So now MoCo has a "Tree Tax"

Jim12 · Sep 13, 2013

Half-cocked said:
This could actually be a GOOD thing.

Let Montgomery County become wall-to-wall tree canopy. Then, when the next severe drought comes along, accompanied by 100 degree temperatures and high winds, the whole county will go up like a box of blue-tip matches.

(These idiots have obviously learned NOTHING from the raging fires out west this year....)

Yeah, but when those big trees blow over and knock down the power lines like they do here in AA Co., and the power is out for 6 days, they'll put even more blame on PEPCO, certainly not themselves. And then even more utility regulation will follow, with battles over rates, etc. etc. etc., and eventually the power grid will be socialized at least at the local level, like health care just has been nationally.

The liberal recipe, which has worked and will work again and again until it's exposed and debunked: Regulate the free market to the point where it can't function, but then blame capitalism for the market's dysfunction, and therefore it needs to be socialized. Ultimately, socialization has failed, currently fails, and always will fail.

huesmann · Sep 14, 2013

^^^

Again, there is a loophole for utilities to be able to knock down trees.

MigraineMan · Sep 14, 2013

Just read the text of Bill 35-12. Yep, definitely applies to individual homeowners. It appears that this piggybacks onto the Sediment Control Permit ... which they will require with Building Permits and Grading Permits. This happened to a friend last year in HoCo who was in the middle of a teardown/rebuild. He got a stop work order, which stalled him until he could get the Sediment Control Permit in place. Wasn't required when his Building Permit was issued. Grading had been done back in the 1950s. Charlie Foxtrot of governmental proportions.

So anyway, you're required to add three trees for every one you take down. Each new one will require 400 sq.ft. of permeable space. Don't have that on your property? That's okay, you can just pay into the Canopy Fund on a per-tree basis (rates set by the County Executive, currently $250 each.)

And I know you're wondering ... what constitutes a "tree?" They define that -

Tree means a large woody plant having one or more self-supporting stems or trunks and numerous branches that can grow to a height of at least 20 feet at maturity.
Shade Tree means a tree of large stature capable of growing to heights greater than 50 feet.

Gonna get expensive when you clear out the saplings from under the one big oak. At some point in the future, I would expect this "tree replacement" requirement to bridge over into Building Permits or Tree Cut Permits.

Brawndo, it's what trees crave!

ShoreShooter · Sep 14, 2013

You guys are killing me.

You have no idea what is being done to waterfront homeowners on the Eastern Shore.

I don't own one. I used to want one. Now I wouldn't under any circumstances.

ShoreShooter · Sep 14, 2013

In 1999 a housing development was approved on Kent Island. After approval the environmentalists filed suit to stop it. It has wound its way through the courts ever since.

The environmentalists have lost every phase of every suit, up to and including appeals to the highest court in MD. A year ago the high court ordered the MD Board of Public Works (consisting of the Governor, Lt. Gov, and Comptroller Franchot) to issue the permit. A year after being ordered by the Court to issue the permit, no permit has been issued.

Franchot is in 24x7 campaign mode, 365 days of every year, meeting with group after group. Last week I was in one of his group meet-and-greets, and he literally said "how dare the court tell us what to do." That is pretty much a direct quote.

There are no property rights in MD. There are only property taxes.

On 9/17 there is yet one more public meeting on this, at the Kent Island High School. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is bussing in people to object. Again. If anyone wants to cross over to get involved in other conservative issues other than 2A, come on over.

DrunkUncles · Sep 14, 2013

Carolina is looking better every day.....

Bolts Rock · Sep 14, 2013

mr h said:
See... if you had White or Red oak, you wouldn't have a problem.

EBOs, on the other hand.........

How dare you consider african-american trees more evil than caucasian trees or native american trees? :innocent0

Jim12 · Sep 14, 2013

huesmann said:
^^^

Again, there is a loophole for utilities to be able to knock down trees.

The utilities can take action with trees within the right of way, but when the trees are on private land, are gigantic, ancient oaks and tulip poplars that have rotted roots and hollow trunks and will take out an entire neighborhood's feeder line when -- not if -- they go down, you're describing my community.

Oh, and by the way, I'm in A.A. Co. near the water, in an area where MoCo libs think my property is their resource, and tax me for the pleasure. Only thing is, I'm one who loses power for 6 days when trees wipe out my grid, and while I'm both in darkness and have no water (am on well and septic), MoCo libtards meet at Starbucks in Bethesda to plot their next environmental strike against civilization.

tball · Sep 14, 2013

Shhh! Keep it down, don't give Howard County any ideas! They are already soaking us with the rain tax and requiring rain gardens (I mean Mosquito gardens) for new home construction. West Nile Mosquitos will be moving into the standing water for sure. How did we ever live without all of the government legislation?

tall.guy88 · Sep 14, 2013

This is nuts. And all the speed cameras and red light cameras, Maryland has gone nuts. I am outta here as soon as my house sells!

pilgrim · Sep 14, 2013

DrunkUncles said:
Carolina is looking better every day.....

What he said.

montoya32 · Sep 14, 2013

I F'in hate this damn state. It is so incredibly hard to have a career where I match people up with property in this damn state, when I would just as soon leave it for almost anywhere else.

F8L_Funnel · Sep 14, 2013

WOW... I'm all for the tree conservation but damn. How much you wanna bet one of the rewrites or last minute amendments was that the county government can tap into the tree fund to use for "crisis situations" aka we just voted a raise for ourselves... where do we get the money...oh wait....Tree Fund! :deal:

magnetic1 · Sep 14, 2013

soon we'll have trees (like this pole) in the middle of roads to save the tree canopy

nutz · Sep 15, 2013

mr h said:
If a tree falls in MoCo, and there's no one there to tax it, does it still kill puppies and butterflies?

So now MoCo has a "Tree Tax"

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