Evening star., 1955-03-17
Amendments
Offered 10 Town
Home-RuIe Bill
ResidentRequirement
Set at 800 for
interpretations
By Gene Goodwin
Star Stoff Correspondent

ANNAPOLIS, Mar. 17.-Any
area of at least 800 residents
would qualify for incorporation
under long-awaited amendments
to the municipal home rule bill
being studied by the Maryland
Senate today. 81
The Senate Judiciary Commit
tee brought the important meas
ure to the floor last night with
Ito amendments proposed by a
long-laboring subcommittee un-
der the Craftsmanship of Senator
Stanford Hoff, Republican, Of
Carroll.
The Senate decided to wait a
day before voting on the amend
ments to the bill. which would
implement the municipal home
rule amendment to the constitu-
tion adopted by the voters last
November.
The original implementation
bill proposed to the Assembly by
its Legislative Council in early
January would have made any
area of 100 residents eligible for
incorporation. A referendum on
forming municipality would
have to be held whenever 10 per
cent of the voters of such an area
petitioned their county commits
sioners for one.
Owner Status Specified
The subcommittee raised the
area requirement to 300 resi-
dents and the petition provision
to 20 per cent of the qualified
voters land the owners of not
less than 25 per cent of the as
sessed valuation of real property
of the area to be Incorporated"
The municipal charter and
town officials would be voted on
and elected in the same ref
erendum.
Changes also were proposed by
the subcommittee in the sections
of the bill on annexation.
Annexation still could be in
itiated by "the legislative body"
of any municipality, but, under
the amendments, it also could be
initiated by petition of at least
25 per cent of the voters of the
would-be annexed area and own
ers of at least Is per cent of the
property. by value. -e.s
Power to Annex.
The Town Council then would
hold a public hearing, after
proper notice, on the proposed
annexation. If it decided to
annex the territory in question,
1t could do so by resolution, which
would take effect automatically
in As days unless petition for a
referendum were filed.
The original bill provided that
a petition of 10 per cent of the
residents of the would-be an
nexed area or 10 per cent of the
residents of the town doing the
annexing would suffice for call
ing a referendum. The amend
ments raise those figures to 20
per cent.
If there are fewer than 20 per-
sons in the area to be annexed,
the amendments provide, then
any person owning property in
the area would be given the
same. rights as a resident in
petitioning or voting on the an
nexation proposal.
Protects Industrial Plants
This provision, plus the one
requiring that an annexation
petition would have to reflect
25 per cent of the total assessed
property valuation in the area,
is designed to prevent towns
from absorbing big commercial
or industrial concerns without
giving them some say in the
matter, Mr.. Hoff explained.
Some of the proposed amend
ments specify that the Washing
ton Suburban Sanitary Com
mission and the Maryland-Na-
tional Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission are not to be
regarded as municipal corpora
tions" in home rule laws. Courts
have ruled that those agencies
are municipal corporations. but
the amendments state that such
was not the intent of the home
rule amendment adopted by the
voters.
The amendments also would
prevent municipalities from
adopting their own planning and
zoning systems if they were un-
der county or regional planning
and zoning supervision prior to
adoption of the amendment to