Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-24
COMMISSION Of SIX
TOPLAN MARYLAND
Legislation to Govern Work
in Suburbs Near Washing
ton Being Drafted.

Legislation providing for the
establishment of q Maryland Nation.
al Capital Park and Planning Com.
mission, TO lay out and provide
| an orderly development of the
metropolitan area in Montgomery and
| Prince Georges Counties, and to co
ordinate that scheme with the one now
being laid out for the National Capital
proper. will be introduced in the Mary
land Legislature. probably this week.
| The tentative provisions of the pro
! posed legislation were submitted to
| representatives of people In the area
at dinner Saturday at the City Club
! by Maj. L. Brooke Lee. speaker of
! the Maryland House of Delegates.
| The meeting was held for the express
purpose of getting the opinion of the
people who must ultimately pay the
! bill, so that their representatives in
the Legislature would know whether
| to push the legislation or not.
The general boundary of the metro
| politan area, as laid down, will be the
present Washington Suburban SAM
| tary District, but with the following
additions to he included in the bill
| to be introduCed Cabin John Run and
the adjacent territory north and west
| Of Edgmoor and Bradley Hills, not
| now included in the Washington
Suburban Sanitary District Rock
Creek Valley, to q reasonable width
| for parking purposes as far as the
Rockville BorbeCk road and the gener-
al section of the Northwest Branch,
located north and west of Burnt Mills,
In the area where the Washington
Suburban Sanitary Commission is
about to start construction of a large
| reservoir to furnish the water supply
for the Maryland surburbs Of Wash
ington.
Three From Each County.
The proposed commission is to con.
sist of six members, three from
each of the two counties. all of whom
must be taxpayers and residents with
in the area concerned. The chairman
of the Washington Suburban SAM
tary Commission is TO be a member
of the commission, his appointment
to be charged to one of the three from
the county Of which he is a resident.
The other five commissioners are to
be appointed by the governor, subject
to confirmation by the county COM
missioners of the counties from
which the respective appointments are
made. The chairman also is to be des-
ignated by the governor. The terms
OF the commissioners are to be for
four years. 1t is proposed to pay the
chairman of the commission $4,000 a
year and each member $500 a year.
A paid office of secretary-treasurer
also is to be provided at salary of
81, 500 per annum.
Offices would be established in this
city and in each of the two adjacent
counties.
For the purpose of maintaining the
commission, a Scent fiat tax would be
assessed on the park and planning dis.
trict.
The duties Of the commission, as
outlined In the tentative report OF the
de facto commission now serving un-
der appointment Of Gov. Albert G.
Richie, follows:
THAT the Maryland Park and
Planning Commission be created as a
corporation, and be empowered to
control the general highway plan of
the area affected, to purchase and ac-
cept parks. playground sites, etc, and
to establish a system OF zones, all of
which are to be more particularly de-
scribed hereafter. The corporation
should give the commission authority
to enter into contracts for agree
mentS with any Of the State authori-
ties, or with the District of Columbia,
or it's agencies. or the Federal Gov
eminent. or its agencies, or with an
individual. 1t also should provide
that no money be levied or collected
in either county, other than the Scent
administrative tax, that no rule or
regulation, or order, or expenditure,
except out of the administration fund,
should be made in either county, and
that no plan or any system of high
ways or Of coming should be effective
in either county when any two OF
the members OF the commission voted
against the proposed regulation, tax
levy, expenditure or PLAN
Specific authority, 1t is recon-
mended, should be given the corpo.
ration to cooperate with the National
Capital Park and Planning Commits
sion and to accept funds, but gives
the commission no power to create
extraterritorial jurisdiction. The
power of condemnation also is to be
included, and to prevent any prop
erty owners from piling up expense
to be taken into consideration by q
condemnation jury it is proposed to
have the law provide that wherever
the commission has officially estab.
lished any park site, street or avenue
and published the fact any per.
! son who directs any building or i'm
provement Of any kind within the
| limits Of the area so defined within
period Of five years shall not be al
lowed the value of such improve
ments on any condemnation proceed
ing within that time.
Authorized TO Direct Tax Levy.
The commission would be authorized
TO direct the county commissioners of
Montgomery County to levy direct
tax Of Z cents on land in the i'm.
provement district or to issue bonds
| upon the district. redeemable within
| 20 years by a cent tax, and to issue
additional bonds every four years.
This fund would provide the land
purchase money. The commission
| would be empowered to spend any
State appropriation equally in the
| two counties.
The bill, it is recommended. shall
| contain a provision requesting the
Prince Georges County commissioners
TO levy cent tax in that area. but
| there seems to be a general opinion
| that the people of that county will
| seek the same provision as that for
| Montgomery County--that is, direct.
| ing instead Of requesting the commits.
| stoners to levy the tax.
The recommendations are signed by
| the following members of the de faeto
| commission:
| Montgomery County--E. Brooke
| Tae. chairman. Otivar nuya1 TT.