SEC. 2. The General Assembly, by law, shall classify
all such municipal corporations by grouping them into not
more than four classes based on populations as determined
by the most recent census made under the authority of the
United States or the State of Maryland. No more than one
such grouping of municipal corporations into four (or
fewer) classes shall be in effect at any time, and the enact-
ment of any such grouping of municipal corporations into
four (or fewer) classes shall repeal any such grouping of
municipal corporations into four (or fewer) classes then
in effect. Municipal corporations shall be classified only as
provided in this section and not otherwise.

SEC. 3. Any such municipal corporation, now existing
or hereafter created, shall have the power and authority,
(a) to amend or repeal an existing charter or local laws
relating to the incorporation, organization, government, or
affairs of said municipal corporation heretofore enacted by
the General Assembly of Maryland, and (b) to adopt a
new charter, and to amend or repeal any charter adopted
under the provisions of this Article.

SEC. 4. The adoption of a new charter, the amendment
of any charter or local laws, or the repeal of any part of
a charter or local laws shall be proposed either by a resolu-
tion of the legislative body of any such municipal corpora-
tion or by a petition containing the signatures of at least
five per cent of the registered voters of a municipal corpo-
ration and filed with the legislative body of said municipal
corporation. The General Assembly shall amplify the pro-
visions of this section by general law in any manner not
inconsistent with this Article.

SEC. 5. Notwithstanding any other provision in this
Article, the General Assembly may enact, amend, or repeal
local laws placing a maximum limit on the rate at which
property taxes may be imposed by any such municipal
corporation and regulating the maximum amount of debt
which may be incurred by any municipal corporation. How-
ever, no such local law shall become effective in regard to
a municipal corporation until and unless it shall have been
approved at a regular or special municipal election by a
majority of the voters of that municipal corporation voting
on the question. No such municipal corporation shall levy
any type of tax, license fee, franchise tax or fee which
was not in effect in such municipal corporation on January
1, 1954, unless it shall receive the express authorization of
the General Assembly for such purpose, by a general law
which in its terms and its effect applies alike to all munic-