168                              Laws of Maryland                        [Ch. 59

time, certify each dispute to the Board of Property Review, herein-
after created, before the expiration of thirty (30) days from the
said six (6) month period and said Board shall promptly hear and
determine the issues in the manner and form hereafter set forth.

9H. There is hereby created in each of the several Counties of
the State and in the City of Baltimore a Board of Property Review.
Said Board shall consist of three (3) members, one of whom shall
be an engineer or a person with engineering background and knowl-
edge, one of whom shall be a lawyer and one of whom shall be a
person other than an engineer or a lawyer. The said members shall
be appointed by the Circuit Court Judges of the several judicial
circuits within the State and the said Judges shall appoint a Board
for each County within their respective Circuit. In Baltimore City
the Board shall be appointed by the Supreme Bench of Baltimore
City. Should it be deemed necessary more than one Board may be
appointed in any County or Baltimore City. The Board members
shall serve

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FOR A
TERM OF 2 YEARS FROM THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS
ACT, AND IF A VACANCY OR VACANCIES SHALL OCCUR
ON ANY BOARD THE APPOINTING AUTHORITY SHALL AP-
POINT ANOTHER QUALIFIED PERSON TO FILL THE UNEX-
PIRED TERM OF THE VACANT MEMBER OR MEMBERS and
shall be compensated on a per diem basis, said compensation to be de-
termined by the appointing authority. The compensation shall be
uniform throughout the State; however, members of the General
Assembly shall not be eligible to serve on said Boards during their
tenure of office. The compensation of the Board members shall be
paid monthly by the State Roads Commission upon presentation of
vouchers approved by the Clerk of the Court of the respective
county, or the Superior Court of Baltimore City. The said Board
members, in the performance of their duties, shall be under the
jurisdiction of the said Courts and shall be considered as officers of
said Courts. It shall be the duty of the local governing bodies to
provide suitable space for the Boards to meet, and the Clerks of the
several Courts shall, whenever possible, provide suitable clerical
assistance. If, from time to time, such assistance is not available
the Commission shall, upon request of the Board, provide _m such
assistance. Each Board so appointed shall select its own Chairman
and make its own rules not inconsistent herewith. It shall be the
power and duty of said Board to promptly hear all cases certified
to it by the Commission and determine the amount of the award to
be paid by the Commission and it shall also have the authority to
determine what portion of said award, if any, shall be paid to any
tenant, lessee, mortgagee, or other person having any interest
therein. The Board shall hear representatives of the Commission
and representatives of the property owner and the owner if said
owner desires to be heard. Each side shall have the right to be repre-
sented by legal counsel and each side shall have the right of cross-
examination. After hearing the witnesses and counsel and review-
ing the exhibits offered the Board shall then view the property
effected and promptly place a value upon the taking. Strict rules of
evidence need not be adhered to in the hearings before the Board;
however, legal counsel for either side or the property owner, or a
representative of the Commission may make an oral statement to
the Board at the conclusion of the view and before the Board reaches
its findings. When one or more members of the said Board shall be
disqualified, for any reason, from hearing and determining any case