Baltimore County officials are looking for solutions to an escalating rat problem plaguing several Towson neighborhoods.
Residents of Towson Manor Village have seen rats for years, but this summer, the problem has worsened. Numerous code complaints have been filed in the area, detailing trash cans without lids, overflowing trash and tall grass — issues that residents believe are exacerbating the rodent infestation.
County officials got a glimpse of the problem Wednesday afternoon as they met with neighborhood representatives, who walked through several streets with reported issues.
Sara Judd, who has lived in Towson Manor Village for nine years, believes neglect from absentee landlords is part of the problem.
“They’re not coming back to check on the properties, they’re not enforcing it, and they’re also not getting cited for any violations,” she said. “So for them, it’s just, why bother? It’s not a problem for them until financially, it could be one.”
Some residents are concerned about public health issues stemming from a higher population of rodents in the area. Colleen McElroy’s 4-month-old puppy spent a week at the vet in July after contracting leptospirosis, a bacterial infection that can be transmitted through contact with water or soil contaminated by rat urine. The vet bills cost thousands of dollars, she said.
McElroy said she saw rat feces in her backyard and that sightings of the rodent have become more frequent this summer.
Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier was one of the numerous county officials who walked the streets and alleys where residents have seen larger signs of the rat infestation. It’s a problem she’s heard about throughout her time in the state legislature and as county executive.
“I think that we really, really need to work on the neighborhoods to get them to clean up — we see a lot of trash, and that’s what this is all about,” she said in an interview. “Besides the trash, the yard: Some of them have foot-high grass and there’s weeds everywhere, so it just all needs to be cleaned up.”
The county has done one rat extermination so far this year, and another is slated for September, Klausmeier said. The county plans to continue code enforcement in the area, as well as educational efforts.
Walking along a Towson alley, Baltimore County Council Chair Mike Ertel picked up several empty bottles strewn along the street, depositing them in a nearby recycling can.
Ertel, a Democrat who represents the area, said he’s looking at legislation for a pilot program to limit rentals to see whether it could help curb the problem.
“Some renters are probably better than homeowners, but a lot of them just have the attitude like, ‘I’m not staying long, so I’ll just do what I want, and if there’s rats, who cares,’” he said.
Judd, too, said she’s looking for a limitation on the number of rental units allowed in some areas — or a better way to enforce the county’s restrictions on rentals. Under county code, no more than two unrelated adults can live together in a rental unit unless it’s authorized as a boarding or rooming house.
Have a news tip? Contact Natalie Jones at najones@baltsun.com.
