Montgomery County                               2385

and may provide and furnish any or all persons engaged in public defense
within the County with protective armor and such other equipment and
supplies and also purchase, rent, hire and maintain lands, buildings, and
equipment as may be considered to be necessary and proper. The County
Executive may engage the service of persons charged with assisting in
public defense and may, with the approval of the Council, fix the com-
pensation of such persons, including the payment for services heretofore
rendered in connection with the civilian defense activities of the County,
and may do all other things needful and necessary to protect and safe-
guard the people and property within the County from actual or threatened
armed invasion or insurrection, and may alleviate their suffering resulting
from fire, flood, disaster or epidemic of disease, or other such emergencies.
The County Executive is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations
to protect the citizens of the County during blackouts, practice air raid
alarms, air raids, and invasion. All acts done and all moneys expended by
the County for such purposes, either heretofore or hereafter, including the
purchase of equipment for civilian defense organization and maintenance,
the employment of administrative and technical aid in the interest of
civilian defense, the purchase of medical supplies for casualty stations,
and the purchase of arms, ammunition and providing and furnishing of
telephone service and other service and supplies are hereby ratified and con-
firmed as just and lawful acts of the County.

Section 3. Section 2-21 of Chapter 2 of the Montgomery County Code
1965, titled "Same—Borrowing money," is hereby repealed and re-enacted,
with amendments, to read as follows:

2-21. Same—Borrowing money.

In order to further carry out the provisions of Sections 2-19 through
2-21 of this Code the Council is hereby authorized and empowered, at
any time, or from time to time, to borrow on the faith and credit of the
County such sum of money or other article of value in an amount not
to exceed the appropriations made under the foregoing Sections 2-19 and
2-20 of this Code; such borrowing may be made by public or private sale
of certificates of indebtedness, or other evidence of debt, or by direct
negotiation with any state or national banking institution or other lending
agency. The Council is further authorized and empowered to issue certifi-
cates of indebtedness or promissory notes in such denominations and such
amounts, and at such interest rate and for such period not exceeding two
years as the Council may by resolution determine. Such certificates of
indebtedness or promissory notes to be executed by the County Executive
and attested by the Clerk to the Council. Such promissory notes or cer-
tificates of indebtedness may be renewed or reissued at any time or from
time to time or may be funded by an issue of serial bonds having
an average maturity of not more than ten years from the date of issue
thereof. The bonds, certificates of indebtedness, promissory notes or other
evidences of debt issued under the provisions of this Section shall be
specifically exempted from the provisions of Sections 8, 9 and 10 of Arti-
cle 31 of the Annotated Code of Maryland, 1957, and from the provisions
of any other public general or local law of Maryland which conflict or
appear to conflict with the provisions of Sections 2-19 through 2-21 of this
Code. Any and all evidences of debt issued pursuant to the provisions of such
Sections and the interest thereon shall be and remain exempt from
State, County and municipal taxes of every kind whatsoever in the State.
All debt incurred under the provisions of such Sections shall be and remain
until paid the obligation of the County issued upon its full faith and credit