Maryland’s most populous counties could be headed for a bitter split.

Since 1927, Montgomery and Prince George’s bi-county parks and planning commission has guided development in D.C. suburbs.

Under the arrangement, believed to be the only one of its kind in the nation, the counties’ parks and planning staffs share several departments, including legal, procurement, IT and human resources.

But now Prince George’s County officials, with the support of Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, are looking to dissolve the relationship, at least partially.

Prince George’s officials said sharing these functions has slowed past development and that they need to move faster to welcome the world’s second Sphere, which County Executive Aisha Braveboy has called the largest economic development project in her county’s history.

“We’re just asking,” Braveboy said Thursday during a bill hearing at the State House, ”for an amicable separation.”

If Prince George’s officials get their way, lawmakers would restructure the commission so the counties would no longer share a general counsel, procurement office, IT or human resources.

Each county would continue to have its own five-member planning board, which together make up the bi-county Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

But Montgomery’s parks and planning leaders, and current and former commissioners from both counties, oppose the proposal. They’ve contended the plan to dismantle central components of the century-old system is ill-timed and ill-intentioned.

“This bill is honestly outrageous,” said Natali Fani-González, president of the Montgomery County Council.

The proposal faces an uncertain future.

Prince George’s senators introduced it late in the 90-day session, potentially diminishing its chances of success. And Brian Feldman, a Montgomery County senator, leads the committee that will decide whether the bill advances.

Feldman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Two counties, one commission

Prince George’s officials said they aren’t asking the legislature to disband the bi-county commission but to restructure it to improve efficiency.

One Prince George’s commissioner said his county has lost job candidates because the commission’s hiring process is so cumbersome.

Montgomery and Prince George’s are comparable in size, but Prince George’s contributes about 64% of the commission’s revenue, compared to Montgomery’s 28%. The commission also operates the Prince George’s recreation programs.

Montgomery planners said the restructuring would increase costs and effectively gut the commission.

“I’ve heard we’re gonna remain a bi-county commission, but I’ve heard we need an amicable separation — I don’t even know what we’re doing here,” said Miti Figueredo, director of Montgomery’s parks department.

She said the change would ripple across planning, maintenance, projects and programs, and it would create anxiety for thousands of employees and retirees.

“We know from the chaos in the federal government what happens when you disrupt and dismantle government agencies without thinking about it carefully,” she said.

Potential power grab

Gino Renne, president of a local union representing the region’s parks and planning employees, described the Prince George’s proposal as a power grab.

“The proposal appears politically motivated,” Renne wrote in prepared testimony to state lawmakers.

Former commissioners opposing the change have argued the current arrangement has insulated the general counsel from politics. Hiring or removing someone in the position requires a vote of the full commission.

Royce Hanson, a former Montgomery County planning board chair, noted in his testimony that previous efforts to dismember the commission have arisen after a county executive or council members received advice they didn’t want to hear.

But Darryl Barnes, a former state lawmaker who chairs the Prince George’s planning board and the bi-county commission, said the commission hasn’t evolved enough over the last 100 years and has sometimes stalled progress in his county.

“I often reflect on the song by Sam Cooke, ‘A Change Is Gonna Come,’” he said. “For us to move forward as a unified agency, change must happen now.”