1432                                Laws of Maryland                        [Ch. 782

at its principal office, a detailed audit and financial statement of its
accounts. Each District shall file annually with the governing body
or governing bodies of the county or counties composing the District
a certified copy of such detailed audit and financial statement. The
governing body of the county composing a District, or in the case
of a District composed of two or more counties, the governing body
of each such county, may at any time in person or by its duly author-
ized agent or agents audit and examine the books and records of
such District; provided, however, that such audit or examination
shall be without cost to said District.

582. (a) Each District created hereunder shall be deemed to be
an instrumentality exercising public and essential governmental func-
tions to provide for the public health and welfare and shall be for
the purpose of acquiring, holding, constructing, reconstructing,
repairing, improving, maintaining and operating, owning, leasing,
either in the capacity of lessor or lessee, a project or projects within
or partly within and partly without one or more of the county or
counties by action of whose governing body or governing bodies the
District was created.

(b) Each District is hereby granted and shall have and may exer-
cise all powers necessary or convenient for the carrying out the afore-
said purposes, including but without limiting the generality of the
foregoing, the following rights and powers:

(1)  To have existence for a term of fifty years as a corporation.

(2)   To adopt by-laws for the regulation of its affairs and the
conduct of its business.

(3)   To adopt an official seal and alter the same at pleasure.

(4) To maintain an office at such place or places as it may desig-
nate.

(5)   To appoint officers, agents, employees and servants, to pre-
scribe their duties and to fix their compensation.

(6)  To sue and be sued.

(7)   To acquire, purchase, hold, lease as lessee and use any fran-
chise, property, real, personal or mixed, tangible or intangible, or
any interest therein necessary or desirable for carrying out the
purposes of the District and to sell, lease as lessor, transfer and
dispose of any property or interest therein at any time acquired by it.

(8)  To acquire by gift, purchase or the exercise of the right of
eminent domain, lands or rights in land or water rights in connection
therewith; provided, however, that no property or any interest or
estate therein owned by any county, city, town or other political
sub-division of the State shall be acquired by the exercise of the
power of eminent domain without the consent of the governing body
of such county, city, town or political sub-division, nor any existing
privately owned and operated water or sewerage system without the
consent of the owners and operators thereof. At any time after ten
days after the return and recordation of the verdict or award in any
condemnation proceedings, the Commission may enter and take pos-
session of the property so condemned, upon first paying to the Clerk
of the Court the amount of said reward and all costs taxed to that