Theodore R. McKeldin, Governor                  1547

A WRITTEN PETITION SIGNED BY NOT LESS THAN
TWENTY-FIVE PER CENTUM (25%) OF THE PERSONS WHO
RESIDE IN THE AREA TO BE ANNEXED AND WHO ARE
REGISTERED AS VOTERS IN COUNTY ELECTIONS AND BY
THE OWNERS OF NOT LESS THAN TWENTY-FIVE PER CEN-
TUM (25%) OF THE ASSESSED VALUATION OF THE REAL
PROPERTY LOCATED IN THE AREA TO BE INCLUDED. UPON
THE PRESENTATION OF SUCH A PETITION TO THE BOARD
OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, THE CHAIRMAN THEREOF
SHALL CAUSE TO BE MADE A VERIFICATION OF THE SIG-
NATURES THEREON AND SHALL ASCERTAIN THAT THE
PERSONS SIGNING THE PETITION REPRESENT AT LEAST
TWENTY-FIVE PER CENTUM (25%) OF THE PERSONS WHO
RESIDE IN THE AREA TO BE INCLUDED AND WHO ARE
REGISTERED AS VOTERS IN COUNTY ELECTIONS, AND THE
OWNERS OF TWENTY-FIVE PER CENTUM (25%) OF THE
ASSESSED VALUATION OF THE REAL PROPERTY LOCATED
IN THE AREA TO BE INCLUDED. UPON VERIFYING THAT
THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS SUB-SECTION HAVE BEEN
COMPLIED WITH, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF COUN-
TY COMMISSIONERS SHALL PROMPTLY CAUSE TO BE IN-
TRODUCED AN ORDINANCE PROPOSING THE CHANGE OF
BOUNDARIES AS REQUESTED BY THE PETITION. THE
ORDINANCE SHALL DESCRIBE BY A DESCRIPTION OF
CLEARLY ASCERTAINED BOUNDARY LINES BY LAND
MARKS AND OTHER WELL-KNOWN TERMS CONSISTENT
WITH THE DESCRIPTION OF OTHER AREAS INCLUDED IN
THE MARYLAND-NATIONAL CAPITAL PARK AND PLAN-
NING COMMISSION DISTRICT THE EXACT AREA PROPOSED
TO BE INCLUDED IN THE CHANGE AND BRIEFLY AND AC-
CURATELY DESCRIBING THE CONDITIONS AND CIRCUM-
STANCES APPLICABLE THERETO.

THE ORDINANCE MAY BE ADOPTED BY A MAJORITY OF
THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AT A HEARING,
AFTER PUBLIC NOTICE OF SUCH HEARING HAS BEEN
GIVEN AND PUBLISHED NOT FEWER THAN FOUR (4)
TIMES AT NOT LESS THAN WEEKLY INTERVALS IN A
NEWSPAPER OF GENERAL CIRCULATION IN THE AREA
PROPOSED TO BE ANNEXED, WHICH PUBLIC NOTICE SHALL
BRIEFLY AND ACCURATELY DESCRIBE THE PROPOSED
CHANGE AND THE CONDITIONS AND CIRCUMSTANCES
APPLICABLE THERETO. THE PUBLIC NOTICES SHALL
SPECIFY A TIME AND PLACE AT WHICH A PUBLIC HEAR-
ING WILL BE HELD BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMIS-
SIONERS ON THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE; THE HEARING
SHALL BE SET FOR NOT LESS THAN SEVEN (7) DAYS
AFTER THE FOURTH PUBLICATION OF THE NOTICES AND
SHALL BE HELD IN THE COURT HOUSE AT UPPER MARL-
BORO, MARYLAND.

(B) ENACTMENT AND EFFECTIVE DATE OF ORDINANCE.

FOLLOWING THE PUBLIC HEARING, THE BOARD OF
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MAY PROCEED TO ENACT THE
ORDINANCE, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE USUAL REQUIRE-
MENTS AND PRACTICES APPLICABLE TO ITS LEGISLATIVE