Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1915-08-13

known as the county Council OF the county
The chief executive officer, if any such
charter shall provide for the election of
such executive officer. or the presiding
officer of said legislative body, if such
charter shall not provide for the election
OF chief executive officer, shall be known
in the City of Baltimore as Mayor of Balti-
more, and in any county as the President
Of the County Council of the county, and
all references in the Constitution and laws
Of this State to the Mayor of Baltimore
and City Council of the City of Baltimore
or to the County Commissioners of the
counties shall be construed to refer to the
Mayor of Baltimore and City Council of the
City of Baltimore and to the President and
County Council herein provided for when
ever such construction would be reasonable.
From and after the adoption of a charter
by the City OF Baltimore. or any county OF
this State. as hereinbefore provided, the
Mayor of Baltimore and City Council of the
City of Baltimore or the County Council of
said county, subject to the Constitution
and Public General Laws of this State,
| shall have full power to enact local laws
OF said city or county, including the power
to repeal or amend Local Laws of said city
or county enacted by the General Assem-
bly,, upon all matters covered by the ex-
press powers granted as above provided !;
provided that nothing herein contained
shall be construed to authorize or empower
the County Council of any county in this
State to enact laws or regulations for any in
corporated town, village. or municipality
in said county, on any matter covered by
the powers granted to said town, village,
or municipality by the Act Incorporating it,
or any subsequent Act or Acts amen
datory thereto. Provided, however, that
the charters for the various counties shall
provide that the County Council of the
counties shall not sit more than one month
in each year for the purpose of enacting
legislation for such counties, and all leeis-
lation shall be enacted during the month
so designated for that purpose in the char
ter, and all laws and ordinances so enacted
shall be published once week for three
successive weeks in at least one news
paper published in such counties, so that
the taxpayers and citizens may have notice
thereof. This provision shall not apply to
Baltimore city. All such local laws en-
acted by the Mayor of Baltimore and CITY
Council of the City of Baltimore or the
Council of the counties, as hereinbefore
provided, shall be subject to the same
rules of Interpretation as those now appli-
cable to the Public Local Laws of this
State. except that in case of any conflict
between said Local Law and any Public
General Law now or hereafter enacted, the
Public General Law shall control
Sec. 4. From and after the adoption of a
charter under the provisions of this Article
by the City of Baltimore or any county of
this State, no Public Local Law shall be
enacted by the General Assembly for said
city or county on any subject covered by
the express powers granted as above pro-
Vided. Any law so drawn as to apply to
two or more of the geographical sub-di-
visions Of this State shall not be deemed
a Local Law. within the meaning of this
Act. The term geographical subdivision"
herein used shall be taken to mean the
City of Baltimore or any of the counties of
this State.
Sec. 5. Amendments to any charter
adopted by the City of Baltimore or by any
county of the State under the provisions
of this Article may be proposed by a resoIu-
ton OF the Mayor Of Baltimore and the City
Council of the said City of Baltimore, or
the Council of said county, or by petition
signed by not less than 20 per cent of the
registered voters of said city or county,
provided. however. that in any case TO-
600 signatures shall be sufficient to com
plete petition, and filed with the Mayor
of Baltimore or the President of the County
Council, and when so proposed shall be
submitted to the voters of said city or
county at the next General or Congress
sional election occurring after the passage
OF said resolution, or the filing Of said pc
tition. and If at said election the majority
OF the votes cast for and against said
amendment shall be in favor thereof, said
ohaH hn al
part OF the charter of said city or county
from and after the thirtieth day after said
election. Said amendments shall be pub
lished by said Mayor of Baltimore or Presi-
dent of the County Council once week
for five successive weeks prior to said cleo
ton in at least one newspaper published
in said city or county.
Sec. d. The power heretofore conferred
upon the General Assembly to prescribe the
number, compensation. powers and duties
OF the County Commissioners in each coun-
ty, and the power to make changes in Sec
tons to q, inclusive, Article XI of this
constitution, when expressly granted as
heTeinbefore provided are hereby trans
ierred 10 the voters of each county and the
voters OF the City of Baltimore, respec-
lively. provided that said powers so trans
ferred shall be exercised only by the adop-
tion or amendment of charter as herein
before provided: and provided further, that
tins Article shall not be construed TO au-
thorize the exercise of any powers in excess
of those conferred by the Legislature upon
said counties or city as this Article sets
forth.
Sec. Z. The word Petition" as used in
this Article. means one or more sheets
written or printed or partly written and
partly printed signature" means the
signature of registered voter written by
himself in his own handwriting (and not
by his MARK, together with the ward or
district and precinct in which he is register
ed. The authenticity of such signatures and
the fact that the persons so signing are
registered voters shall be evidenced by the
affidavit OF one or more registered voters of
the city or county in which said voters so
signing are registered, and one affidavit
may apply to or cover any number of sig
natures to such petition. The false signing
Of any name, or the signing of any fictitious
name to said petition shall be forgery, and
the making Of any false affidavit in con-
nection with said petition shall be perjury.
Sec 2. And be il further enacted by the
authority aforesaid, That the aforesaid
Article hereby proposed as an amendment
to the Constitution shall be at the next Cen
eral Election for Members of the General
Assembly held in this State, submitted to
the legal and qualified voters thereof, for
their adoption or rejection in pursuance of
the directions contained in Article XVI of
the Constitution of this State, and at the
said general election the vote on said pro-
posed amendment to the Constitution shall
be by ballot and upon each ballot shall be
printed the words For the Constitutional
Amendment" and Against the Constitu-
tional Amendment" as now provided by
law, and Immediately after said election
due return shall be made to the Governor
Of the vote for and against said proposed
amendment as directed by the said Four
teenth Article Of the Constitution.
Approved April 18th. 1914.
CHAPTER 453.
An Act to propose an amendment to
Article Ill of the Constitution of the State