London Towne, formerly Woodland Beach, has evolved over the years from a vacation resort to a thriving year-round residential community. Incorporated in 1932, the London Towne Property Owners' Association manages and maintains the community's property, including our parks, playgrounds, beaches, ramps, docks and Community Hall. The organization, directed by a 30-member Board of Directors, serves as the community's forum for the discussion and resolution of Association issues. The Board manages the funds for improving the quality of waterfront activities and protecting the many waterfront assests owned by the Association. It also hires and supervises police officers to provide safety and security on community property.

The London Towne Property Owners' Association (LTPOA) is comprised of all property owners within the community. A property owner automatically becomes a member when property is purchased.

The Association maintains, controls, and regulates the clubhouse and the two and a half miles of shoreline. LTPOA owns the riparian rights to the vast majority of shoreline. The Association also governs access to Shore Drive in accordance with Anne Arundel County law.

The community is divided into five Sections, corresponding with the five actual beaches in the community. Each Section has its' own officers and Section meetings. The Section is the first group that oversees matters pertaining to their part of the neighborhood. Each Section elects representatives to the Committees and to the Board of Directors. A property owner may chose to be active in any LTPOA Section, even one in which his/her property isn't located.

The LTPOA Board of Directors meets 6-8 times per year at such time and place as the President shall determine.

Special Community Benefits District - The London Towne Property Owners Association, Inc. is a Special Community Benefit District. We were designated a special assessment area by the Maryland General Assembly in 1939 and designated a Special Community Benefit District in 1965. Special Community Benefit Districts (SCBD), like ours, are formed for a variety of purposes for which SCBD's fund themselves for public benefits that they would not otherwise receive. Purposes for forming into an SCBD include: to operate and maintain community owned property or private roads, to offer special security or police protection, to improve community facilities, or to have certain insect or pest control programs.

If you were to read the LTPOA charter, written in 1932 when the Association was formed, you would see that the original trustees named three purposes for having this Association: To own, maintain, improve, beautify and keep the beaches, parks and public buildings and structures, and to maintain, improve and beautify the streets, roads and avenues at Woodland Beach; To own, operate and maintain at Woodland Beach, a clubhouse for social and recreational purposes; To promote and protect the rights and interests of the property owners at Woodland Beach.

In each SCBD, the community members determine a tax rate to produce the revenue necessary to fund the benefits they desire for the coming year. As property owners, we are taxing ourselves to fund the particular benefits for which our Association was formed. We tell the County what tax rate to collect and they do it, in conjunction with any other County taxes they levy. That is the source of funds for our Association. In March, 2005, our property owners voted to levy an assessment of $50 per lot per year to fund the Association for the fiscal year 2006. Again in April 2010, our property owners voted to increase the per lot assessment to $80 per lot per year for the 2011 fiscal year. The $80 per lot continues through FY2020. The budget is established by the Board based on the assessed amount of revenue.

The County Code specifies certain requirements that must be met by taxing districts and certain obligations that go along with taxing district status: Each taxing district must be administered by a community association that is incorporated, that is open to all property owners in the district, and that represents a majority of property owners in the district. Each district must prepare and submit to the County a yearly budget detailing how tax funds collected will be spent and the tax rate necessary to support the budget. Each district must pay to the County a yearly administrative fee that is a percentage of the special taxes assessed on the properties in the district. Currently, the rate is 5%, with a minimum of $100 and a maximum of $2,000. SCBD's must submit yearly financial reports that are reviewed by the County Auditor and are subject to stringent State of Maryland regulations. Expenditure of SCBD assessments must be consistent with line items approved in the annual budget adopted by the County Council.