1600 LAWS OF MARYLAND [CH. 539

PUBLIC HEARING

89. At the meeting of the board of aldermen at which
the budget and budget message are submitted, the board
of aldermen shall determine the place and time of a meet-
ing, regular or special, at which the budget will be con-
sidered and at which any interested person may be heard
concerning the budget. The board of aldermen shall give
at least ten days notice of said meeting by an advertise-
ment in one or more newspapers of general circulation in
the city.

PUBLIC STATEMENTS BY OFFICIALS

90. No director or head of any office, department, or
agency shall take any public stand on the items of the pro-
posed budget except when called before the hearings of
the board of aldermen on the budget. Appearances of
directors or heads of any office, department, or agency at
budget hearings may be requested by the mayor, the board
of aldermen, or any alderman.

ACTION BY THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN

91. The board of aldermen may insert new items or
may increase or decrease the items of the budget. Where
the board of aldermen shall increase the total proposed
expenditures, it shall also increase the total anticipated
revenue to at least equal such total proposed expenditures.

VOTE ON BUDGET

92. The budget shall be prepared and adopted in the
form of an ordinance. A favorable vote of at least a
majority of the total membership of the board of alder-
men shall be necessary for adoption.

FINAL ADOPTION DATE

93. The budget for the new fiscal year shall be finally
adopted not later than the twenty-eighth day of December.
Should the board of aldermen take no final action on or
prior to such day, the budget, as submitted, shall be deemed
to have been finally adopted by the board of aldermen.

CERTIFIED COPY ON FILE

94. A copy of the budget as finally adopted shall be
certified by the mayor and filed in the office of the city
register and collector of taxes. The budget so certified
shall be printed, mimeographed, or otherwise reproduced