3080

COUNTY LOCAL LAWS

equipping and operating the departments or squads,
provided that the County Council shall not levy such
tax at a rate which would produce less than the amount
so certified by any fire department or squad, as
necessary to maintain, equip and operate the fire
department or squad, without a previous public hearing
to determine the necessity of any proposed reduction
of the amount so certified by the fire department or
squad. All budgets shall be subject to public
hearings as provided under Section 304 of the Charter
of Montgomery County, Maryland. The tax shall be
levied and shall he collected in the manner that
county taxes are presently levied and collected or may
hereafter be levied and collected and shall have the
same priority rights, bear the same interest and
penalties and in every respect be treated the same as
county taxes. The taxes so levied for the ensuing
year shall be collected by the tax collecting
authorities of the County. Funds provided for by the
tax levies shall be on a total basis but reflect the
categories of Salaries, Operating, and Capital
Finance; and shall be paid at least on a monthly basis
by the County Director of Finance to the respective
treasurers of the departments or squads within each
Individual Fire Tax District in accordance with a
projected monthly schedule submitted by each
individual department and squad to the Director of
Finance prior to the start of the fiscal year. The
treasurers, upon authorization by their departments or
squads, shall pay all proper costs, expenses, claims
and demands necessary for the maintenance, equipment
and operation of their fire departments and squads.
Any moneys which are retained by the Director of
Finance on behalf of the fire departments or rescue
squads shall be invested in the County's Investment
Fund. The proceeds from such investments shall be
credited to the funds to be provided for each
department or squad for the ensuing fiscal year
following the year in which the funds were invested.
Proceeds shall be credited to each department or squad
in proportion to the amount of any moneys retained and
invested by the Director of Finance on behalf of each
department or squad.

In the Consolidated Fire Tax

District, as described in Section 27-3 (a) (1) of this
Code, the County Council shall appropriate funds not
later than May 1 of each year for the following fiscal
year in the amount requested by the Fire Board for the
Consolidated District unless the Council proposes to