2622                               Municipal Charters

in carrying out its responsibilities and authority delegated to it under
this act.

(M) It shall be authorized to define and to delegate duties and
responsibilities to the executive committee not in conflict with the provi-
sions of this act.

(2) Executive Committee. The executive committee shall have the
following duties, responsibilities and authority:

(A)    Act in emergencies (non-operational) in the interest of the
fire and rescue services and to report such action at the next meeting of
the fire board.

(B)    Establish fire and rescue response areas subject to approval
of the fire board.

(C)    Represent the fire board at public hearings.

(D)    Review, prepare a summary, hold hearings, and make recom-
mendation to the board on the annual budgets of the fire departments
and rescue squads as provided for hereafter.

(E)    Perform such other duties as delegated by the fire board,
(d) Budget and Fiscal Procedures.

(1)    Fiscal year. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Code
to the contrary, fire departments and rescue squads supported in whole
or in part by tax levies for the 1970-71 fiscal year and thereafter shall
prepare annual budgets under procedures and at times as directed by the
fire board to conform to the fiscal year of the county, July 1 to June 30.

(2)    Budgets and Distribution of Fire Tax Revenue. Each fire de-
partment and rescue squad shall prepare in the uniform manner prescribed
by the fire board its annual budget requirements with appropriate justi-
fication. All budgets shall be submitted to the fire board at the time re-
quired by the fire board. The fire board shall prepare a separate budget
for its own proposed expenditures, which budget shall be funded by the
county and be subject to approval of the county council. The executive
committee shall conduct a public hearing on such budgets not later than
January 15 of each year. Reasonable advance public notice shall be given
of the dates of such budget hearing or hearings to newspapers, civic
groups and other interested parties and a transcript shall be made of each
hearing. The budgets and transcripts shall be made available for review
by members of the public.

The fire board shall forward all budgets, with a summary and its
recommendations, to the county no later than April 15 in 1970 and no
later than February 15 of each year thereafter. The council, in their
next annual levy, shall levy a tax on all property assessed for county tax
purposes within the respective taxing areas for those fire departments or
rescue squads requiring such tax levy at a rate on each one hundred dollars
of the assessed value of the property to produce an amount that may appear
to the council as sufficient for the purposes of maintaining, equipping and
operating the departments or squads, provided that the council shall not
levy such tax at a rate which would produce less than the amount so
certified by any fire department or squad, as necessary to maintain, equip
and operate the fire department or squad, without a previous public hearing
to determine the necessity of any proposed reduction of the amount so
certified by the fire department or squad. The tax shall be levied and shall