Rift over planning reform process frustrates Montgomery County leaders

Montgomery County’s elected leaders agree that something must be done to revamp a sluggish development review process and restore public trust after scandal and infighting last year imploded the county’s powerful planning board. They also agree that politics shouldn’t block the path to accomplishing these goals. But a state lawmaker’s effort to create a nonbinding work group focused on county planning has exposed simmering tensions among Montgomery’s power centers, leading the county council to request more representation after being left out of the negotiations to create the group. The final version of the group announced last week shocked council members, who received no advance notice of the specific plans despite holding oversight powers over the planning board.