Recently there has been outrage over the revelation that the pensions for retiring members of the Baltimore County Council, after serving in office for 20 years, are $54,000 per year, for life. Outrageous as this may be, when it comes to what is wrong with Baltimore County government, it is just the tip of the iceberg.

There is great excitement over the possibility that several Baltimore County Council seats may be changing hands in this year's election. Thinking beyond the pensions issue, it is important now to frame the top issues of governance that citizens should be focused on before next year's elections. With revenues down and tax increases looming, we badly need a streamlined, efficient and modernized county government.

First and foremost, the Comprehensive Zoning Map Process (CZMP) should be abolished. Every four years, CZMP is a ridiculous cattle call for hundreds of zoning changes, all to be decided at the same time. As a result, only a scant few get the proper scrutiny they deserve.

Many questionable zoning changes sneak through, dumbfounding community activists, neighborhood leaders and homeowners from Chase to Catonsville. Worse, the CZMP has become ground zero for sprawl and overdevelopment. It's so bad that many citizens think the CZMP is the only way zoning is changed in Baltimore County. And as soon as the CZMP process is over, those who did not get their zoning changes (and anyone else who wants a zoning change) can pay the $250 fee and submit their request out of the CZMP cycle. (By the way, you don't have to own, live near, or have any direct interest in any property to request a zoning change in Baltimore County.)

Ultimately, the county councilman in whose district the zoning change proposal has been filed has the final word on whether it will be approved. There really is no need for this expensive dog-and-pony show that misleads people into thinking that the individual councilman is not the sole authority for these zoning decisions. Zoning is the one power that makes each of our Baltimore County councilmen a prince.

Baltimore County needs to end the practice of "councilmanic courtesy" so the entire body truly decides on zoning. This way, we can restore accountability and fairness. The vast majority of cities and counties across the country do not regulate their land use with anything resembling our CZMP. It has to go.

Second, the hearing officer system must be eliminated. This is a cumbersome, expensive, bureaucratic tangle of appointed hearing officers who think they are judges. They have nothing in common with the homeowners, taxpayers or property owners standing before them. They are only beholden to the county executive who appointed them.

These hearing officers decide zoning changes and other developmental issues way beyond the pale of any kind of accountability, often without adequate public inspection. Sadly, our own County Council never sees many of these unfortunate cases, even when they negatively affect constituents in their own districts. Here again, these decisions need to be voted on by our elected County Council. This change is long overdue.

Third, the so-called Tuesday afternoon "work sessions" need to be merged into the biweekly County Council meetings. Although no votes are taken at these work sessions, citizen participation and testimony are allowed. Unfortunately, these workday afternoon County Council meetings are totally inconvenient to citizen access or input.

Work sessions are held in a smaller room down the hall from the council offices, with about 60 plush, comfortable seats. Most of these seats will be occupied by council staff, county employees or lobbyists at any given work session. Our elected councilmen are often seen entering the room through their private entrance, shoulder to shoulder with lobbyists and attorneys they've just been meeting with in their offices. No wonder these work sessions are held on Tuesday afternoons.

Work sessions only last an hour or so, and the County Council meetings on Monday nights are usually over in a half-hour, so there are no time constraints that might make this merger unworkable. The Monday evening council meeting is a more appropriate venue for all Baltimore County business to be conducted, decisions made and votes taken.

These three changes can save millions of dollars in staff salaries, paperwork and taxpayer fees and bring Baltimore County up to a level of citizen respect it has never before enjoyed. It is to be hoped that this year's candidates for County Council will adopt these three changes as part of their campaign platforms in the coming months.

Noel Levy is a community activist and former candidate for the House of Delegates who lives in Pikesville. His e-mail is megamapster@verizon.net.