-Sickles bill.
however, by its language would
protect only the coming planning
setup In their two counties.
A veteran Prince Georges civic
leader. Mrs. Zella Saylor Of
Adelphi. put the spotlight on
alleged deficiency in the
implementation legislation-the
provisions on annexation. She
charged they are too lenient.
Sees Territory Raids.
Under Senate Bill 5. she point |
ed out, the mayor Of q town |
could call his council together |
and, by q show of hands, decide |
to annex .'some choice tax plum, |
like Langley Park" The annex
alton would take effect auto |
matically within 80 days, unless !
petitions for q referendum were |
forthcoming from 10 per cent |
Of the registered voters in the |
area to be annexed or 10 per
cent Of the registered voters In |
the municipality.
She lir0ed that n referandtyr1 |