The Commissioners shall appoint a Town Attorney. The Town Attorney must be a member of the bar of the Maryland Court of Appeals. The Town Attorney shall be the legal adviser of the town and shall perform such duties in this connection as may be required by the Town Manager or the Commissioners. The compensation of this office shall be determined by the Commissioners. The Commissioners shall have the power to employ such legal consultants as they deem necessary from time to time.
The town shall have the power to employ such officers and employees as it deems necessary to execute the powers and duties provided by this Charter or other state law and to operate the town government.
The civil service of the town shall be divided into unclassified and classified service.
A. 
Unclassified service. The unclassified service shall comprise the following offices and positions, which shall not be included within the merit system:
(1) 
The Commissioners and persons appointed to fill vacancies as Commissioners.
(2) 
The Town Manager and the Town Attorney.
(3) 
The heads of all offices, departments and agencies and members of town boards and commissions.
(4) 
Part-time, temporary and unpaid offices and positions.
B. 
Classified service. The classified service shall comprise all positions not specifically included by this section in the unclassified service. All offices and positions included in the classified service shall be subject to any merit system rules and regulations which may be adopted.
A. 
Adoption of rules and regulations. The town may provide, by ordinance, for appointments and promotions in the administrative service on the basis of merit and fitness. To carry out this purpose, the Commissioners shall have the power to adopt such rules and regulations governing the operation of a merit system as they deem desirable or necessary. Among other things, these rules and regulations may provide for competitive examinations, the use of eligible lists, a classification plan, a compensation plan, a probation period, appeals by employees included within the classified service from dismissal or other disciplinary action and vacation and sick leave regulations. The town may request and avail itself of the facilities of the Commissioner of State Personnel for the administration of its merit system as provided in state law.
B. 
Prohibited acts. If a merit system is adopted, the following acts are prohibited:
(1) 
No person in the classified service of the town or seeking admission thereto shall be appointed, promoted, demoted, removed or in any way favored or discriminated against because of political or religious opinions or affiliations or any other factors not related to ability to perform the work.
(2) 
No person shall willfully or corruptly commit or attempt to commit any fraud preventing the impartial execution of the personnel provisions of this Charter or of the rules and regulations made thereunder.
(3) 
No officer or employee in the classified service of the town shall continue in such position after becoming a candidate for nomination or election to any public office.
(4) 
No person seeking appointment to or promotion in the classified service of the town shall either, directly or indirectly, give, render or pay any money, service or other valuable thing to any person for or on account of or in connection with that appointment, proposed appointment, promotion or proposed promotion.
(5) 
No person shall orally, by letter or otherwise solicit or be in any manner concerned in soliciting any assessment, subscription or contribution for any political party or political purpose whatever from any person holding a position in the classified service of the town.
(6) 
No person holding a position in the classified service of the town shall make any contribution to the campaign funds of any political party or any candidate for public office or take any part in the management, affairs or political campaign of any political party or candidate for public office further than in the exercise of that person's right as a citizen to express opinions and to cast votes.
C. 
Violations and penalties. Any person who, alone or with others, willfully or corruptly violates any of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall, upon conviction thereof, be subject to a penalty as provided in Section 1404A of the Charter. Any person who is convicted under this section shall, for a period of five years, be ineligible for appointment to or employment in a position in the town service and shall, if that person is an officer or employee of the town, immediately forfeit the office or position.
The town shall have the power to do all things necessary to include its officers and employees or any of them within any retirement system or pension system under the terms of which they are admissible and to pay the employer's share of the cost of any such retirement or pension system out of the general funds of the town.
The compensation of all employees of the town, except that of the Town Attorney, shall be set by the Town Manager in amounts limited by job classification rates and total amounts in the approved budget, subject to review and change by the Town Commissioners.
The town is authorized and empowered, by ordinance, to provide for or participate in hospitalization or other forms of benefit or welfare programs for its officers and employees and to expend public moneys of the town for such programs.