Article XI-A

granted to the City of Baltimore, as set forth in Article
4, Section 6, Public Local Laws of Maryland, shall not
be enlarged or extended by any charter formed under
the provisions of this Article, but such powers may be
extended, modified, amended or repealed by the Gener-
al Assembly.

SEC. 3.¹⁶² Every charter so formed shall provide for
an elective legislative body in which shall be vested the
lawmaking power of said City or County. Such legisla-
tive body in the City of Baltimore shall be known as
the City Council of the City of Baltimore, and in any
county shall be known as the County Council of the
County. The chief executive officer, if any such charter
shall provide for the election of such executive officer,
or the presiding officer of said legislative body, if such
charter shall not provide for the election of a chief exec-
utive officer, shall be known in the City of Baltimore as
Mayor of Baltimore, and in any County as the Presi-
dent or Chairman of the County Council of the County,
and all references in the Constitution and laws of this
State to the Mayor of Baltimore and City Council of
the City of Baltimore or to the County Commissioners
of the Counties, shall be construed to refer to the May-
or of Baltimore and City Council of the City of
Baltimore and to the President or Chairman and Coun-
ty Council herein provided for whenever such construc-
tion would be reasonable. From and after the adoption
of a charter by the City of Baltimore, or any County of
this State, as hereinbefore provided, the Mayor of
Baltimore and City Council of the City of Baltimore or
the County Council of said County, subject to the Con-
stitution and Public General Laws of this State, shall
have full power to enact local laws of said City or
County including the power to repeal or amend local
laws of said City or County enacted by the General As-
sembly, upon all matters covered by the express powers
granted as above provided; provided that nothing herein
contained shall be construed to authorize or empower
the County Council of any County in this State to enact
laws or regulations for any incorporated town, village,
or municipality in said County, on any matter covered
by the powers granted to said town, village, or munici-
pality by the Act incorporating it, or any subsequent
Act or Acts amendatory thereto. Provided, however,
that the charters for the various Counties shall specify
the number of days, not to exceed forty-five, which may
but need not be consecutive, that the County Council of
the Counties may sit in each year for the purpose of
enacting legislation for such Counties, and all legisla-
tion shall be enacted at the times so designated for that
purpose in the charter, and the title or a summary of all
laws and ordinances proposed shall be published once a
week for two successive weeks prior to enactment
followed by publication once after enactment in at least
one newspaper of general circulation in the county, so
that the taxpayers and citizens may have notice thereof.
The validity of emergency legislation shall not be affect-
ed if enacted prior to the completion of advertising
thereof. These provisions concerning publication shall
not apply to Baltimore City. All such local laws
enacted by the Mayor of Baltimore and City Council of
the City of Baltimore or the Council of the Counties as

w Thus amended by Chapter 371, Acts of 1972, ratified No-
vember 7, 1972.

Constitution of Maryland/693

hereinbefore provided, shall be subject to the same rules
of interpretation as those now applicable to the Public
Local Laws of this State, except that in case of any con-
flict between said local law and any Public General
Law now or hereafter enacted the Public General Law
shall control.

SEC. 3A.¹⁶³ The charter for the government of Anne
Arundel, Baltimore, Prince George's and Howard
counties under the provisions of this Article, either as
adopted, or by amendment, may provide for the elec-
tion of members of the county council by the voters of
councilmanic districts therein established, or by the vot-
ers of the entire county, or by a combination of these
methods of election.

SEC. 4. From and after the adoption of a charter
under the provisions of this Article by the City of
Baltimore or any County of this State, no public local
law shall be enacted by the General Assembly for said
City or County on any subject covered by the express
powers granted as above provided. Any law so drawn
as to apply to two or more of the geographical sub-di-
visions of this State shall not be deemed a Local Law,
within the meaning of this Act. The term "geographi-
cal sub-division" herein used shall be taken to mean
the City of Baltimore or any of the Counties of this
State.

SEC. 5.¹⁶⁴ Amendments to any charter adopted by
the City of Baltimore or by any County of this State
under the provisions of this Article may be proposed by
a resolution of the Mayor of Baltimore and the City
Council of the City of Baltimore, or the Council of the
County, or by a petition signed by not less than 20% of
the registered voters of the City or County, provided,
however, that in any case 10,000 signatures shall be suf-
ficient to complete a petition. A petition shall be filed
with the Mayor of Baltimore or the President of the
County Council. An amendment so proposed shall be
submitted to the voters of the City or County at (he
next general or congressional election occurring after
the passage of the resolution or the filing of the peti-
tion. If at the election the majority of the votes cast for
and against the amendment shall be in favor thereof,
the amendment shall be adopted and become a part of
the charter of the City or County from and after the
thirtieth day after said election. The amendments shall
be published by the Mayor of Baltimore or President of
the County Council once a week for five successive
weeks prior to the election in at least one newspaper
published in said City or County.

SEC. 6. The power heretofore conferred upon the
General Assembly to prescribe the number, compensa-
tion, powers and duties of the County Commissioners
in each county, and the power to make changes in Sec-
tions 1 to 6 inclusive, Article XI of this Constitution,