Big-Ticket Transit, School Issues Top 2006 Agenda

Ficker, however, said the change Barkley proposes would "give citizens the cold shoulder."

"What they are trying to do is limit the right of citizens to petition the government," said Ficker, a Republican candidate for county executive. "It is really abhorrent to me and another reason why these people should not be in public office."

The issue of whether Montgomery County hunters should be allowed to pursue deer on Sundays is also expected to provoke heated debate. Sen. Robert J. Garagiola (D), who represents the rural northern part of the county, has introduced legislation allowing deer hunting two Sundays a year on private property.

After being banned since Colonial times, the General Assembly approved a bill in 2002 to allow Sunday hunting in seven counties, mostly in the southern and western parts of the state. At the time, Montgomery legislators fought to be excluded from Sunday hunting.

But complaints about deer continue to mount, and Garagiola said it's time to reconsider that stance.

"You can't have a viable farm community if their crops are being devoured by deer," said Garagiola, noting that hunting in Montgomery is already restricted to the rural parts of the county.

The proposal faces an uncertain future, however, given the county's contingent of animal-rights activists and outdoor enthusiasts, who have resisted Sunday hunting.

The delegation rejected a similar proposal last year. The House of Delegates' County Affairs Committee deadlocked 3 to 3 on Garagiola's bill last month, but another vote is expected.

Other local issues on the legislative agenda include a proposal by Del. Anne R. Kaiser (D) to prohibit a person from soliciting money along a roadway or median or at an intersection. Del Gareth E. Murray (D) also wants to look for a way to restrict students from wearing clothing near schools that indicates they are affiliated with gangs. His staff said it's unclear whether he will draft formal legislation or try to attach such a measure as an amendment to another proposal.

Del. William A. Bronrott (D) has proposed a series of changes to address questions about the county Planning Board's ability to police development. During the past year, the board has struggled to investigate allegations raised by a community association that hundreds of homes in Clarksburg Town Center were built too high or too close to the street and that the developer failed to provide the promised recreational amenities, retail facilities and open space. The dispute is being sorted out in mediated talks between the community and the developer, Newland Communities.

The Montgomery County Planning Board can levy fines as high as $500 per violation, with each day of the violation counting as a separate offense. Under Bronrott's proposal, the board could apply a maximum fine of $500,000 for each violation or $1,000 a day per violation, whichever is higher.

Bronrott also wants to give the Planning Board the power to subpoena witnesses, because it was unable to compel testimony during its investigation into the Clarksburg dispute.

The Clarksburg Town Center Advisory Committee, which helped unmask problems in the community, supports Bronrott's bill but would like even greater changes.