The 2018 May General Membership Meeting for the Saunders Point Citizens Association has ben POSTPONED by the Board of Directors of the Saunders Point Citizens Association. The General Membership Meeting will be rescheduled for a new date and time in June 2018. The new date an time will be advertised here and on the Saunders Point Listserv.

The Anne Arundel County Traffic Engineering Division - Saunders Point Traffic Study is available for review: HERE

The Board of Directors has set Sunday, September 9, 2018, as the date for the 2018 Saunders Point Annual Community Picnic. Please save this date on your calendars. Last year's picnic was a blockbuster event. You will be hearing more from us through the Summer on this.

Cher Sommer has courageously volunteered to Chair the picnic again this year, but SHE WILL NEED EVERYONE'S HELP! Volunteers are appreciated, so please respond if you feel so inspired by your love and appreciation of Saunders Point and your neighbors.

Watch for future posts and thank you in advance for volunteering to make this a great event!

If you have any questions or additional information, please contact Cher Sommer

At the request of residents of Saunders Point, the Saunders Point Citizens Association has filed an application to participate in the MD Dept. of Agriculture’s Mosquito Control Program. Saunders Point’s application has been approved for the Adult Mosquito Surveillance and Control Program for 2018. This notice is to advise residents of Saunders Point that surveillance for mosquitoes and weekly spraying will begin on Sunday evenings between 7:00PM and 2:30AM from May 27, 2018 through October 28, 2018 as needed.

Mosquito-and Tick-Borne Diseases Are Rising in the U.S. Rates have tripled in 15 years, and some scientists suspect climate change is partly to blame. Scientific American: Mosquito-and Tick-Borne Diseases Are Rising in the U.S.

The spraying is accomplished by truck-mounted ultra low volume (ULV) application of insecticides. If you have any questions about the spraying or program, you may contact the MD Dept. of Agriculture at:

If you have any questions or additional information, please contact Patrick Schmitt at: pschmitt@saunderspoint.org

The Association voted to begin the process of creating a special taxing district at our November 2017 General Membership Meeting. The County has approved the petition and the Association is now actively petitioning property owners to supprt a community special taxing district. The approved petition has been mailed to all property owners in Saunders Point. We encourage all owners to sign the petition in support of the community special taxing district.

The purposes of this proposed special taxing district would be:

• To maintain, repair, construct, and remove snow from, non-County-owned roads, streets, street or road signs, drainage ditches, swales, culverts, walks, ways, bridges, jetties and wharves;
• To maintain, improve, develop, acquire and protect the community-owned real and personal property;
• To provide recreational activities directly related to the community; and;
• To establish and operate of a community security program; and,
• To provide for the administrative and operating expenses incidental to carrying out these purposes, including postage and mailing, auditing, insurance, attorney�s fees, legal costs, and including acquisition and repayment of any loans and any interest thereon.
  

  It is requested that the method of taxation be a uniform assessment per tax account.

The Anne Arundel County Code requires the we petition and get the signatures of more than 50% of the property owners and then go before the Anne Arundel County Council to request approval of a community special taxing district. You can read more information on special taxing districts in Anne Arundel County and the requirments and procedures to be followed in creating one HERE

Under the provisions of the Anne Arundel County Code, a special taxing district permits all the property owners within the district to request that the County levy a "special" tax on the properties within that district to be used to fund the purposes for which the district was formed. In the case of Saunders Point, we are asking that property owners in the Community agree to a tax to maintain the Community-owned roads, park, walkways, and the approximately 1100 feet of shoreline property and beach in front of Kings Road on the Chesapeake Bay. Each property owner in Saunders Point would be a voting member of the group that would determine any tax to be levied. An annual budget would be prepared and voted on by all property owners. Any tax to be levied would be approved by a majority of the property owners.

Since Saunders Point was developed, by Barse Stonebraker, an annual $20 fee has been collected to maintain the Community's roads, walks, ways, bridges, jetties, wharves and beaches. There are 185 platted lots in Saunders Point, so that $20 fee generates $3,700 per year. While that was a large sum of money in the 1950's, today $3,700 does not go that far in covering insurance and maintenance of the Community's property. The condition of our park and beach is a direct result of limited resources that the Community has. As I indicated during November's General Membership Meeting, there is a real danger that soon the $20 annual fee we collect will not cover basic expenses and the insurance bill for the park and beach.

The proposed special taxing district would permit a tax to be uniformly levied and collected on each property tax account in Saunders Point by Anne Arundel County. This tax would be a flat additional amount added to the current property tax total on each tax bill that a property owner receives for property owned in Saunders Point. If you receive more than one tax bill, for property you own in Saunders Point, you would pay this additional "special" tax on each property tax account.

The amount of any proposed tax would be determined by the annual budget approved by all the property owners. Voting would be by property tax account in Saunders Point. Each property tax account would be entitled to 1 (one) vote on the annual budget for the special taxing district. All owners of record per the Land Records of Anne Arundel County would have to agree on how that property's vote would be cast. Individuals with multiple tax accounts in Saunders Point would receive a vote for each property tax account. The "special" tax levied by the County would be determined by dividing the property owner-approved annual budget by the total number of tax accounts in Saunders Point.

Residents of the Community have regularly expressed their opinions that our park should be maintained in better condition and that we should do something to maintain and stabilize the beach. In 2004 when a former president of the Association was studying beach restoration, he determined that to restore the beach we would be looking at a tax of approximately $85.00 per year per lot assuming a 15-year State interest-free loan. I am sure those numbers are different now. I don't know if the Community at-large would support such an expenditure, but these are some of the projects for which resources that could be generated through a special taxing district are needed. The park and the waterfront are amenities that provide value to our property and they should be cared for and maintained, but ultimately that is a decision all property owners will have to make.

More than 50% of the property owners of record in Saunders Point must sign a petition agreeing to be taxed in this manner for the Community to proceed with the process to establish a special taxing district. Members of your Community will be approaching you to ask for your support. You can download and sign the Approved Petition and return it to SPCA at P.O. Box 275, Mayo, Maryland 21106.

If you own residential property in the State of Maryland as your principal residence, you're entitled to the Homestead Tax Credit. The credit saves you money because it limits the amount of your property tax assessment lowering your property taxes.

To be eligible, your home must be your principal residence and not a vacation or rental property, which wouldn't qualify for the credit.

In past years, it's likely that you've already received the credit. Beginning this year, you'll now need to file a one-time application before April 1 of the year of your assessment to continue to receive the credit. If you're a property owner not currently receiving the credit, you should also apply now in the event that you become eligible in the future.

To apply:

Visit www.dat.state.md.us to submit your application online directly to Maryland's Department of Assessments and Taxation, or fill out and return the application that was mailed to you with your assessment notice.

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