648                               Laws of Maryland                        [Ch. 446

tion of the sixty (60) day period without action by the Council, the
Authority may proceed with the project.

The Authority is hereby granted and shall have and may exercise
all powers necessary or convenient for the carrying out of the afore-
said purposes, including, but without limiting the generality of the
foregoing, the following rights and powers:

(a)   To have perpetual existence as a Corporation;

(b)   To sue and be sued, implead and be impleaded, complain and
defend in all courts;

(c)  To adopt, use and alter at will a corporate seal;

(d)  To acquire, purchase, hold and use any property, real, per-
sonal or mixed, tangible or intangible, or any interest necessary or
desirable for carrying out the purposes of the Authority, and (with-
out limitation of the foregoing) to lease as lessee any property, real,
personal or mixed, or any interest therein, for a term not exceed-
ing ninety-nine (99) years at a nominal rental or such annual rental

as may be determined; to lease as lessor to the State or the County,
or to any political subdivision thereof, or to any person any project
at any time constructed by the Authority whether wholly or par-
tially completed, and any property, real, personal, or mixed, tangible
or intangible, or any interest therein, at any time acquired by the
Authority, whether wholly or partially completed; and to sell, trans-
fer and convey to the County any project at any time constructed
by the Authority, and any property, real, personal or mixed, tangible
or intangible, or any interest therein, at any time acquired by the
Authority.

(e)   To acquire by purchase, lease, or otherwise and to construct,
improve, equip, furnish, maintain, repair, and operate projects;

(f)   To appoint officers, attorneys, accountants, agents, employees
and servants; to prescribe their duties and to fix their compensa-
tion; and to provide a merit system for such employees;

(g)  To appoint an executive officer, who shall serve at the pleasure
of the Authority, be responsible to it and receive such salary as
may be fixed by the Authority from time to time; he , WHO shall be
the chief administrative officer of the Authority, and the Authority
may delegate to him any of its administrative powers and authoriza-
tions; , he WHO shall be a man of good character, integrity and busi-
ness experience, and during the time of his employment as such he
shall have no financial interest in any facilities or projects with
respect to which the Authority has jurisdiction or any power or
authorization to act.

(h) To make by-laws for the management and regulation of its
affairs;

(i) To fix, charge and collect tolls, rates, rentals and other charges
for the use of the facilities of, or for the services rendered by, the
Authority or projects thereof, at reasonable rates, to be determined
by it, for the purpose of providing for the payment of the expenses
of the Authority, the construction, improvement, repair, equipping,
furnishing, maintenance and operation of its facilities and projects,
the payment of the principal of and interest on its bonds and obli-
gations, and to fulfill the terms and provisions of any agreements