Baltimore Regional Transit Needs Assessment
BALTIMORE, MD (January 17, 2019) – The Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC) hosted a meeting of its Board of Directors on Thursday, January 17, 2019 at 8:30 a.m. The BMC Board of Directors unanimously approved Mayor Catherine E. Pugh as its chair and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski as its vice-chair for calendar year 2019.
As the region's council of governments, BMC serves a vital role as a convener of stakeholders. BMC is an important resource for local governments and the community as a whole - from transportation planning, to workforce development, affordable housing coordination, and cooperative purchasing.
Pugh is optimistic and committed to working with her fellow elected leaders around the region to advance shared goals, she said.
"Now, perhaps more than ever before, we have a unique opportunity to strengthen the relationship between the City of Baltimore and the counties that make this area a great place to conduct business, to learn, enjoy leisure, and call home," said Mayor Catherine E. Pugh. "It will be my aim to ensure that we fully leverage the capacity of the BMC as a forum for research, analysis and collaboration to support the shared work of enhancing our region's economic competitiveness and quality of life."
Michael B. Kelly, BMC executive director, said that he looks forward to Pugh's leadership in 2019.
“The City of Baltimore is the heart of our metropolitan region,” Kelly said. "We look forward to working with Mayor Pugh and her staff to advance the common priorities of the city and our counties in the coming year."
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Baltimore Regional Safety Subcommittee
Overview
The BRTB’s Regional Safety Subcommittee was created in 2008 to help with the implementation of the 5-year Maryland Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP). The group plays an active role in bringing together safety stakeholders from across the region and representing the 4-E's - Engineering, Education, Enforcement, and Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
Meetings are typically held quarterly.
Purpose and Mission
- To monitor progress on the implementation of the SHSP in the Baltimore region; and
- To develop plans and programs to raise safety awareness.
Membership
The subcommittee is made up of safety stakeholders from each of the BRTB's member jurisdictions and state agencies representing Engineering, Education, Enforcement, and Emergency Medical Services.
Mid-Atlantic Purchasing Team (MAPT)
Overview
The Baltimore Metropolitan Council and Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments have agreed to work together through our procurement committees to aggregate regional purchasing volumes. This collaboration is called the Mid-Atlantic Purchasing Team. The regions covered by this action include Maryland, Northern Virginia and Washington D.C.
Purpose and Mission
- First and foremost, MAPT leverages our regions' population density, logistics and spending volumes to attract the best suppliers/contractors, and best pricing.
- MAPT is a member driven consortium with no contract fees.
Membership
Regional coordinators:
Debbie Groat, Baltimore Regional Cooperative Purchasing Committee Baltimore Metropolitan Council dgroat@baltometro.org or 410-732-0500 x1007
Rick Konrad, Chief Procurement Officers Committee Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments rkonrad@mwcog.org or 202-962-3332
Energy Board
Overview
The Energy Board is a subcommittee of the BRCPC. The Energy Board manages a portfolio of electric and natural gas requirements from participating entities. These decisions are guided by an energy management consultant and managed with a Chair.
Purpose and Mission
- Manage price risk for both electric and natural gas portfolios through an 80/20 hedging strategy.
- Ensure that participants meet their renewable energy requirements.
- Inform participants of industry innovations and news.
Membership
Presently, there are 24 local entities participating in the Energy Board. The voting members of the Board include Anne Arundel County, Anne Arundel County Public Schools, City of Baltimore, Baltimore County, Carroll County, Harford County and Howard County.
Chair: Matthew Carpenter, Baltimore County Government, mcarpenter@baltimorecountymd.gov or 410-887-3880.
Energy Management Consultant: Noel Chesser, enelX, 443-524-2887.
Reservoir Technical Group
Overview
In furtherance of the 2005 Reservoir Watershed Management Agreement and Action Strategy, the group meets monthly to: address emerging reservoir issues, coordinate program work efforts, review technical work, and prepare reports called for in the Action Strategy.
Purpose and Mission
- To prepare progress reports of the Action Strategy items.
