Prince George’s County Historic Preservation Commission Shortage
Prince George’s County Historic Preservation Commission. Which part of “shall” is unclear?A quick quiz for Prince George’s County. The County Charter says: “The County Executive shall appoint the members of all boards and commissions.” Subtitle 29 of the County Code creates a nine-member Historic Preservation Commission to protect the County’s historic sites and districts. Shall. Not “may.” Not “might, if we get around to it.” Shall. Here’s where things stand. The HPC has six of its nine seats filled. Three nominees were approved and have been waiting on the County Executive since January. That’s nine months. You can grow an entire human being in nine months. Meanwhile, the volunteer commissioners (no salary, no per diem, no budget) keep showing up to review Historic Area Work Permits and preservation tax credits. But with a bench this thin, a couple of absences or recusals can leave us without a quorum. No quorum means no decision, and homeowners who are waiting on a permit or a tax credit keep waiting. Sooner or later, one of them will ask a judge why the County isn’t following its own law. That’s a bill taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for a problem that takes three signatures to fix .So here’s a rhetorical question for our elected officials: what exactly does “shall” mean in Upper Marlboro these days? If you care about Prince George’s County’s history, and about a government that follows its own laws, ask them. Politely. Repeatedly. It’s election season, after all. John Peter Thompson, Chair.
Prince George'S County, MD · 11h
