Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1957-04-18

must PUDllSlly' II has Deen SlSl
Chapter 430 of the Acts of 1857.
gional (planning9 District, was
also signed last week.
Under the terms of these two
Acts, the Park and Planning Com
missions planning jurisdiction
will include all of Montgomery
County with the exception of
Rockville and the up-county mu-
inequalities that are untouchable
under Article XI-E of the Con-
stitutiOn.
The Upper Montgomery COun-
ty Planning Commission will pre-
sumably be abolished by the
Council, as mere fOrmality, but
its rules and regulations will con-
tinue in force until changed by
the Council. There is quite a
job of coordination and adjust
ment to be done.
The Park and Planning Com
mission itself will consist of ten
members rather than six after
June IS, and all appointments will
be made by the County Council
and the Prince Georges County
Commissioners rather than by
the Governor. The terms of the
present members expire, but the
ineumbents are eligible for ap-
pointment to the new agency.
The office of Park Commission
er is abolished and replaced by
a Director of Parks at staff level
This change should not be taken
to indicate dissatisfaction with
the services rendered by the pres
ent Park Commissioner, Mr.. Sid
ney Oliver, who has done a con-
scientious job.
For the long haul, however, the
park system will make out bet
ter with professional park man
in charge rather than with a SER
les of amateur Park Commission
ers, whose tenure of office nee
essarily would depend upon shift.
ing political winds.
No more than six members of
the Commission (three from each
county, may be members of the
same political party, and at least
one from each county must come
from the "predominantly agricul-
tural portion" of that county.
They will all serve staggered
terms of four years.
In addition, the law provides
that ''the members of the Com
mission shall be persons of abil-
ity, experience and integrity and
shall not be selected as represent
ing or supporting any special in
,terest or interests" This Ian
guage suggests guiding philo.
sophy for the appointing author
tiles but does not get into the in.
vidious business of barring en-
tire professions or occupations
from members on the Commits
sion.
The five persons appointed
from this county will constitute
the Montgomery County Planning
Board, which will have exclusive
jurisdiction over all local and in
tra-cOunty planning. The Board
will handle all coming recOmmen-
datiOns, subdivision plats and
most of the mandatory referrals.
1t will assist the Council and the
County Manager in budgeting
and planning capital improve
ments.
The staff personnel performing
such duties will be directly UNI
der the jurisdiction of the Coun-
ty Planning Board rather than
the full Commission. The Coun-
Gil is authorized to appropriate
additional funds to expand the
Planning Boards staff independ-
emily of what may or may not
be happening in Prince Georges
County.
Another clause requires the
County Planning Board to meet
with the Council from time to
time and to perform such sur
veys, studies and other planning
duties" as the Council may assign
to it.
The Planning Board together
with the Prince Georges Planning
Board compose the full Commits
sion. They will sit together for
truly regional activities, such as
the Comprehensive Plan for the
entire Regional District, the In
ter-county highways and parks,
ETC. The personnel of the Ad-
vance Planning Unit will report
directly to the full Commission.
think that the new Act pro-
vides a neat balance between the
obvious advantages of regional
planning and the natural desires
within Montgomery County for a
local planning authority adjusted
to our Home Rule form of gov
eminent.
believe that this measure, Civ
en- a fair trial, will answer our
planning needs for great many
years to come. The one big "if'