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NEWS RELEASE

August 6, 2007

** RE-RELEASE – INFORMATION ADDED **

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Howard County’s Department of Planning & Zoning Launches Web Subscription Service (RSS)

ELLICOTT CITY, MD – County Executive Ken Ulman announced today the launching of the Department of Planning and Zoning’s (DPZ) web subscription service (commonly referred to as RSS in technological communities). Effective immediately, residents or anyone with access to the web can subscribe to the service and receive updates on Howard County planning issues and events. (Note: You will need a current web browser, such as, Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 2.0, or Safari).

“The RSS technology is just one more tool we can utilize to keep our citizens up-to-date on Planning & Zoning activities,” said Ulman. “We want citizens to know we are doing all we can to ensure that local government is as open and transparent as possible; and, with this web subscription service, we hope it will also make it easier for them to stay involved.”

RSS will allow DPZ to provide timely information to citizens in an automated manner that doesn’t require a search for specific information on planning and zoning topics. “I am delighted to be able to utilize this new technology to regularly update Howard residents on the important work of DPZ,” said Marsha McLaughlin, Director of the Department of Planning and Zoning.

To subscribe, users simply sign up at the Department of Planning & Zoning’s web page at http://www.co.ho.md.us/DPZ/DPZ_Homepage.htm and click on the RSS icon to view or subscribe to the news feed. Once subscribed, customers will receive automatic updates through their web browser when information or news is uploaded to the DPZ web site. Customers can then click on any headline in the RSS feed to be instantly linked to full content of DPZ news.

The Department of Planning and Zoning’s mission is to create collaborative, innovative plans and to implement strategies that effectively address growth and redevelopment challenges in order to enhance Howard County’s high quality of life.