The Regional Planning Council was created by Chapter 753, Acts
of 1963, as the official successor to the Baltimore Regional Planning
Council, which had been operating as an arm of the State Planning
Department since 1956. The Council's area of jurisdiction covers Bal-
timore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and
Howard counties. Its membership of 20 persons consists of two repre-
sentatives from each of these six political subdivisions, the Director of
the State Planning Department, the Chairman-Director of the State
Roads Commission, a member of the Metropolitan Transit Authority,
a member of the Maryland Port Authority, a member of the State
Senate, a member of the House of Delegates, and two members-at-
large. The last four members are appointed by the Governor. Of the
two members from each of the six political subdivisions, one is a
member of the local legislative body, while the other is a member of
the local planning commission.

The Regional Planning Council is to prepare and adopt a compre-
hensive plan for the development of the Region. The plan must con-
tain a statement of objectives, standards and principles, recommen-
dations for the most desirable general pattern of land use, a circula-
tion pattern, a suggested general location for public and quasi-public
facilities which are of regional concern, and recommendations for
regulatory and administrative measures to implement the General
Development Plan. In addition, the Regional Planning Council has the
usual research and advisory functions associated with planning
agencies.

Once the General Development Plan has been adopted by the Re-
gional Planning Council, no plan may be adopted by any unit of
government within the area, and "no road, park:, public way, public
buildings, or any other development which is metropolitan or regional
in nature or affects an area greater than a single unit of government,
may be constructed or authorized in the Regional Planning Area
until and unless the proposed location and extent thereof has been
referred to the Regional Planning Council for its consideration". It
was thus the intent of the Legislature that the Regional Planning
Council be consulted on every improvement which directly affects
more than one unit of government, that it have an opportunity to
determine what effect such a contemplated improvement will have on
the General Development Plan, without, however, giving the Council
an actual veto power.

The Regional Planning Council receives two-thirds of its budget
from the six political subdivisions of the Region and one-third from
the State. The portion of each of the subdivision's share of the budget
must be in the same ratio as their respective assessed value of real
property is to the total for the Region; in no event can it be an
amount which exceeds the amount that would be produced by a levy
of an ad valorem tax of 1/2 cent per $100 (Code 1967, 1963 Supp.,
Art. 78C).

Supervision of Business

STATE ATHLETIC COMMISSION
Chairman: D. Chester O'Sullivan, 1967
Lee S. Gillis, 1965; Edgar L. Lane, 1969
Jack Cohen, Executive Secretary

301 W. Preston Street, Baltimore 1 Telephone: 837-9000

The State Athletic Commission, established by Chapter 710, Acts of
1920, consists of three members appointed by the Governor for six-