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The Prince George's District Council has been ordered to hand over documents detailing any money council members received from developers, after a coalition of environments questioned the ethics behind developer-friendly master plans.
In the July 28 ruling, Prince George's County Circuit Court Judge Michele D. Hotten ordered the District Council — which the County Council sits as in land use and zoning decisions — to release affidavits from property owners of their campaign contributions to council members. The District Council has until Sept. 20 to turn over the documents.
Judge Hotten wrote in her opinion that the District Council's "failure to collect affidavits, or acknowledge the absence of affidavits filed because no contributions were made, renders it impossible to determine whether any District Council member had any conflict of interest, which conceivable could have compromised the ability to vote independently and impartially."
The ruling follows an October lawsuit filed by the Accokeek, Mattawoman, Piscataway Creeks Communities Council Inc., a group that opposes the Subregion 5 and 6 master plans that rezone thousands of acres of land for commercial use in the southern and eastern portions of the county.
