County staff asks commissioners to weigh in on proposed MPO boundary expansion that could boost federal transportation funding

County planning staff updated the Board of Commissioners on a working-group review of a proposed Calvert–St. Mary’s MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) boundary expansion that would add newly urbanized areas in Calvert County and might also bring Leonardtown into the MPO planning area.

Courtney Jenkins, who addressed the board during the presentation, said the proposed expansion could raise the MPO’s urbanized population and thereby increase the county’s share of federal planning dollars through the Unified Planning Work Program. Jenkins explained the working group was convened to develop a prospectus, identify legal requirements, and assess potential amendments and impacts to planning documents before any formal boundary change.

Deputy county administrator David Young said preliminary outreach with Leonardtown’s town administrator showed “openness to the idea” but staff recommended obtaining formal direction from the St. Mary’s County commissioners before pursuing detailed discussions. Jenkins also told the board the group confirmed that expanding MPO boundaries would not require county vehicle emissions testing.

Commissioners raised administrative and service‑area concerns — including the possibility of overlapping MPO jurisdictions and whether inclusion would allow studies on specific roads — and asked staff to check Leonardtown’s position. The board directed staff to present the working-group findings to the county technical advisory committee, the MPO council, and to return with a recommendation for the commissioners to decide whether to pursue a formal boundary change.

Staff said a small number of follow-up working-group meetings are planned and any formal boundary change would require updated governing agreements and changes to MPO planning documents before returning to the board for approval.