BALTIMORE COUNTY — Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski vetoed a bill intended to ease overcrowding in county schools on Thursday.
The bill, titled Bill 31-24, was meant to help the county get ahead of the overcrowding problem.
However, Olszewski and his administration say the legislation is unlikely to "meaningfully impact school crowding."
He adds the bill will "drastically reduce opportunities for attainable housing."
"This bill makes no effort to address enrollment growth driven by relocation into existing housing stock, and does not quantify the extent to which new development is contributing to growth in school capacity rates," Olszewski said.
Just last week when the council approved the bill, the county executive expressed concerns with it.
"We share concerns regarding school overcrowding and support efforts to responsibly address it, but our administration has also expressed valid challenges with this complex bill, including its detrimental impacts on Baltimore County’s moral and legal obligations to address attainable housing. In light of those concerns and flurry of amendment activity, we will carefully review the final version of this legislation in the coming days to determine the appropriate next step.”
Despite the veto, the county council still holds the power to override it.
