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Hogan on New State Development Plan and Opioid Crisis

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OCEAN CITY, Md. (AP) - Gov. Larry Hogan has signed an executive order to create a new statewide development plan.

Hogan made the announcement Saturday in a speech to the Maryland Association of Counties.

The Republican governor says he has repeatedly heard from local officials who have asked for changes to PlanMaryland, which was put in place by Hogan's predecessor, Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat.

PlanMaryland was described at the time as the state's first long-range strategy to control growth as the state's population continues to swell. But opponents contended it included sweeping land-use implications with little input from local officials.

Hogan says the new development plan will be transparent and include input from residents and local jurisdictions. He says it will improve coordination between state agencies and local governments.

Opioid Crisis

Credit msa.maryland.gov
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msa.maryland.gov
State Senator Jim Mathias (D-Md)

Governor Hogan also told the Association conference this weekend that it will take a community effort to fight the opioid problem.

He noted that the heroin and opioid crisis has overwhelmed has overwhelmed many communities.

The Republican Governor said that he had delegated emergency powers to county emergency management committing $50 million to combat the crisis.

Meanwhile, state Senator Jim Mathias he had seen the personal effects addiction when he saw a manager in Baltimore where he grew up struggle with addiction.

The Maryland Democrat said the problem has only gotten worse over the last forty years.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.