The Commission recently completed "A Program for Partial Pay-
As-You-Go-Financing" in connection with the State's Long-Term
Capital Improvement Program. Filling in the gap in basic data per-
taining to the Maryland economy, the Commission has developed a
series of income estimates for the 23 counties and Baltimore City.
In addition, the "Economic County Data Book for Maryland" was
revised as of March 1, 1955. With the cooperation of the county plan-
ning commissions, a monthly tabulation of new dwelling units author-
ized in the census tracts of the Baltimore Area was inaugurated, and
a summary issued for the year 1954, in addition to the Commission's
annual tabulation of "Building Permits Authorized" in the counties
and cities of Maryland. A special study of "Ports in the State of
Maryland" was prepared. The annual survey of planning and zoning
agencies is being continued. New directories of the local agencies are
compiled each year, plus a summary of planning programs, budgets,
and staffs. In keeping with Joint Resolution No. 12 of the General
Assembly of 1953, the Committee on Medical Care appointed a Sub-
committee to Review the Financing of Maryland Health Activities.
Based on the Subcommittee's report, the Commission transmitted its
findings and recommendations to the Governor, Legislative Council,
and General Assembly in February 1955. Another subcommittee of
the Committee of Medical Care completed "A Survey of Mental
Health Training and Research in Maryland."

Appropriations 1955 1956
General Fund ................................ $77,636 $83,975
Staff: 13.

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS

James J. O'Donnell, Director, 1959
Garrett O. Billmire, Assistant Director
Laurence P. Sangston, Principal Architect
Katherine M. McQuade, Executive Secretary

The Department of Public Improvements was created by the Legis-
lature in 1947. The Director of Public Improvements, the designated
head of the Department, is appointed by the Governor for a term of
four years.

The duties of the Department of Public Improvements consist, in
part of the following: to assist and advise the Board of Public
Works and other State agencies on all matters of engineering sur-
veys, plans, specifications and contracts for public improvements that
may come before the Board or in which a State agency may be inter-
ested; to select and appoint architects and engineers, subject to ap-
proval of the Board of Public Works, to prepare plans and specifica-
tions for all public improvements; to assist the State Planning Com-
mission in the development of technical details necessary for the
preparation of the Capital Improvement Program; to collect and main-
tain a complete and accurate file of plats and surveys of the location
of all public improvements; and to represent the Board of Public
Works at the opening of all bids for public improvements and tabu-
late, record and advise the Board of such bids. The Department main-
tains an inspection division with representation on all major projects
to insure adherence to established standards and specifications. As
charged by law, the Department prepared and presented a State Build-
ing Code to the 1951 session of the General Assembly (Code 195I, Art.
41, sec. 202; Art. 78A, secs. 11-16, 19).