412                             LAWS OF MARYLAND                      [CH. 160

CHAPTER 160
(House Bill 10)

AN ACT to add new Sections 167A to 167E, inclusive, to Article 25
of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1957 Edition), title "County
Commissioners", to follow immediately after Section 167 thereof
and to be under the new subtitle "Shore Erosion Control Districts",
to authorize the creation of shore erosion control districts out of
property located on any waters in the State, establishing the pro-
cedure for creating districts, providing for financing erosion con-
trol projects in such districts and for construction of erosion proj-
ects, and relating to control of erosion of land in the State.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That new Sections 167A to 167E, inclusive, be and they are hereby
added to Article 25 of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1957 Edi-
tion), title "County Commissioners" to follow immediately after
Section 167 thereof and to be under the new subtitle "Shore Erosion
Control Districts'⁷, all to read as follows:

Shore Erosion Control Districts
167A.

The property in any one or more counties and/or Baltimore City
abutting or bordering upon any body of natural or artificial water
in the State, the Chesapeake Bay, and any river or stream OR BODY
OF WATER IN THIS STATE, whether tidal or non-tidal, may be
formed into a shore erosion control district under the provisions of
this subtitle.

167B.

(a)    The owners of seventy-five percentum (75%) of any property
or seventy-five percentum (75%) of the owners of any property may
present a written petition to the county commissioners of any one
or more counties wherein the property lies requesting the creation
of a district. The petition shall describe the boundaries of the prop-
erty proposed to be created as a district. Upon receiving a petition
the county commissioners shall refer the petition to the Division SEC-
TION of Shore Erosion Control of the Department of Tidewater
Fisheries. The Division SECTION shall review the petition and sub-
mit its report to the county commissioners containing its recommenda-
tion on the feasibility and need for a district. The report shall include
the area to be included within the district, plans for erosion control
and estimated costs for the erosion control projects recommended.

(b)   The county commissioners are authorized upon receipt of the
report to establish the district and to designate the area included
within the district.

167 C.

The county commissioners are authorized and empowered to act
as the district council for the district and, in carrying out the pro-
visions of this subtitle, to use all the applicable power and authority
vested in them by existing law and by this subtitle.