Habitat official supports impact tax

Habitat official supports impact 'tax'

Friday, Oct. 28, 2005

by Sherry Greenfield

Staff Writer

Larry Snody, vice president with Frederick County Habitat for Humanity, is putting his support behind Frederick County Commissioner Jan H. Gardner's legislative proposal to convert the current impact fee collected on new housing for schools and libraries into an "impact tax."

In a letter this week to Gardner (D), Snody wrote that an impact tax with a proposed sliding scale based on a home's square footage will "definitely contribute to keeping costs for affordable housing under control."

The rising cost of housing in the county is a concern for Habitat, Snody said.

Gardner's intent with this special tax is to address the issue of affordable housing in the county.

The proposal is part of the legislative package the board will present to the Frederick delegation next month.