1544 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 644

above defined, it being the intent hereof to confer upon said
County all powers and authority necessary or appropriate
to enable it to carry out its program of expanding public
facilities as contemplated by the foregoing definitions, sub-
ject only to such limitations as may be imposed by the Con-
stitution or public general laws of this State. The Board of
County Commissioners of the County may elect to exercise
any of the powers hereby conferred on its own motion or it
may elect to refrain from exercising any such powers until
requested so to do by the board or official primarily charged
with the maintenance and operation of any such public facil-
ities, and then only when such board or official shall supply
the Board of County Commissioners with such information
or data as such Board of County Commissioners may, in its
discretion, decide to be a necessary condition precedent to
the exercise of the powers hereby conferred.

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That in order to enable
the County to finance the public facilities defined in Section
1 of this Act, said County is hereby granted the power and
authority to borrow money and incur indebtedness and to
evidence said borrowing or indebtedness by the issuance of
its general obligation serial maturity bonds, upon the terms
and conditions hereinafter set forth. Any such bonds may
be issued pursuant to the authority of this Act and for the
purposes hereinabove enumerated at any time and from time
to time hereafter, the authority herein contained to be con-
strued as a continuing one and not exhausted at any time
by the exercise thereof, provided, however, that:

(a) No such debt shall be incurred and no such bonds shall
be issued pursuant to the authority of this Act if, by such
issuance, the total par value of said bonds plus the sum of
(i) the par value of all outstanding and unpaid bonds issued
under this Act prior thereto and (ii) the par value of all
bonds of the County unissued but authorized by, or issued
and outstanding under the authority of, any Act of the
General Assembly of Maryland passed prior to the year 1949,
except bonds authorized or issued for the improvement of the
Metropolitan District of Baltimore County under Chapter 539
of the Acts of the General Assembly of Maryland passed at its
January Session in the year 1924, as amended, shall exceed
seven per centum (7%) of the then assessed value of all real
and personal property subject to assessment for unlimited
taxation by said County; and

(b) On and after January 1, 1951 no such debt shall be
incurred and no such bonds shall be issued pursuant to the
authority of this Act in any one fiscal year, except the re-