effect at any one time, and the enactment of any grouping of
code counties into four (or fewer) classes repeals any other such
grouping then in effect. Code counties may be classified only as
provided in this section.

SEC. 6. A code county may enact, amend, or repeal a public
local law of that county by a resolution of the board of county
commissioners. The General Assembly may amplify the provi-
sions of this section by general law in any manner not inconsis-
tent with this Article.

SEC. 7. Any action of a code county in the enactment,
amendment, or repeal of a public local law is subject to a refer-
endum of the voters in the county, as in this section provided.
The enactment, amendment, or repeal shall be effective unless a
petition of the registered voters of the county requires that it be
submitted to a referendum of the voters in the county. The Gen-
eral Assembly shall amplify the provisions of this section by gen-
eral law in any manner not inconsistent with this Article, except
that in any event the number of signatures required on such a
petition shall not be fewer than five percentum (5%) of the vot-
ers in a county registered for county and State elections.

SEC. 8. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Article,
the General Assembly has exclusive power to enact, amend, or
repeal any local law for a code county which (1) authorizes or
places a maximum limit upon the rate of property taxes which
may be imposed by the code county; or (2) authorizes or regu-
lates the maximum amount of indebtedness which may be in-
curred by the code county. Public local laws enacted by the
General Assembly under this section prevail over any public lo-
cal laws enacted by the code county under other sections in this
Article.

SEC. 9. A code county shall not levy any type of tax, license
fee, franchise tax, or fee which was not in effect or authorized in
the code county at the time it came under the provisions of this
Article, until an express authorization of the General Assembly
has been enacted for this purpose by a general law which in its
terms and effect applies alike to all code counties in one or more
of the classes provided for in Section 5 of this Article.

SEC. 10. All laws enacted by the General Assembly and in ef-
fect when this Article was added to the Constitution shall re-
main in effect until amended or repealed under this Constitution.
Every public local law enacted, amended, or repealed by a coun-
ty under the provisions of this Article prevails over the previous
public local law, except to the extent it is subject to an applica-
ble law enacted by the General Assembly.

ARTICLE XI-G. ¹⁹³

CITY OF BALTIMORE—REHABILITATION AND
IMPROVEMENT LOANS.

194
1. The General Assembly of Maryland, by public local

law, may authorize the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore:

(a) To make or contract to make financial loans to any person
or other legal entity to be used for redevelopment or improve-
ment of buildings or structures located within the boundaries of
Baltimore City, which buildings or structures are to be used or
occupied for residential purposes.

(b) To guarantee or insure financial loans made by third par-
ties to any person or other legal entity to be used for or in con-
nection with the rehabilitation, renovation or improvement of
buildings or structures located within the boundaries of Balti-
more City, which buildings or structures are to be used or occu-
pied for residential purposes.

(c) To make or contract to make financial loans to any person
or other legal entity to be used for or in connection with the
purchase or acquisition of leasehold or fee simple interests in
buildings or structures, and for construction, reconstruction,
erection, development, rehabilitation, renovation, redevelopment
or improvement of buildings or structures, located within the
boundaries of Baltimore City, which buildings or structures are
to be used or occupied for commercial purposes.

(d) To guarantee or insure financial loans made by third par-
ties to any person or other legal entity to be used for or in con-
nection with the purchase or acquistion of leasehold or fee sim-
ple interests in buildings or structures, and for construction,
reconstruction, erection, development, rehabilitation, renovation,
redevelopment or improvement of buildings or structures, locat-
ed within the boundaries of Baltimore City, which buildings or
structures are to be used or occupied for commercial purposes.

(e) Any and all financial loans made by the Mayor and City
Council of Baltimore; any and all guarantees or insurance com-
mitments made by the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore in
connection with any of said loans; and any and all money used
or expended by the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore in
connection with said loans, guarantees, or insurance commit-
ments, pursuant to the power and authority hereinabove vested
in the municipality, and any and all acts performed by the May-
or and City Council of Baltimore in connection with any powers
which may be granted to the Mayor and City Council of Balti-
more pursuant to this Article, are all hereby declared to be
needed, contracted for, expended or exercised for a public use.

(f) In the event of any conflict between the provisions of this
Article and those of Article XI, Section 7, of the Constitution of
Maryland, or any other provisions of said Constitution, then the
provisions of this Article shall control.

2. The General Assembly of Maryland may grant to the May-
or and City Council of Baltimore any and all additional power
and authority necessary or proper to carry into full force and ef-
fect any and all of the specific powers which the General Assem-
bly is authorized to grant to the Mayor and City Council of Bal-
timore pursuant to this Article, and to fully accomplish any and
all of the purposes and objects contemplated by the provisions of
this Article, provided such additional power or authority is not
inconsistent with the terms and provisions of this Article or with
any other provision or provisions of the Constitution of Mary-
land, except as provided in this Article. The General Assembly
may place such other and further restrictions or limitations on
the exercise of any of the powers which it may grant to the
Mayor and City Council of Baltimore under the provisions of
this Article as it may deem proper and expedient.

ARTICLE XI-H. ¹⁹⁵

CITY OF BALTIMORE—RESIDENTIAL
FINANCING LOANS.

1. The General Assembly of Maryland, by public local law,
may authorize the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore:

(a) To make or contract to make financial loans to any person
or other legal entity to be used for or in connection with the
purchase, acquisition, construction, erection or development of
buildings or structures, including any land necessary therefor,
within the boundaries of Baltimore City, which buildings or
structures are to be used or occupied for residential purposes.

(b) To guarantee or insure financial loans made by third par-
ties to any person or other legal entity which are to be used for
or in connection with the purchase, acquisition, construction,