Politics

The Baltimore County Council approved on Tuesday the 2030 Master Plan after a four-year delay and months of intense discussion between the council and county officials. The 2030 Master Plan is a charter-mandated document that strategizes where development in Baltimore County should occur in ten-year cycles. Its passage has become a point of contention between the council and administration after planning staff informed the council last month they would not help council staff amend the plan.

Dominoes are falling around Maryland. Of the ten lawmakers that Marylanders sent to Congress, four are leaving their seats. U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin announced his retirement, as did Reps. John Sarbanes and Dutch Ruppersberger. Rep. David Trone isn’t running for reelection because he’s running for Cardin’s Senate seat. Just as Cardin’s retirement is creating another vacuum as Trone runs for the Senate seat, Ruppersberger’s retirement could create a follow-on vacancy as others attempt to climb the political ladder.

Nearly two years after state environmental regulators intervened in operations of Baltimore’s troubled Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant, city officials plan to outsource core parts of the facility’s operation to a private contractor. The $50 million agreement with the Colorado-based Operations Management International, Inc., was authorized by Department of Public Works officials on an emergency basis in September but wasn’t scheduled to go before the city’s spending board until Wednesday.

A new bill that would create a commission to determine how funds raised through cannabis taxes would be distributed to communities most impacted by cannabis prohibition is under consideration by the Montgomery County Council. In November 2022, Maryland voters overwhelmingly supported legalization of cannabis—more than 67% of voters were in favor.

Jewish members of the Maryland House of Delegates are seeking to pass legislation to remove the representative of a Muslim advocacy organization from the attorney general’s hate crimes commission following her suspension for online comments about the Israel-Hamas war. “A group that espouses vitriol and hatred for the Jewish community does not belong on a commission that has been established to respond to and prevent hate,” Deborah Miller, a representative of the Jewish Community Relations Council, said during a tense hearing before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

Gov. Wes Moore, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy and Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates vowed during a forum Monday night to hold juvenile offenders accountable while promising to pursue expanded services for young people in trouble, with the governor reiterating plans to spend more and hire more staff to address problems in juvenile services.

Maryland might soon allow local liquor stores to contract with companies like DoorDash and Instacart for delivery services, though public health organizations have raised concerns about how the policy might exacerbate mental health and substance-use issues. The state’s local liquor boards have the authority to permit liquor stores to deliver to customers, though only using their own employees.

Frederick’s police department can move forward with plans to refurbish a mobile command unit for its use during emergencies and community events, after approval from the city’s aldermen last week. The aldermen voted unanimously Thursday night to approve a work order for $165,898 to the Pennsylvania-based company 911 Rapid Response to begin upgrading the Freightliner command vehicle.