Take Action: Office of People's Counsel Faces Permanent End

Update: (4/19): Just Yesterday the Council held a public hearing on bill 18-23 (see the video here) and the Office of Legislative Oversight released their report on the equity impacts of the bill. It reads in part:
"The Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) anticipates that Bill 18-23 could sustain or marginally widen racial and social inequities in land use in the County as its benefits would disproportionately accrue to land developers that are disproportionately White. To advance RESJ in land use and zoning processes, OLO proposes modification and alternatives to current law for Council consideration."

The equity impacts of  bill 18-23 are clear - neighborhoods of less means face hurdles to engage in the land use process without a public advocate to balance the scales - like the Office of People's Counsel did successfully for years. Click "Start Writing" to make your voice heard before it goes to Committee.

Land Use is complicated - while the county and developers have a a bevy of land use attorneys, the average resident may not even know what their zoning is. This imbalance becomes stark when residents have questions about planned developments or zoning changes in their neighborhood. Until 2010, re-balancing this equation was the job of the Office of the People's Counsel (OPC)- an agency that is authorized by the County Code to represent the public interest in the County’s land use regulatory process.

The OPC was quietly defunded in 2010. It's absence has left the door open to scores (nearly 100!) of zoning text amendments crafted by some County Council members. These land use changes (some sweeping) often bump up against current master plans and cause the most detriment to communities that don't have the resources or land use acumen to defend themselves.

Understanding and engaging in plans for development where you live should not be a privilege.

Councilmember Friedson has just introduced bill 18-23 that will permanently weaken the OPC - setting up a similar "community" office but removing the role of the OPC to identify master plan conflicts or even participate in public meetings.
How can they work for the public interest without participating in public meetings?

PG, Hartford and Baltimore Counties all have OPCs. Reestablishing the OPC in Montgomery County as envisioned and properly communicating its availability to all residents will help to restore a balance of trust and integrity to the planning and public engagement process.

This bill will have a public hearing on April 18th - tentatively at 1:30