Baltimore Co. Lawmakers Approve Tax Increases, Full Budget

The Baltimore County Council on Thursday passed the income tax increase requested by County Executive John Olszewski Jr. Council members also blunted the impact of what was an unpopular proposed tax on cell phone lines.

The full budget later passed in a 6-1 vote. Republican Todd Crandell was the lone vote against the budget, while Republican Wade Kach reluctantly voted yes.

Council just passed the Budget measure in a 6-1 vote. R Crandell the only “no” R Kach was a reluctant “yes” https://t.co/p9oaIgNt5K — Kate Amara (@kateamaraWBAL) May 23, 2019

The original cell phone tax would have added a $3.50 monthly fee per cell phone line. The new version will port the 8% landline fee to cell phone accounts, amounting to about $1.60 per account, rather than per line. The reworked tax passed in a 6-1 vote, with Republican Todd Crandell voting against the measure.

Olszewski told reporters that as unpleasant as the tax increases are, they help put the county on a "more sustainable path."

My comments on today’s council vote on the FY20 budget: pic.twitter.com/s3yKLcFmiY — County Executive Johnny Olszewski (@BaltCoExec) May 23, 2019

"I'm proud of the way that ultimately, in the end, we came together in a bipartisan way to find solutions for the future of Baltimore County, and I'm really proud that we could work collaboratively to make the adjustments necessary to both get the budget passed, secure the revenues needed to make these critical investments, and do so in a bipartisan fashion," Olszewski said.

The budget saw $14 million in cuts to account for the decreased revenue. Olszewski said those cuts came from health reserves, road resurfacing, and smaller cuts across department budgets.

BREAKING: in 6-1 vote, baltimore county council passes new cell phone tax https://t.co/ZqWshuXMY1 — Kate Amara (@kateamaraWBAL) May 23, 2019

The income tax increase, from 2.83% to 3.2% passed along party lines. The increase puts Baltimore County in line with neighboring jurisdictions. The increase was approved on a 4-3 party-line vote.

Olszewski said tax increases were needed to close an inherited $81 million deficit while also maintaining services demanded by residents.

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WBAL-TV 11's Kate Amara contributed to this report.