304 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 212

and intent and in accordance with general or specific rules
therein contained.

The Board of Zoning Appeals shall consist of five members
and they shall be appointed for a term of four years, but of
the first appointed members one shall be appointed for a term
of one year, one for a term of two years, one for a term of
three years and two for a term of four years. Vacancies
shall be filled for the unexpired term of any member whose
term becomes vacant. The members of the Board of Zoning
Appeals shall be removable for cause by the appointing au-
thority upon written charges and after public hearing.

The board shall adopt rules in accordance with the pro-
visions of any ordinance adopted pursuant to this Act. Meet-
ings of the board shall be held at the call of the chairman
and at such other times as the board may determine. Such
chairman, or in his absence the acting chairman, may admin-
ister oaths and compel the attendance of witnesses. All meet-
ings of the board shall be open to the public. The board
shall keep minutes of its proceedings, showing the vote of
each member upon each question, or, if absent or failing to
vote, indicating such fact, and shall keep records of its
examinations and other official actions, all of which shall be
immediately filed in the office of the board and shall be a pub-
lic record.

Appeals to the Board of Zoning Appeals may be taken by
any person aggrieved or by any officer, department, board
or bureau of the municipality affected by any decision of the
administrative officer. Such appeal shall be taken within a
reasonable time, as provided by the rules of the board, by
filing with the officer from whom the appeal is taken, and
with the Board of Zoning Appeals a notice of appeal specify-
ing the grounds thereof. The officer from whom the appeal
is taken shall forthwith transmit to the board all the papers
constituting the record upon" which the action appealed from
was taken.

An appeal stays all proceedings in furtherance of the
action appealed from, unless the officer from whom the appeal
is taken certifies to the Board of Zoning Appeals after the
notice or appeal shall have been filed with him that by reason
of facts stated in the certificate a stay would, in his opinion,
cause imminent peril to life or property. In such case pro-
ceedings shall not be stayed otherwise than by a restraining
order which may be granted by the Board of Zoning Appeals
or by a court of record on application, on notice to the of-
ficer from whom the appeal it taken and on due cause shown.

The Board of Zoning Appeals shall fix a reasonable time
for the hearing of the appeal, give public notice thereof, as