A Harford County community is pushing to become a city
An unincorporated section of Harford County could soon become the county's fourth municipality.
Some leaders in Edgewood say the area is large enough to operate as its own city with less county oversight.
"With a municipality, you get to make your own decisions about your community and the services that are provided in your community," said Harford County Councilwoman Nolanda Robert. "And right now, we have to go through the county executive to get the majority of what are needs are to be met."
Aberdeen, Bel Air and Havre de Grace are currently the only three municipalities in Harford County. They have their own council, police and fire departments and local regulations, for example.
Del. Steve Johnson, whose district includes Edgewood, says as it stands, 25% of the population in an area needs to sign a petition and bring it to the county council. Then, the county executive can decide what action to take from there.
Edgewood has done that, he said, but they continue to get shut down.
"It's power and money," Del. Johnson said. "They don't want to lose the power that they have…we have 157 municipalities in Maryland. They don't want that to grow and see their areas shrink."
Del. Johnson is working to pass a bill that would require 40% of the population to sign the petition in order for it to become a referendum question.
"Municipalities, incorporated areas, have about four times the population growth, they have much larger commercial growth, job creation, and you've got 5% of the area of Maryland paying a third of the sales tax," Del. Johnson said.
Edgewood is also the county's most diverse area. Del. Johnson and Councilwoman Robert worry about the message this sends to the people who live there.
"We are the largest minority town right now," Robert said. "Edgewood, and so, it's controversial because it's making it seem like people of color are not able to build and create and provide and be a voice of their own and make a city happen."
A statement from Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly reads in part, "Rather than expanding community resources, it is more likely to limit progress. Adding another layer of taxes in an area of the county with the greatest concentration of low-income households is also highly questionable. The Edgewood community needs more attention and county resources, not fewer county resources that would result from incorporation."
