The Baltimore Metropolitan Council promotes cooperation among local governments in the Baltimore metropolitan area to share information, collect data, and solve common problems. It also anticipates future needs in infrastructure, the environment, and economic development. Under formal agreements among its members, the Council provides regional planning for solid waste management and transportation.
The Council is composed of the Mayor of Baltimore; county executives of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford and Howard counties, Maryland; and a Carroll County commissioner (Code 1957, Art. 78D, secs. 1-7).
BALTIMORE REGIONAL COOPERATIVE PURCHASING COMMITTEE
Since electricity deregulation became effective in Maryland July 1, 2000, the Committee has worked to develop and implement procurement strategies for electrical energy needs. Cooperative purchasing for both public schools and public works departments in participating jurisdictions also is a goal of the Committee.
RESERVOIR WATERSHED PROTECTION PROGRAM
Representatives from the six member governments make up the Board, in addition to the Mayor of Annapolis and the Secretary of Transportation. The Secretary of the Environment and the Secretary of Planning are nonvoting members.
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The Baltimore Regional Cooperative Purchasing Committee began in 1971 as the Baltimore Metropolitan Group with Baltimore City, Anne Arundel County, and Baltimore County as original members. It adopted its present name in the 1980s and became a standing committee of the Baltimore Metropolitan Council in 1989. The Committee works to save money for member jurisdictions through combining their supply needs and negotiating cooperative contracts in bulk. The Committee also serves as a forum for exchanging cost-effective strategies.
REGIONAL INFORMATION CENTER
The Baltimore Metropolitan Council operates the Regional Information Center, an urban planning and regional library associated with the Enoch Pratt Free Library. The Center provides data on demographic and economic trends, transportation planning, land use, environmental management, waste management, and water quality.
The Reservoir Watershed Protection Program stems from a Reservoir Agreement first signed in 1979 and updated in 1984 and 1990. Signatories agreed to act together to improve water quality and stop algal blooms in reservoirs and related watersheds which serve 1.8 million people in Baltimore City and five neighboring counties. While water quality staff from signatory and participating jurisdictions coordinate and review technical work, the Program promotes public awareness of the need to protect the reservoirs and their watersheds through workshops, exhibits, and a public school curriculum.
TRANSPORTATION DIVISION
BALTIMORE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION BOARD
The Baltimore Regional Transportation Board started as the Transportation Steering Committee of the Baltimore Metropolitan Council. The Committee was established by a May 1992 memorandum of understanding among the member local governments, the Department of Transportation, and the Governor. In July 2000, it reorganized under its present name. The Board serves as the metropolitan planning organization for federal transportation certification and funding.
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