384                             LAWS OF MARYLAND                        [CH. 650

4. Notice of intent.

Upon determination by the Board of County Commissioners that
the Board will formally consider adopting the code form of home
rule, the Board shall make known this intent by publication of notice
that the Board is considering the adoption of the code form of home
rule. The notice shall contain dates, times, and place or places of
public hearings thereon. The notice shall be published in at least
one newspaper of general circulation in the county not less than three
times, at weekly intervals, within a period of not more than thirty
days prior to the first public hearing.

5.    Public hearing.

The Board of County Commissioners shall hold at least two public
hearings on the proposal to adopt code home rule status. The hear-
ings may be held in the courthouse or at some other appropriate
place or places in the county. At these hearings the residents and
taxpayers, or either, within the county shall be given the oppor-
tunity to be heard on the proposal to adopt code home rule status.

6.    Resolution.

Within sixty days following the last public hearing, the Board of
County Commissioners shall make a decision on having code home
rule status. Adoption of code home rule status shall be done by
resolution, passed as in the usual course of considering resolutions,
by at least a two-thirds majority of all members elected to the
Board of County Commissioners. The resolution shall state that the
county shall operate under Article 11F of the Constitution, subject
to approval at referendum. A certified copy of the resolution shall
be sent to the Board of Supervisors of Elections for the county.

7.    Referendum.

The Board of Supervisors of Elections, at the next regular Con-
gressional election and in accordance with requirements as to time,
notice, and form in Article 33 of this Code, shall submit the question
of code home rule status to the registered voters of the county for
their adoption or rejection. The ballots or voting machine labels,
as the case may be, shall contain the words "For Adoption of Code
Home Rule Status" and "Against Adoption of Code Home Rule
Status." If a majority of those who vote on the question cast their
votes in favor of adoption, the Board of County Commissioners pub-
licly shall so proclaim within ten days after receiving a certification
of the, votes from the Board of Supervisors of Elections; and on the
thirtieth day following the public proclamation the county shall be-
come a code home rule county If a majority of those persons who
vote on the question cast their votes against adoption, the Board of
County Commissioners likewise shall so proclaim, and in this event
the proposal is rejected at that election.

7A.

AFTER HAVING BECOME A CODE COUNTY ACCORDING
TO THE PROCEDURE REQUIRED IN THIS SUB-TITLE, ANY
SUCH COUNTY MAY ELECT TO RETURN TO ITS FORM OF
GOVERNMENT PRIOR TO THE ADOPTION OF CODE COUNTY
STATUS BY FOLLOWING THE SAME PROCEDURE REQUIRED
HEREUNDER FOR THE ADOPTION OF SUCH STATUS.