2368                               County Local Laws

84-21. Encumbrance of funds.

No notice of award of contract shall be issued, no contract shall be
signed and no purchase order shall be issued until the director of finance
or his designee certifies that the unencumbered balance in the appro-
priation is sufficient to defray the amount of such contract or purchase
order.

84-22. Unlawful purchases.

If any agency purchases or contracts for any goods, services or capital
improvement project in a manner contrary to the provisions of the Charter
or this article, such purchase or contract shall be voidable.

84-23. Cooperative purchasing.

The chief administrative officer shall have the authority, subject to
the direction of the County Executive, to join with other units of govern-
ment in cooperative purchasing plan when the best interests of the county
would be served thereby.

Section 2. Severability.

The provisions of the Act are severable, and if any provision, sentence,
clause, section or part thereof is held illegal, invalid or unconstitutional
or inapplicable to any person or circumstances, such illegality, invalidity
or unconstitutionality, or inapplicability shall not affect or impair any
of the remaining provisions, sentences, clauses, sections or parts of the
Act or their application to other persons or circumstances. It is hereby
declared to be the legislative intent that this Act would have been adopted
if such illegal, invalid or unconstitutional provision, sentence, clause, sec-
tion or part had not been included therein, and if the person or cir-
cumstances to which the Act or any part thereof is inapplicable had
been specifically exempted therefrom.

Section 3. Effective date.

This Act shall take effect on the 76th day following its enactment.

LOCAL LAWS

Enacted during the 1970 Legislative Sessions at the Legislative Ses-
sions of the County Council for Montgomery County, Maryland, held in
Rockville, Maryland, commencing on the fifth day of January, 1970 and
ending on the thirtieth day of June, 1970.

Chapter 1
(Bill No. 34-69)

An Act to add new Section 128C to Chapter 2 of the Montgomery
County Code 1965, as amended, titled "Administration," subtitled
"Homeowners' Construction Loan Fund," to follow immediately after
Section 128B thereof, to authorize the County Council to establish a
Homeowners' Construction Loan Fund to make direct construction
loans therefrom to homeowners of low income whose present homes
cannot be rehabilitated to conform with applicable County Code re-
quirements for the purpose of providing new homes, including pre-
fabricated homes, and to provide for the administration of said Fund.