perts.11 The participants focused their
attention particularly on ways in which
the present Constitution of Maryland
could be revised to empower local gov-
ernments to respond more readily to
current and anticipated needs for ex-
panded urban services and facilities.12
The Commission, in its recommenda-
tions, sets forth no single "pat" solution
for easing the problems of governmental
and functional complexity at the local
level. The Commission is convinced
that ne single approach can be identi-
fied as being the most desirable. It is
also convinced that it is not feasible for
the General Assembly to endeavor to
legislate a single solution for the various
metropolitan areas. Rather, the ap-
proach recommended in the Commis-
sion's report is that authority be granted
by the General Assembly to all metro-
politan areas to employ whichever prin-
cipal methods and forms for resolving
their problems that seem preferable to
their residents and officials, in light of
all attendant circumstances.
While subscribing firmly to the prin-
11 Dr. John Bebout, Director, Institute of
Urban Affairs, Rutgers University; The Hon-
orable Beverly Briley, Mayor of Nashville-
Davidson County, Nashville, Tennessee ; Dr.
Carlton Chute, Department of Public Admin-
istration, New York University; Mr. William
Colman, Director, Advisory Commission on
Intergovernmental Relations; Dr. Lorer.e R.
Cumming, Ontario Department of Municipal
Affairs; Dr. Luther Gulick, Institute of Public
Administration; Dr. Victor Jones, University
of California, Berkeley, California; Mr. John
Keith, Executive Vice President, Regional
Planning Association of New York (City) ;
and Mr. James A. Norton, Director, Greater
Cleveland Association.
12 A transcript of the conference proceed-
ings is included in the unpublished papers of
the Commission in the Enoch Pratt Free
Library, the University of Maryland Library,
the Maryland State Library, and The Johns
Hopkins University Library.
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ciple of desiring maximum flexibility and
freedom of action for local units of gov-
ernment in meeting the needs of their
citizens, the Commission nevertheless
believes it desirable that the State re-
serve sufficient authority in the General
Assembly to enable it to modify the re-
sponsibilities and relationships of local
units of government whenever the Gen-
eral Assembly concludes that such action
would be in the best interests of the
people of the area as a whole. This
would have particular application in
metropolitan areas.
The Commission recommends that a
new constitution contain a "package"
of permissive powers which residents of
local and metropolitan areas may use as
they see fit. Such a "package" should,
for example, make possible: (1) au-
thority to contract and enter into agree-
ments with other local governments;
(2) authority to initiate change through
the establishment of study commissions,
which can examine the structure of a
local government or of local govern-
ments in a metropolitan area and can
propose to the voters such reorganization
plans for local or metropolitan govern-
ment as may seem appropriate; (3) au-
thority to municipal governments to
exercise extraterritorial planning, zon-
ing, and subdivision regulation powers
beyond their boundaries, where such
powers are not being exercised by the
county government; (4) authority to
establish functional or service authori-
ties, which can assume responsibility for
one or more functions of an area-wide
character, as the voters may determine;
(5) authority to form regional or metro-
politan planning commissions; (6) au-
thority to establish an area-wide council
of elected officials for the purpose of
meeting periodically to exchange infor-
mation and ideas on problems of mutual
257
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