- To prepare technical reports relating to items that may include reservoir and tributary water quality, trends in land use and land cover, pollutants of concern in the watersheds, or critical land and water management issues in the reservoir watersheds.
Membership
Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Carroll County, Harford County, Howard County, Baltimore County Soil Conservation District, Carroll County Soil Conservation District, Maryland Department of the Environment and Maryland Department of Agriculture
Reservoir Watershed Protection Committee
Overview
This committee was formed to provide oversight and guidance for reservoir watershed protection in the Baltimore region.
Purpose and Mission
- To develop and adopt policies that achieve the goals of the Reservoir Watershed Management Program, addressing the three Baltimore region reservoirs and their watersheds.
Membership
Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Carroll County, Harford County, Howard County, Baltimore County Soil Conservation District, Carroll County Soil Conservation District, Maryland Department of the Environment and Maryland Department of Agriculture
Traffic Incident Management Committee
Overview
The Traffic Incident Management for the Baltimore Region (TIMBR) Committee brings together regional stakeholders to address safety and mobility issues related to traffic incidents. The committee provides a forum for first responders to identify and discuss issues of common concern and work on regional TIM projects.
Meetings are held quarterly.
Purpose and Mission
- To enhance communication, cooperation, and coordination across jurisdictions, agencies, and modes to improve responder and motorist safety, enhance mobility, and ultimately, improve traffic incident management
Membership
Committee members include local, state, federal, and private sector representatives from police, fire, transportation, emergency management, environment, and towing stakeholders working in the Baltimore region.
Regional Fair Housing Group
Overview
Since 1996, local governments in the Baltimore metropolitan area have coordinated in carrying out their duty to affirmatively further fair housing under the federal Fair Housing Act of 1968. Most recently they have worked with the Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC) and local public housing agencies (PHAs) to create a new 2020 Regional Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI), analyzing fair-housing-related disparities in opportunity and creating action plans to address them over the coming five years. From 2012 to 2020 , also with assistance from BMC, the jurisdictions PHAs implemented the Regional Fair Housing Action Plan from their 2012 Regional AI, including establishing a Regional Rental Housing Affordability Preservation Policy and a Regional Project-Based Voucher Program.
Purpose and Mission
To provide a forum where local governments and public housing authorities (PHAs) in the Baltimore area can carry out coordinated planning and implementation of their duty to affirmatively further fair housing.
Membership
The Fair Housing Group includes housing and community development officials from the cities of Annapolis and Baltimore, as well as Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford, and Howard Counties. It also includes representatives from those jurisdictions' human relations or civil rights agencies as well as leaders from public housing authorities in each of the jurisdictions. The chair and vice chair positions rotate annually among the members.
Regional AI Stakeholder Work Group
Overview
The Baltimore Regional Fair Housing Group created the Regional AI Stakeholder Work Group to provide thoughtful and continuous advice as the Fair Housing Group carries out its 2020 Regional Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI). Coordinating this Regional AI is part of BMC’s Regional Fair Housing Planning work. The Stakeholder Work Group met 11 times between October 2018 and March 2020 to review key data related to fair housing and to make suggestions, shape the analysis and resulting goals and priorities, and review the draft AI document.
The Work Group brought together representatives of racial, ethnic, and religious groups protected under the Fair Housing Act, organizations working for people with disabilities, State agencies, policy experts, and civic and community representatives. Participants were drawn from jurisdictions participating in the analysis: the Cities of Annapolis and Baltimore and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford, and Howard Counties. Its work has helped to shape the Baltimore Regional AI scheduled to be completed in May 2020.
Purpose and Mission
- To help the Fair Housing Group review and interpret data provided by HUD for the 2020 Regional AI
- To suggest readily available local data that will enhance the AI
- To provide further input into analysis and significance of data and development of goals and priorities
Membership
The Work Group includes stakeholders around the region who are diverse geographically, demographically, and in terms of constituency, interest, and policy area. It seeks to represent classes protected by the Fair Housing Act, related State agencies, civic and community interests, residents of subsidized housing, local civil rights agencies, and also policy experts in areas related to fair housing, such as education, public health, and transportation.