April 2010 – Page 4 – Jay's Real Estate Blog

School Calendar Approved, Race To The Top Rejected

Apr. 15, 2010

The Garrett County Board of Education addressed two significant issues at this month’s board of education meeting this Tuesday.
The proposed 2010-11 school calendar was voted on and approved with a vote of three to two. The main discrepancies over the calendar were the first day of school for students, set for Aug. 25, and Presidents’ Day was set as a possible make-up date.

It was stated that getting students into school on Aug. 25 would allow teachers an additional week of assessment preparation. The main concern of those against the motion was that it would affect the local business industry during the Labor Day holiday, as many high school students are employed during the summer. The motion that was voted on and approved included an amendment to remove Presidents’ Day from the make-up list.

A recommendation to sign on to the Race to the Top Program was not approved at this time. There were several items brought to the attention of the board concerning the program, which resulted in a unanimous “no.”

The federal program is an initiative that challenges the way teachers and students are evaluated in order to compete for federal grants. It requires states to submit proposals for changing assessment systems for students.

The director of the Maryland State Education Association in Allegany and Garrett counties, Steve Benson, was present at the meeting to share a few points of interest. He felt that signing on to the program would give all control over education to the federal government.

Read the rest here.
If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Local Lawmakers Encounter Success, Disappointment In General Assembly

by Brandon Butler,

legislative aide

The confetti flew in both chambers as the 2010 legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly came to an end in Annapolis on Monday, and Del. Wendell R. Beitzel (R– Dist. 1A) and Sen. George C. Edwards (R–Dist. 1) had a lot to celebrate.

“Despite some disappointments, the Garrett and Allegany County delegations got a lot accomplished this year both individually and as a group” said Beitzel.

Beitzel and Edwards also served on all four conference committees that dealt with the state budget. Beitzel served as a voting member of the committee, while Edwards was an advisor to the committee. This was the first time that Garrett and Allegany representatives served on all of the conference committees and were represented by both the House and Senate.

As a result, the Maryland Mined Coal Tax Credit was, once again, restored. The measure, which makes Maryland coal competitive with cheaper Pennsylvania and West Virginia coal, has been a measure that has directly contributed to industrial jobs in Garrett and Allegany counties.

“The General Assembly has been concerned about job creation and retention; this tax credit is a proven job creator for Garrett and Allegany counties,” said Edwards.

The Allegany County Delegation also sponsored a measure that would authorize counties to establish a preference for local construction firms competing for school construction projects. Delegate Beitzel worked hard to get Senate Bill 551 through during the closing minutes of the session. The House of Delegates even momentarily adjourned the session and immediately reconvened in order to overcome a procedural hurdle that would have prohibited the passing of the Senate bill.

Read the rest here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Constant Yield Hearing Scheduled; County Budget Cut By $15.7 Million

Apr. 15, 2010

The Garrett County commissioners will conduct a constant yield public hearing on Tuesday, April 20, at 11 a.m. in their meeting room at the courthouse in Oakland. They have also scheduled a review of the proposed real property tax rate that same day at 7 p.m. at Garrett College.

The purpose of these events is to receive public commentary on the proposed real property tax rate, $0.990 per $100 of the assessable base, in Fiscal Year 2011, which begins on July 1. The meetings are also part of the commissioners’ review process for the FY ’11 Operating and Capital Budget.

County administrator Monty Pagenhardt and the Department of Financial Services staff have evaluated estimated revenue and requests for funding from all departments and agencies. Late last year, they were instructed to submit flat budgets for the upcoming fiscal year.

“At the direction of the board [of commissioners], all requests for an annual appropriation for FY ’11 are to be equal to that of FY ’10,” Pagenhardt noted. “This directive was based on the evident realization that state of Maryland funding to the county and local revenue collected would be less than prior fiscal periods.”

The review of expected revenue and requests for funding completed by Pagenhardt and Financial Services shows a total budget for FY ’11 of $68,173,566, compared to an amended budget for FY ’10 of $83,908,587.

Read the rest here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

New Boating Laws For Deep Creek Lake Go Into Effect This Year

Mike Kennedy from the Railey Blog:

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley signed into legislation yesterday a new law that will require all children 13 years of age and under to wear lifejackets (personal flotation devices) while boating on state waterways – including Deep Creek Lake. The previous regulation only required children 7 years of age and under to wear lifejackets while on a boat that is underway. This new age requirement for PFDs goes into effect immediately.

Going into effect later this year (October 1st) is new legislation that impacts the requirements of children operating boats on Deep Creek Lake and all other state waterways who are 16 years of age and under. The new law will require children under the age of 16 to possess a certificate of boating safety education before they can operate a boat AND (1) either be supervised by someone 18 years or older who is also aboard the boat, or (2) be supervised by someone 16 years or older with a boating safety certificate who is aboard the boat. Children between the ages of 12 and 16 years will no longer be able to operate a boat by themselves with just a boating safety certificate – the new law essentially requires supervision by someone older who must be aboard the boat while the younger person is driving.

