MONTGOMERY COUNTY                               2109

taxes, (2) prescribing Councilmanic districts, (3) authorizing the is-
suance of bonds or other financial obligations for a term of less than twelve
months, (4) refunding County obligations originally issued prior to the
adoption of the Charter of 1948, and (5) authorizing obligations for pub-
lic school sites, construction, remodeling, or public school buildings, when-
ever the total amount of such obligations authorized to be issued in any
one year does not exceed one-fourth of one percent of the assessable base
of the County.

Section 115. Referendum Procedure

Any petition to refer legislation to the voters of the County shall be
filed with the Board of Supervisors of Elections within seventy-five days
following the date on which the legislation shall become law. When a
referendum petition has been filed, the legislation to be referred shall not
take effect until thirty days after its approval by a majority of the quali-
fied voters of the County voting thereon. Emergency legislation shall
remain in force from the date it shall become law notwithstanding the
filing of a petition for referendum, but shall stand repealed thirty days
after rejection by a majority of the qualified voters voting thereon.

Section 116. Legislative Procedure

Consistent with law and the provisions of this Charter, the Council
shall, by resolution, prescribe its rules of procedure and provide for the
publication of its proceedings.

Section 117. Limitations

Neither the Council, nor any member thereof, shall appoint, dismiss,
or give directions to any individual employee of the executive branch
of the County government.

Article 2. Executive Branch

Section 201. Executive Power

The executive power vested in Montgomery County by the Constitu-
tion and laws of Maryland and by this Charter shall be vested in a County
Executive who shall be the chief executive officer of Montgomery County
and who shall faithfully execute the laws. In such capacity, the County
Executive shall be the elected Executive Officer mentioned in Article XI-A,
Section 3, of the Constitution of Maryland. The County Executive shall
have no legislative power except that he may be expressly delegated the
power to make rules and regulations by a law enacted by the Council.

Section 202. Election and Term of Office

The County Executive shall be elected by the qualified voters of the
entire County at the same time as the Council. He shall serve for a term
of office commencing at noon on the first Monday of December next
following his election, and ending at noon on the first Monday of December
in the fourth year thereafter, or until a successor shall have qualified.

Section 203. Qualifications

The County Executive shall have been a qualified voter of Mont-
gomery County for the five years next preceding his election. He shall be
not less than thirty years of age. The County Executive shall not hold any
other office of profit in federal, state, county or municipal government.
The County Executive s