J. MILLARD TAWES, Governor                      251

CHAPTER 233
(House Bill 267)

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Section 128 of
the Code of Public Local Laws of Howard County (1957 Edition,
being Article 14 of the Code of Public Local Laws of Maryland),
title "Howard County," subtitle "Metropolitan Commission," relat-
ing to the Metropolitan Commission in Howard County, authoriz-
ing the commission to prepare preliminary surveys, preliminary
plans, and preliminary specifications and estimates for use at
public hearings where contemplated improvements will be pre-
sented changing the time and permissible manner of notice of
certain hearings thereon, and providing that ten residents and
landowners, who would be subject to annual front foot assess-
ments if the improvements are approved may protest and appeal
the approval of the proposed improvements.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That Section 128 of the Code of Public Local Laws of Howard
County (1957 Edition, being Article 14 of the Code of Public Local
Laws of Maryland), title "Howard County," subtitle "Metropolitan
Commission," be and it is hereby repealed and re-enacted, with
amendments, to read as follows:

128.

The Commission shall cause preliminary surveys, preliminary
plans, preliminary specifications and estimates to be made for water
supply, sewerage and drainage systems in those portions of Howard
County, or any other project within or outside Howard County as
referred to in Section 138 herein, in which the Commission exer-
cises authority, and shall divide each subdistrict into water, sewer-
age and drainage districts in such a way as shall, in its judgment,
best serve the needs of the various communities, and shall promote
convenience and economy of installation and operation. Whenever,
and as, such preliminary plans are completed, the Commission shall
give notice by publication in one or more newspapers published
within the County, for three weeks, and by handbills posted and
circulated in the localities where said improvements are contem-
plated, and shall state in said notice and probable cost of the con-
templated improvements, and shall further state therein that
preliminary plans of the improvements may be inspected at the
Commission's office and that any person interested in said improve-
ments will be heard by the Commission at a time to be specified in
the notice, but not less than [ten] twenty days after first publica-
tion thereof. If ten residents and landowners, (joint owners of a
single piece of property being counted as one owner for purposes of
this section) who would be subject to annual front foot assessments
if the contemplated improvements are approved, in the district
wherein the improvements are contemplated shall thereupon, and
within ten days after the last of said publications of said notice, file
a petition with the Commission protesting against the proposed im-
provement, the Commission shall grant them a hearing within ten
days after such petition is filed in the office of the Commission and
after not less than five days' notice of the time and place of said
hearing by advertisement published in one or more newspapers