No Timetable Set for Bottle Tax Vote

Councilman Carl Stokes, chairman of the City Council’s Taxation, Finance and Economic Development Committee, said a timetable has not been set for a vote on a proposal to increase the city’s bottle tax to 5 cents.

Speaking to the media following Wednesday's hearing, Stokes said he doesn’t know if the committee or the City Council as a whole is prepared to take a vote on the legislation.

"I think that there are other things on the table, or coming down the pike that the committee wants to look at, including the budget," Stokes said.

Stokes, who represents Charles Village and Remington, said factors such as Gov. Martin O'Malley calling a special session to address the so called "doomsday" budget, and building a consensus among stake holders about the actual figure needed for school construction before moving forward will play a role in when the committee may vote.

Following the meeting Stokes declined to say whether he was getting pressure to hold a vote on the legislation from Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's administration.

"You know how it is sometimes in politics, and sometimes I speak too frankly, but in this case I won't, I'll simply say that we're trying to work it through the council, the committee, the administration and the advocates," Stokes said. 

But after 9 p.m. on Wednesday night a message was posted on the mayor's Twitter account calling on supporters to pressure Stokes for a vote.

"Twitternation-Councilman Stokes won't allow an up or down vote on school construction funding. We're elected to make decisions-Let him know," the message read.    

Activists, educators and students, many from North Baltimore, spoke in front of committee in favor of the proposal to increase the bottle tax.

Joseph Reichelt, a third grader at told the committee that his school had "filthy bathrooms and water fountains that don’t work."

Harry Huntley, an eighth grader at Roland Park Elementary and Middle School, also told the committee that he supported the bottle tax increase, and said that he hoped the city would investigate other the revenue sources that bottle tax opponents said should be used to bolster schools.

"We’ll take those too," he said.

But several members of the beverage industry, retailers and unions spoke out against the tax increase, and argued that it will cost them business, and by default cost jobs.

"You’re not helping Baltimore’s children by putting their parents out of work," said David Dunphy, of the United Food and Commercial Workers.

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