This Charter shall become effective on the thirtieth day following its adoption, except as otherwise specifically provided in the Transitional Provisions (Article X) of this Charter.
The Public Local Laws of Harford County and all rules, regulations, resolutions, and ordinances of the County Commissioners in force at the time of the effective date of this Charter are hereby repealed to the extent that they are inconsistent with the provisions of this Charter, but no further; and to the extent that they are not hereby repealed because of such inconsistency, all such public local laws, rules, regulations, resolutions, and ordinances shall continue in full force and effect until repealed or amended.
All appointed officers and employees of the County government holding office at the effective date of this Charter, except the officers holding the offices specifically abolished by this Charter, shall continue to be employed at their existing compensation subject to the provisions of this Charter.
All references in the Constitution and the laws of this state to the County Commissioners shall, at such time as the elected members of the first Council and the first County Executive take office, be construed to refer to the Council and to the County Executive whenever such construction would be reasonable. The Council shall succeed to all legislative powers vested heretofore in the County Commissioners and the County Executive shall succeed to all executive and administrative powers heretofore vested in the County Commissioners by the Constitution and laws of this state except as provided in this Charter.
[Amended by Bill Nos. 80-60; 12-29]
Amendments to this Charter may be proposed by legislative act of the Council. Amendments may also be proposed by petition filed with the President of the Council and signed by not less than twenty percent of the registered voters of the County, or 10,000 of such registered voters in case twenty percent of the number of registered voters is greater than 10,000. When so proposed, whether by legislative act of the Council or by petition, the question shall be submitted to the voters of the County at the next general or Congressional election occurring after the passage of said act or the filing of said petition. If at said election the majority of votes cast on the question shall be in favor of the proposed amendment, the amendment shall stand adopted from and after the thirtieth calendar day following said election. Any amendments to this Charter proposed in the manner aforesaid, shall be published by the President of the Council in at least one newspaper widely circulated in the County for five successive weeks prior to the election at which the question shall be considered by the voters of the County.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Art. X, Transitional Provisions, which immediately followed this section, was deleted by Bill No. 82-45.