666/Maryland Manual

least twice in one or more newspapers of general circula-
tion in the county within thirty days after it is presented.
The charter shall be submitted to the voters of me county
at a special or regular election held not earlier than thirty
days or later than ninety days after publication of the
charter. If a majority of the votes cast for and against the
adoption of the charter are in favor of its adoption, the
charter shall become effective as the charter of the county
on the thirtieth day after the election or such later date as
shall be specified in the charter.

SEC. 2.178 The General Assembly shall by public
general law provide a grant of express powers for such
County or Counties as may thereafter form a charter under
the provisions of this Article. Such express powers granted
to the Counties and the powers heretofore 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repealed by the General Assembly.

SEC. 3.179 Every charter so formed shall provide for an
elective legislative body in which shall be vested the law-
making power of said City or County Such legislative 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 legis-
lative body, if such charter shall not provide for the election
of a chief executive officer, shall be known in the City of
Baltimore as Mayor of Baltimore, and in any County as the
President or Chairman of the County Counal 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 Mayor of Baltimore and
City Council of the City of Baltimore and to the President
or Chairman and County Council herein provided for when-
ever such construction 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 Constitu-
tion 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 Assembly, upon all matters
covered by the express powe^s granted as above provided;
provided that nothing herein contained shall be construed
to authorize or en^wer 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
municipality 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 ol
days, not to exceed forty-five, which may but need not be
consecutive, that the County Council of the Counties ma)
sit in each year for the purpose of enacting legislation foi
such Counties, and all legislation shall be enacted at the

Article XJ-A

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
affected 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 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 conflict between said local
law and any Public General Law now or hereafter enacted
the Public General Law shall control.

SEC. 3A.180 (a) The charter for the government of any
county governed by the provisions of this Article may
provide for the election of members of the county council
by the voters of coundlmanic districts therein established,
or by the voters of the entire county, or by a combination
of these methods of election.

(b) Repealed.181
(c) Repealed.182

(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Con-
stitution, the Charter for the government of Harford
County under the provisions of this Article, either as
adopted, or by amendment, shall provide for the election
of members of the County Council by the voters of the
entire county.

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-divisions of this State shall
not be deemed a Local Law, within the meaning of this
Act. The term "geographical sub-division" herein used
shall be taken to mean the City of Baltimore or any of the
Counties of this State.

SEC. 5.183 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 p^oposed 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 sufficient to complete a petition. A
: petition shall be filed with the Mayor of Baltimore or the
: President of the County Council. An amendment so pro-
? posed shall be submitted to the voters of the City or County
: at the next general or congressional election occurring after
' the passage of the resolution or the filing of the petition. If
at the election the majority of the votes cast for and against
: the amendment shall be in favor thereof, the amendment