They are small-scale agricultural visionaries. They are concerned Baltimoreans who adopt vacant lots in the city and transform them into functional, welcoming green spaces. But they’re not getting any tax breaks after a bill to provide 100 percent property tax credits to land banks that promote agriculture or preservation failed to pass in the City Council on Tuesday.
The bill met opposition from the Mayor’s office, with the city’s director of revenue and tax analysis voicing his concern about the “precedent” that would be set by the bill.
A sponsor of the bill, Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke did not mince words in her outrage at the opposition to the bill. “I know we give tax breaks to well-to-do developers,” she said. Speaking of urban farmers, she said, “They don’t hang out and sit with their suits at tables and talk about how they’ll help the city. They just do it.”
