The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1890-04-18
DUBLIC LOCAL LAWS.
RELATING TO HARTFORD COUNTY.
ENACTED AT THE JANUARY SESSION, 1890
Published By authority.
CuADTED 1Ed
CHAPTER 154.

o<1H'
Published By Authority
CHAPTER 154.
AN ACT to repeal sections twenty-three,
twenty-five and twenty-nine of article thir-
teen of the Code of Public Local Laws,
entitled Hartford county, subtitle Bel Air,
and to re-enact the same with amendments.
SECTION 1. Be it enacted By the General
assembly Of Maryland, That sections twenty
three, twenty-five and twenty -nine, of article
thirteen of the Code of Public Local Laws,
! entitled Hartford county, subtitle Bel Air, be
and the same are hereby repealed and re-enact
ed with amendments SO as to read as follows:
SECTION %. The citizens residing within
the corporate limits of said town of Bel Air,
shall hold an election on the First Monday
of May, in every year, for five Commission
ers, who shall hold their Office for one year,
or until their successors are elected and
qualified, and shall have the management of
the town, and who shall have full power and
authority to enact and pass all ordinances to
preserve the health of the town, to promote
cleanliness and good order, to regulate the
keeping and running at large ofcattle, swine,
goats, dogs, fowls and other animals, to pre-
serve and promote the peace, order and good
| government of said town; to regulate the
police and provide for the payment of the
same 10 impose and appropriate taxes, fines,
penalties and forfeitures for the breach of
their ordinances and for the purpose of pro-
viding for the extinguishment OF fires and the
protection of property in said town ; and for
the lighting of the streets thereof, to con-
tract with corporations, individuals or firms
| for period longer than one year, provided
that no such contract shall be made TO bind the
| the corporation for longer period than fif-
teen years to establish new avenues, streets,
| alleys and sidewalks, to open, widen, narrow,
| repair, pave. pike, straighten, extend, stop
uD or discontinue avenues, streets, alleys and
sidewalks, now or hereafter to be laid out or
used, and such as may hereafter be lawfully
established to levy and collect taxes for
establishing, opening, narrowing, closing,
paving, piking, strengthening, repairing and
keeping in order such avenues, streets, alleys
and sidewalks, and the roads leading from
and to said town; provided that when any
avenue street, alley, or sidewalk shall be
opened, widened, Strengthened or closed, the
full value of all property taken and used for
such avenue, street, alley or sidewalk, or
damage to be sustained in closing the same
in whole or in part, shall be assessed by the
Commissioners, and the said full value so as
ssssed shall he paid or offered to be paid to
the proprietors of said property, before the
said avenue, street, alley or sidewalk is open
ed, widened, Strengthened or closed !; and any
proprietor who may feel aggrieved by such
action of the Commissioners, shall be entitled
to an appeal at any time within thirty days
after such offer o'payment to the Circuit
Court for the said county; and such appeal
shall be heard and determined, as appeals
from Justices of the Peace are now heard
and the Commissioners, in assessing the
value of damages to said land taken shall
take into consideration the benefits and adj
vantages derived by the proprietors thereby.
SEC. %. All taxes shall be fairly laid and
shall not exceed seventy-five cents in every
one hundred dollars of taxable property in
any one year, and the taxable basis of said
property shall be the same as that for county
and State purposes until such times as said
commissioners shall authorize new assess
ment as hereinafter provided. The said COM
missioners shall have power to appoint such
person as they think fit, TO collect said taxes
and to pay him such salary or compensation
as they may think proper, and all the pro-
perty within the corporate limits OF said
town shall hereafter be exempt from taxa
ton for public district or county road pur-
poses outside of said corporate limits and
said commissioners shall have power at such
time as they may think proper to appoint a
commissioner or assessor to assess all new
property, to revise, amend, correct, alter and
J.
inhabitants of said town and to add 10 or re-
duce the valuation of the property, real or
personal, of the inhabitants thereof and said
assessor shall have power and authority 10
require the owner, possessor or claimant of
any property liable to valuation and assess
ment to give him such a full and accurate |
statement in writing of his property as may
be necessary to enable the commissioners or
assessor to ascertain the value thereof; the
same TO be under the oath of such person, to
be administered by the assessor who is here
by authorized to administer the same, and
thereupon the taxes herenbefore authorized
shall be levied on such new, revised or chang
ed valuation and the right of appeal from
such assessment by the commissioners or
assessor shall be had to the said town COM
missioners, whose duty it shall be under such
terms as shall be prescribed by said corporate
authorities to examine into the merits OF such
appeal, and their decision in the premises
shall be final. and the assessment 30 amended
and corrected shall be applicable to all taxes
authorized under the authority of the cor
poration.
SECTION 80. Whenever said Commissioners
shall by ordinance direct any street, alley or
sidewalk within the limits of eaid town to be
opened, widened, narrowed, piked, paved, re-
paired, extended, stopped up or discontinued
in whole or in part they shall, upon certain
day to he named in said ordinance, and
within three days, inclusive of the day of
meeting, proceed to ascertain what amount
of value in damages will be caused thereby
and what amount the contemplated improve
mcnt will cost, and they shall have power to
provide for the payment of the damages and
costs aforesaid by levying and assessing the
same generally upon the whole of the assess
BILE property of said town or specially upon
the assessable value of the property benefited
thereby or, in their discretion, partly upon
the property benefited and balance upon the
whole Of the assessable property of the said
town, and the said Commissioners shall have
the power to ascertain and determine what
amount of benefits will thereby accrue to any
lot or parcel of ground adjacent to said street,
alley or sidewalk or the owner thereof, and
which said lot or parcel of ground or the
owner thereof ought to pay, and they shall
on the day fixed by said ordinance and
within three days, inclusive Of said meeting,
so ascertain and determine, and their decision
in writing shall be filed with the Secretary
and shall be by him recorded in a book kept
for that purpose, and any proprietor who
may feel himself aggrieved by such action of
the Commissioners shall be entitled to an
appeal at any time within thirty days after
the decision of the Commissioners shall be
filed as aforesaid to the Circuit Court for
Hartford county, and such appeal shall be
heard and determined as appeals from JUS
tices of the Peace are now beard, and all
benefits 80 assessed against any lot or parcel
of ground or the owner or occupant thereof
shall be a lien against said lot or parcel Of
ground from the time said Commissioners
shall finally order the work contemplated to
be begun, and it shall be the duty of said
Commissioners to certify under the seal Of
the corporation to the tax collector the
amount of benefits SO assessed, who shall
| forthwith enter the same on his books against
the property so assessed, and the said tax
collector of said town shall collect such bene-
| fits as other town taxes are collected; pro-
vided that no property shall be sold for the
payment of benefits until after the expiration
of six months from the date of the passage of
the ordinance by said Commissioners.
SECTION g. And be it enacted That this act
shall take effect from the date Of its passage.
Approved April 8, 1890.
ELIHU E. JACKSON, Governor
J0HN HTTRNER