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It shouldn’t be controversial to think that absolutely no one deserves to lose their home or be evicted due to an unpaid water bill. Yet, Maryland lawmakers are trying to return to a practice that disproportionately impacts and displaces Black people, who are already underrepresented as homeowners and disproportionately impacted as renters.
Prior to 2019, thousands of Baltimore residents have faced tax sales due to unpaid water bills. This disgraceful practice often displaced elderly Black women on fixed incomes and led to an overall decrease in homeownership in Baltimore. In 2019, the Maryland General Assembly voted to protect all households and places of worship in Baltimore from tax sales due to unpaid and unaffordable water bills. This legislation brought Baltimore in line with many water systems in the state; for example, Maryland’s largest water system, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, cannot use tax sales to collect any unpaid water bills.
… this story continues. Read the rest at The Baltimore Banner: Commentary: Unpaid water bills could again cost Baltimoreans their homes
