Senate Chairman Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City). Brian p. Photo by Sears.
The deer stops with Michael Higgs.
This is the message of the Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City), when it comes who is responsible for the state assessment department and taxation is recalling a mailing deadline for 107,000 properties.
“For me, if you are the head of an agency, it is your responsibility to ensure that the responsibilities of that agency are executed effectively,” Ferguson said on Friday. “I do not want to bias the situation. It is very disappointing with what I know. And as I learned more, I think it is clear if it is clear that there was negligence “
MLAs are hitting foot to fix the problem that can spend $ 250 million to local governments by some estimates in three years. They have yet to hit a legislative measure.
The evaluation and taxation of the state reviews the property values of around 2.3 million residential properties on a quarterly basis. Each county and bucketing city are effectively divided into thirds. Every year, one third of each jurisdiction is evaluated with phased property values in three years.
The agency also assesses commercial properties, railways or land owned by public utilities. The agency assesses those assets annually.
This year, residential properties saw an increase of about 26% in the assessment price at the current price. During the same period, the assessment of commercial properties increased by about 18%.
Higgs, the director of the agency by the then-gow in 2016, was nominated. Larry Hogan (R), convicted a seller for the issue.
“SDAT uses league services for the state’s favorite vendor, disabled people, for printing and mailing of these revaluation notices, which are usually sent in the last days of December every year,” Higgs said. “This year, SDAT learned about an error in the league process, resulting in about 107,000 notices. The League has since solved the error and missed recipients will receive notices in the coming weeks. ,
The excuse did not affect Ferguson.
“The government has basic functions,” Ferguson said during a Friday meeting with reporters. “This seems to be a basic function of the government. I think it is easy to blame a contractor. This is something that I think at times when someone makes a mistake, they want to blame the person. It seems that what is happening here. ,
“In the context of personal leadership, look, this is a really disappointing situation,” he said.
And as the Senate and House find a way to fix the issue of deadline, the assessment agency is also a matter of restructuring.
“There is a big issue,” Vanessa E. Chairing of House Wes and Means Committee. Attereberry (D-Eveard) said. “Perhaps it was a matter of restructuring it, to bring it under the purview [state] Controller. I think it is worth a conversation. I think this issue underlines it. ,
Ferguson said that he was open to the discovery of a reorganization.
“I don’t think it is clear for me that a change in the agency automatically makes it better or worse,” he said. “I think we should really be thoughtful about that. I am open to study it and try to determine what is there or not [the comptroller’s office] The assessment is a suitable place for the existence of the process. ,
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