tributaries, by purchase, lease, gift, condemnanon or any
other legal means, for or in connection with extending,
developing or improving the harbor or port of Baltimore
and its facilities and the highways and approaches thereto,
and providing, further, that the Mayor and City Council
of Baltimore shall not acquire any such land or property,
or any such right, interest, franchise, easement or privilege
therein, for any of said purposes, in any of the counties of
this State without the prior consent and approval by
resolution duly pissed after a public hearing, by the gov
ermng body of the county in which such land or property,
or such right, interest, franchise, easement or privilege
therein, is situate, and provided, further, thatAnne Arun
del County shall retain jurisdiction and power to tax any
land so acquired by the Mayor and City Council of
Baltimore under the provisions of this Act

(b) To sell, lease, convey, transfer or otherwise dispose
of any of said land or property, regardless of whether or
not it is undeveloped or has been developed, redeveloped,
altered, or improved and irrespecuve of the manner or
means in or by which it may have been acquired, to any
private, public or quasi public corporation, partnership,
association, person or other legal entity

No land or property taken by the Mayor and City
Council of Baltimore for any of the aforementioned pur
poses or in connection with the exercise of any of the
powers which may be granted to the Mayor and City
Council of Baltimore pursuant to this Article by exercising
the power of eminent domain, shall be taken without just
compensation, as agreed upon between the parties, or
awarded by a Jury, being first paid or tendered to the party
entitled to such compensation

All land or property needed, or taken by the exercise
of the power of eminent domain, by the Mayor and City
Council of Baltimore for any of the aforementioned pur
poses or in connection with the exercise of any of the
powers which may be granted to the Mayor and City
Council of Baltimore pursuant to this Article is hereby
declared to be needed or taken for a public use

197
SEC. 2. The General Assembly of Maryland may

grant to the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore any and
all additional power and authority necessary or proper to
carry into full force and effect any and all of the specified
powers which the General Assembly is authorized to grant
to the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore 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 Maryland The General Assembly may
place such other and further restncnons 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

1QO

SEC. 3. Provided, however, that no public local law
enacted under the provisions and authority of this Article
shall be enacted or construed to authorize the Mayor and
City Council of Baltimore to exercise or apply any of the
powers or authority in this Article enumerated within the
territorial limits of Howard County

ARTICLE XI-E.¹⁹⁹

MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS

SECTION 1. Except as provided elsewhere in this
Article, the General Assembly shall not pass any law relating
to the incorporation, organizanon, government, or affairs
of those municipal corporations which are not authorized
by Article 11 A of the Constitution to have a charter form
of government which will be special or local in its terms or
in its effect, but the General Assembly shall act in relation
to the incorporation, organization, government, or affairs
of any such municipal corporation only by general laws
which shall in their terms and in their effect apply alike to
all municipal corporations in one or more of the classes
provided for in Section 2 of this Article It shall be the duty
of the General Assembly to provide by law the method by
which new municipal corporations shall be formed

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
enactment 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 resolution of the
legislative body of any such municipal corporation or b\ a
petition containing the signatures of at least hve per cent of the
registered voters of a municipal corporation and filed with the
legislative body of said municipal corporation The General
Assembly shall amplify the provisions of this section by general
law in any manner not inconsistent with this Article

SEC S Notwithstanding any other provision m mis
Article, the General Assembly raw 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 effectn e in regard to a
municipal corporation until and unless it shall have been
approved at a regular or special municipal election b) a
majority of the voters of that municipal corporation voting
on the question No such municipal corporauon 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 genera] law which in its
terms and its effect apphes alike to all municipal corporations
in one or more of the classes provided for in Section 2 of this