While boating accidents are very, very rare on Deep Creek Lake, these new laws are aimed to improve overall safety and to get Maryland more in line with other states and federal laws.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

164 Susan's Way – GA7301782 – Deep Creek Lake Real Estate for Sale

I had a chance to preview this house for a client on Tuesday and took a few photos. The house has an amazing location, fronting on the Wisp Golf course. It has big views of the Wisp ski slopes, and is surrounded by water – community and golf course ponds. Very peaceful setting. It’s a new listing from Dawn Monahan, and here is a link to some more information. It is priced at $450,000, which is a little less than the norm for an incoming producing property with these kind of views and amenities.

From 164 Susans Way

It is an established rental and would make a great vacation home or investment property!

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Maryland bill provides foreclosure mediation for homeowners

From the Washington Post:

By Ovetta Wiggins
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, April 15, 2010

Beginning this summer, Maryland homeowners at risk of losing their properties will have another option to stave off foreclosure.

The Maryland General Assembly this week approved a mediation program that will give homeowners a chance to meet with lenders and an administrative law judge to discuss ways to stay in their homes.

The bill, proposed by Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), takes effect July 1, and should be fully implemented by mid-August.

“This is an opportunity for those who fall through the cracks,” said Del. Doyle L. Niemann (D-Prince George’s), a sponsor of the bill, referring to homeowners who have requested loan modifications but still find themselves facing foreclosure. “Many people say they don’t get a response from their lender. They talk to different people on the phone when they call or their paperwork gets lost.”

Under the legislation, the lender is required to send an application for a loan-modification or loss-mitigation program to the homeowner — which the homeowner can use to seek help — at least 45 days before a foreclosure action is filed in court. The bill requires the lender to pay a $300 fee for a foreclosure filing.

Read the rest of the article here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

March 2010 – Lot & Land Market Update

The lot & land market remains flat. There were only 3 sales in all of Garrett County last month. The year to date total is 13 lot sales. There was a one acre building lot (raw) in McHenry that sold for $11,000. Also, there was a 7+ acre building lot that sound near Backbone Ridge for $16,000. These comps are amongst the lowest we have seen. and much like the housing market, there will be some shocking numbers that pop up from time to time.

There are 6 lot/listings currently under contract out of 617 available listings. More lots are sure to come on the market in the coming days – I know of 5 lots that I will be personally listing, so that number will continue to grow.

Financing on land is a HUGE factor with this, as most banks are requiring 30-50% down payment to buy land. If you have the means, there are some incredible deals out there, as you can see. Search for avalilable real estate here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Governor O’Malley “EmPOWERs Clean Energy Communities” With Over $3M for Energy Improvements throughout Maryland

From Baltimore.CityBizList.com:

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Martin O’Malley announced today the award recipients for round one of the “EmPOWER Clean Energy Communities” grant program, which helps local governments and nonprofits fund energy efficiency projects specifically for low to moderate income Marylanders. The grants, overseen by the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA), are providing a total of over $3 million this fiscal year, broken into two rounds, to local governments and nonprofits across our One Maryland. The first round of these funds will be used to perform energy makeovers to save money for at an estimated 1,000 low and moderate income Maryland families. Governor O’Malley also announced the start of round two for additional counties who did not exhaust their available funding for projects in round one.

“These grants are an example of exactly the type of efficiency projects we had intended for Maryland communities and families when we entered into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the nation’s first multi-state collaborative carbon cap-and-trade program,” said Governor O’Malley. “These grants are another step forward in our goal to make Maryland’s future cleaner, greener, and more sustainable for all our citizens.”

Approximately $2 million in grants are being awarded in round one to a wide variety of projects that will jumpstart energy savings and decrease monthly electricity bills. The MEA is providing a total of 24 grants to 13 Maryland Counties in round one, with projects ranging from an energy efficiency retrofit of the Annapolis Boys and Girls Club building in the St. Ambrose Senior Community in Baltimore City, to supporting the efforts of the National Association of American Veterans to weatherize homes of low to moderate income veterans in Prince George’s County.

“The Maryland Energy Administration is thrilled to be able to help hundreds of Maryland families reduce their energy bills with investments in their homes that will save them money today and for years to come,” commented MEA Director Malcolm Woolf, “This marks yet another big step forward in meeting Governor O’Malley’s EmPOWER Maryland goal of 15% reduced energy consumption by 2015.”

