Special district tax plan may be illegal, Clarksburg activists say

Developers should pay for roads and infrastructure, not residents, group says

Presley gave a 90-page report with the committee’s findings to the County Council and county executive Tuesday afternoon.

‘‘Throughout the development district process we understood we have been following the law,” Michael Faden, legislative aide to the County Council, said late Tuesday afternoon. ‘‘Beyond that I can’t comment in detail because I haven’t had a chance to read it thoroughly.”

Development districts are created to provide additional funding to pay for infrastructure and amenities needed to support a community. Through special tax assessments on property owners, they fund the construction of roads, parks, libraries and other necessities. Developers also contribute to the funding of these districts.

The committee says the council’s plan would also have residents paying for infrastructure already built into county budgets.

It is calling on county officials to order an independent investigation and report publicly on how the failures occurred.

It also wants county officials to enforce obligations set by the Planning Board and to review and change, if not repeal, laws allowing the county to create and levy special taxes through development districts.

A Clarksburg Town Center development district has been approved, but the County Council has not authorized the bonds necessary to fund it. Development districts also have been proposed for Clarksburg Village and Arora Hills, but they have not yet been approved.

All Clarksburg development districts have been put on hold for the last year while an advisory group appointed by the county executive worked on a report that will recommend how the Clarksburg development districts are implemented.

The group included representatives of Clarksburg Town Center, Clarksburg Village and Arora Hills.