There is a Tri–County Council for Southern Maryland. The Council is a tax–exempt body politic and corporate. The Council is an independent unit that the Governor may not place in a principal department. The Council is a cooperative planning and development unit for the region. The purposes of the Council are to: foster the physical, economic, and social development of the region; and use effectively the assistance provided to the region by the State. The Council initiates and coordinates plans and projects for the development of human and economic resources of the region as a southern Maryland planning and development unit.