748                              Laws of Maryland                      [Ch. 222

the purposes of receiving a report from the committee on the opera-
tions during the year; for the election by paper ballot of a new
committeeman for a full five year term to replace that member whose
term is expiring and for the conduct of whatever other business
as may be appropriate. Only residents of legal age within the
taxing area are eligible to hold the office of Committeeman and
following each election each newly elected member of the com-
mittee shall qualify by taking the oath prescribed. The committee
shall select from its members a chairman, a secretary and a treasurer.

As soon as possible following the referendum, the Board of
Supervisors of Elections of Allegany County shall certify whether
the referendum proposal has passed or not. If not, the election of
the committee of five shall be null, void, and of no effect. If it has
passed, the committee of five shall begin their terms of office and
shall assume all rights, powers and responsibilities of their office
on the sixtieth day following the referendum, or the next day if
the sixtieth day is a legal holiday or weekend.

116E. Powers of Committee.

The committee provided for in the preceding sections shall have
the power and authority to provide, by contract or otherwise, for
a fire department and fire protection service within the taxing area
and to likewise provide for the operation and maintenance of an
ambulance service within the prescribed tax area. The Treasurer
shall pay out of the funds in his possession, and out of the taxes
levied by the County Commissioners and paid over to such Treas-
urer, only upon the order of the Citizens' Committee and for the
purposes authorized by this subtitle.

116F.

The Treasurer of the Citizens' Committee shall deposit all funds
coming into his possession as Treasurer in whatever banks as may
be approved by the committee and they shall not be paid out except
by check duly signed by him as Treasurer and countersigned by
the chairman or some member of the committee acting as chairman
pursuant to written Resolution of the committee of record in the
committee minutes.

116G. Committee Records Open to Public Inspection.

The Citizens' Committee shall always keep available and open to
public inspection its books and accounts. The Citizens' Committee
may employ, if it deems necessary, an accountant to audit the books
and whatever other professional personnel as may be appropriate
to the proper conduct of its business.

SEC. 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, THAT Before
BEFORE the provisions of this Act become effective, the County
Commissioners and the Board of Supervisors of Elections of Allegany
County shall submit the question to the qualified voters of Allegany
County who live within the special taxing area described hereinabove
in this Act as the "Cresaptown Fire-Ambulance Tax Area" on the
date of the election. The referendum shall be held within one hundred
twenty days after the effective date of this Act. Due notice of the