There is a Baltimore Metropolitan Council. The Council: is a body politic and corporate; and is not a unit of State government. The purposes of the Council are to: serve as a forum for local officials and their representatives to identify and address problems in the region; provide a central source of information and coordination for fashioning responses to needs in the region; assist local jurisdictions in developing regional policies, prioritizing regional infrastructure needs, and developing regional strategies; and facilitate coordination and collaboration among local jurisdictions and organizations in the Baltimore region to foster economic growth and development in the region in areas that include: regional transportation; housing; workforce development; and renewable energy projects and usage.