Round two funding in the amount of approximately $1.2 million is currently available for projects in counties that have not yet exhausted their formula-based portion of the grants. Each Maryland county and Baltimore City was provided an allocation based on the number of low-to-moderate income households residing in the respective area. A listing of all grants awarded in round one, along with a county by county guide to available funding for round two, is detailed below. Guidelines for the grant program are on the MEA webpage:
http://www.energy.state.md.us/incentives/state-local/empowercleanenergycommunities.asp

Funding for the program comes from the Strategic Energy Investment Fund, which was created from public auctions of carbon credits through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

“Garrett County Community Action Committee Garrett County $50,000
The Garrett County Community Action Committee will use the $50,000 grant to help purchase energy efficient appliances for a new thirty-six (36) unit low income housing development currently being constructed. ” (Jay’s note: Liberty Mews)

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

County budget proposal a reflection of tough financial times

Megan Miller
Cumberland Times-News

Oakland — OAKLAND — The Garrett County Commission is reviewing a proposed budget that reflects hard times for the county and the state.

Garrett’s draft fiscal 2011 budget, which totals more than $68 million, anticipates that the county will have $16 million less to work with than the previous year.

County officials expect significant revenue decreases from income, recordation and local transfer taxes. That’s largely due to declines in the real estate market and increased unemployment, said County Administrator Monty Pagenhardt.

But officials do expect a $2.3 million increase in revenue from real property taxes, even though the proposed budget calls for the property tax rate to remain the same as in fiscal 2010.

The county commission is reviewing the estimated revenues and requested expenditures, and intends to set the budget on June 1.

“We have presented the commission with a balanced budget and they are now reviewing that, and will be getting input from the public,” Pagenhardt said.

The commission previously requested all departments make their budget requests level with the amount of funding they received in fiscal 2010.

That decision was based on a “realization that state of Maryland funding to the county and local revenue collected would be less than prior fiscal periods,” according to a news release issued by the county.

The proposed budget includes no pay increases for county employees, nor does it including funding to hire replacement personnel for 16 employees expected to retire on June 30.

In the budget draft, the county’s capital outlay was cut in half, from more than $1.1 million in fiscal 2010 to just $542,000. Half of that amount will probably go to maintenance and improvements to the Garrett County Detention Center, Pagenhardt said, though the county might be eligible for grant funds that could help cover the cost of that work.

The commission will hold a public hearing on the property tax rate at the start of its regular meeting on April 20, beginning at 11 a.m. Another meeting on the property tax rate will be held the same day at 7 p.m. at Garrett College.

The proposed budget was posted on the county’s Web site Monday morning, and can be viewed at http://www.garrettcounty.org/Commissioners/budget11/budget11.aspx

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Garrett school board delays attendance policy decision

Megan Miller
Cumberland Times-News

Oakland — OAKLAND — The Garrett County school board will wait until May to discuss a policy change that would impact families in the eastern end of the county.

The board is considering abolishing a decades-old policy that allows some Garrett children to attend schools in Allegany County. Currently, 48 students take advantage of that option. Many Finzel-area families now send their children to nearby Allegany County schools after they attend Garrett’s Route 40 Elementary School through fifth grade.

Superintendent Wendell Teets said Monday he expects the board to discuss and act on the proposal during its May 11 meeting.

“We weren’t ready, after we had the hearing, to bring it to the board in April,” Teets said. “We’re doing a little more research on some things.”

The board held a special meeting March 30 to hear public comment on the proposal. About 16 people addressed the board during the 1 1/2-hour meeting, most in strong opposition to the change. Parents argued that it would create a financial and scheduling hardship for their families, especially because many of them work in the Cumberland area.

Teets said in an earlier interview that the school board is considering the policy change because declining enrollment and other factors have reduced the school system’s state funding, leaving it to wrestle with a significant budget shortfall.

“We pay tuition and provide transportation for those students to go to Allegany County schools,” Teets said. “Ultimately, by changing this policy, we would eliminate the busing expenses, the payments to Allegany and gain state aid by keeping those students in Garrett schools. So that’s a significant amount of funding.”

If adopted, the policy change will go into effect for the 2010-11 school year. Garrett children who now attend Allegany schools would be allowed to continue through graduation, but their siblings would only be allowed to do so if they attend the same facility at the same time. That provision is intended to prevent parents from having two middle- or high-schoolers in different districts.

The board will hold its April public meeting today at the board office, 40 S. Second St. Time is set aside for public comment at 4 and 7 p.m.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Month: April 2010

School Calendar Approved, Race To The Top Rejected

Local Lawmakers Encounter Success, Disappointment In General Assembly

Constant Yield Hearing Scheduled; County Budget Cut By $15.7 Million

New Boating Laws For Deep Creek Lake Go Into Effect This Year

164 Susan's Way – GA7301782 – Deep Creek Lake Real Estate for Sale

Maryland bill provides foreclosure mediation for homeowners

March 2010 – Lot & Land Market Update

Governor O’Malley “EmPOWERs Clean Energy Communities” With Over $3M for Energy Improvements throughout Maryland

County budget proposal a reflection of tough financial times

Garrett school board delays attendance policy decision

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