Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-21
NEW MONTGOMERY
GOVERNMENT UP
Plans for Area Adjacent to
Capital to Be Discussed
December %.

fnont I0T southern
ty, or that part of pit ad1aceht "
Washineton to be included in the re-
gional development area, VIII pe Gus,
Cussed December 20 at special
meeting of the Montgomery county
Civic Federation in the Bethesda ltlgh
School. The demand for some new
governmental method when Woud
Give this lower end of the county an
opportunity to progress IN the I'M
movements along with the National
c,anital has come from NUMBER OF
different civic organizations IN the
county.
The question is to be considered py
she LEGISLATURE of Maryland. which
convenes at Annapolis on January
for a period of three months. and 1t
is the desire of. those fostering the
plan for a new government 10 DE
ready TO tell the Legislature just what
the citizens there believe the county
needs. So
So far only one concrete plan has
beer, presented to the people, ard THIS
was prepared by Mai. +. Brooke Lee
of Silver Spring, a delegate to the Leg
islature from Montgomery county.
In substance, it provides for a reds
tricting of the county commissioner
area. making two distinct districts OF
THAI pdA l VI bilC NCNihtS
District of Columbia.
From each of the two districts it is
proposed to elect a county SUBURBAN
commissioner, the two to form q
board Ior handling the affairs for this
section, This area has increased III
taxing value to such an extent, II
was pointed out, that it is entitled to
special consideration in the expendi-
ture of funds for improvements. The
plan also provides for the creation or
@ Montgomery County Planning Com
mission, with a full-time city planner,
to cooperate with the National CAPT
tai Park and Planning Commission
in the development of this area
Mai. Lee points out that the in
creased service in local government
can be met In the following way: BY
legislative Incorporation of large or
small towns; by legislative creation of
large or small special taxing areas, or
by legisla ton increasing the powers
Of the county government throughout
the suburban sections of the county
not already included in the incor-
porated towns and special taxing
areas.
Mai. Lee said that the most con-
structiye solution of the problem
appears to be the enlargement of
a suburban zone to include the
general territory of the Washing
ton Suburban Sanitary Commission,
without including or disturbing the
existing Incorporated towns and tax
ing areas. A workable method OF
administration of the suburban zone,
which would appear to be through
a board of suburban commissioners
Of Montgomery County, which board
would consist of the county commits
sioner elected from the proposed new
Bethesda district and the county COM
missioner elected from the proposed
Wheaton and Colesville district. 1t
is proposed that Offices be established
in the respective districts Of these
two commissioners and that a county
police headquarters be maintained in
each building.
Under the Lee plan the entire sub
urban zone would be made subject to
an additional tax over and above the
general county tax rate, which tax
would be levied to cover a part of
the cost of street construction and all
OF the cost of street repair, area-wide
lighting and such general improve
ments as would appear to benefit the
entire suburban zone. The general
distribution and amounts of county
road taxes would remain as they now
are. The suburban road zone main
tenance and construction taxes would
be levied on the suburban zone over
and above the county tax. Road or
street construction would consist of
two types-first. the share of new
State roads and roads constructed
from county bond issues that should
be fairly located in the county COM
missioner's A;trict of the suburban
zone; secondly. roads or streets to be
built where the suburban zone COM
miSsionerS may decide, partly from
tsW general suburban zone road or
street construction tax and partly as
benefit course to adjacent property
Maj. Lee suggests that the proposed
redistricting would eliminate the most
immediate and consequently most
dangerous cause of political friction
between the suburban and agricul-
tural sections of the county. possible
development of which constitutes one
or the most potential dangers to the
future constructive growth of the en-
tire county.
Discussing the coming and planning
for the development of the county,
Maj. Lee says there is an immediate
and vital need of coming legislation
the creation and maintenance of a
park system as well as the study,
AAGoIAOt e1ilO Ste1luIOfy SdICllOH Oh q
permanent street coming for the area
He adds that unless an agency with
jurisdiction over these functions is
created it will be exceedingly difficult
for the county to benefit to the fullest
possible extent from cooperation and
participation in the activities of the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission.
The enlargement of the duties of
the county commissioners and the
creation OF a suburban commission is
favored on the ground that it will
reduce the overhead and permit Of
Improvement contracts being let on a
large scale with consequent reduction
In cost. To permit the creation of a
large number of small incorporated
towns and taxing areas, Maj. Lee
points out, would be comparable to a
large city having a separate govern
ment for every dozen or so city blocks.
II would be uneconomical, he says,
because each would be required to
carr on its improvement scheme In a
very small way, and in the end there
would be no general scheme of i'm
pavement to tie up with the broad
y IN being outlined for the District of
Columbia.