The town shall operate on an annual budget. The fiscal year
of the town shall begin on the first day of July and shall end on
the last day of June in each year. Such fiscal year shall constitute
the budget year and the accounting year.
The Town Manager, on such date as the Commissioners, by ordinance,
shall deem, but not later than the last Tuesday in May of each year,
shall submit a budget to the Commissioners. The budget shall provide
a complete financial plan for the budget year and shall contain estimates
of anticipated revenues and proposed expenditures for the coming fiscal
year. The total of anticipated revenues shall equal or exceed the
total of proposed expenditures. The budget shall be a public record
in the office of the Town Manager open to public inspection during
normal business hours.
Before adopting the budget, the Commissioners shall hold a public
hearing thereon after one notice thereof in some newspaper or newspapers
having a general circulation in the Town of Princess Anne. The Commissioners
may insert new items or may increase or decrease the items of the
budget. Where the Commissioners shall increase the total proposed
expenditures, they shall also increase the total anticipated revenues
in an amount at least equal to the total proposed expenditures. The
budget shall be prepared and adopted in the form of an ordinance.
A favorable vote of a majority of the Commissioners shall be necessary
for adoption.
No public money may be expended without having been appropriated
by the Commissioners. From the effective date of the budget, the several
amounts stated therein as proposed expenditures shall be and become
appropriated to the several obligations and purposes named therein,
except as modified by the provisions of Section 805 of the Town Charter.
The Town Manager may transfer budget funds within major appropriations
and, with the approval or upon the authority of the Commissioners,
may transfer budget funds between and among major appropriations.
[Amended 11-2-1992]
A.
Except as provided in Subsection B of this section no employee or elected official of the town shall, during any budget year, expend or contract to expend any money or incur any liability or enter into any contract which, by its terms, involves the expenditure of money for any purpose in excess of the amounts appropriated from or transferred to the general classification of expenditure pursuant to this Charter. Any contract, verbal or written, made in violation of this Charter shall be null and void. Nothing in this section, however, shall prevent the making of contracts or the spending of money for capital improvements to be financed, in whole or in part, by the issuance of bonds or by moneys to be borrowed for that specific purpose, nor the making of contracts of lease or for services for a period exceeding the budget year in which such contract is made when such contract is otherwise permitted by law.
B.
Total appropriations may be increased by the reserved portions of
fund balance, except the reserve for prepaid expenses cannot increase
total appropriations because of its non-monetary nature and lack of
liquidity.
C.
Total appropriations may be further increased by the designated portions
of fund balance if extraordinary circumstances develop within the
current year to cause the use of the following unreserved fund balances.
D.
The use of designated fund balances requires a public hearing to
consider all options available to meet an extraordinary circumstance
that has developed involving the town's financial resources.
[Amended 11-2-1992]
All appropriations shall lapse at the end of the budget year
to the extent that they shall not have been expended or lawfully reserved
or designated. The Commissioners may at their discretion reserve surplus
funds for the purpose of emergencies, or to be designated for capital
improvements. This reserve shall not exceed 20% of total general fund
assets. Any unreserved and undesignated funds shall be considered
an undesignated fund balance at the end of the budget year and shall
be included among the anticipated revenues for the second succeeding
budget year.
All real property and all tangible personal property within
the corporate limits of the town or personal property which may have
a situs there by reason of the residence of the owner therein shall
be subject to taxation for municipal purposes, and the assessment
used shall be the same as that for county taxes. No authority is given
by this section to impose taxes on any property which is exempt from
taxation by any act of the General Assembly.
From the effective date of the budget, the amount stated therein
as the amount to be raised by the property tax shall constitute a
determination of the amount of the tax levy in the corresponding tax
year.
Immediately after the levy is made by the Commissioners in each
year, the Town Manager shall give notice of the making of the levy
by at least two publications thereof in some newspaper or newspapers
published in the town and having general circulation therein and by
posting a notice thereof in some public place or places in the town.
The Town Manager shall make out and mail or deliver in person to each
taxpayer or agent of a taxpayer at the last known address a bill or
account of the taxes due from that taxpayer. This bill or account
shall contain a statement of the amount of real and personal property
with which the taxpayer is assessed, the rate of taxation, the amount
of taxes due and the date on which the taxes will bear interest. Failure
to give or receive any notice required by this section shall not relieve
any taxpayer of the responsibility to pay on the dates established
by this Charter all taxes levied on property owned by the taxpayer.
The taxes provided for in Section 810 of this Charter shall
be due and payable on the first day of July in the year for which
they are levied and shall be overdue and in arrears on the first day
of the following October. They shall bear interest while in arrears
at the rate of 1 1/2% for each month or fraction of a month until
paid. All taxes not paid and in arrears after the first day of the
following January shall be collected as provided in Section 813 of
the Town Charter.
A.
List of tax-delinquent property. A list of all property on which
the town taxes have not been paid and which are in arrears as provided
by Section 812 of the Town Charter shall be compiled by the Town Manager.
The taxes due thereon shall be collected by the Town Manager in the
manner and according to the procedure set forth by the laws of the
State of Maryland and of Somerset County providing for the sale of
tax delinquent property by the County Treasurer.
B.
Tax sale deed. When the sale of town real estate is made in conformity
to the provisions of this article and said sale has been duly ratified
by the Circuit Court for Somerset County, the Commissioners of Princess
Anne shall give a deed conveying said property to the purchaser thereof,
and it shall not be necessary in said deed to recite all the proceedings
contained in the report of sale, but it shall be sufficient merely
to give in said deed the number of the chancery case in which the
sale is reported and make it a part of the deed for a more full and
complete description of the proceedings and property, but it shall
be necessary for said deed to show the former owner of the property
it conveys. The Clerk of the Circuit Court for Somerset County, in
whose office the same must be recorded, shall index it not only in
the name of the grantor and grantee, but also in the name of and as
from the former owner to the grantee.
C.
Claims for uncollected taxes. All claims for erroneous, insolvent
or uncollectible tax bills for which said Town Manager of Princess
Anne shall claim a credit shall be presented to said Commissioners
of Princess Anne before or at the time of his/her yearly settlement
with them, and in no case shall said Commissioners allow credit for
erroneous, insolvent or uncollectible taxes, unless satisfactory proof
shall be produced under oath that the same are not collectible and
that the land is not worth the taxes.
All fees received by an officer or employee of the town government
in the official capacity of the position shall belong to the town
government and be accounted for to the town.
The financial books and accounts of the town shall be audited
annually as required by §§ 35 to 41, inclusive, of
Article 19 of the Annotated Code of Maryland, 1957 Edition, as amended.
A.
Authorization. The Commissioners of Princess Anne are hereby authorized
to borrow from time to time upon the faith and credit of said municipal
corporation sums not to exceed 8% of the annual assessable tax base
of the town in total at any one time outstanding at a rate of interest
not exceeding the prevailing interest rate and to execute the promissory
note or notes of said Commissioners of Princess Anne for any amount
so borrowed, to be signed by the President of said Commissioners and
countersigned by the Town Manager, to mature not later than 40 years
from the date of the execution of said notes, but said money shall
be borrowed and said notes shall be issued only in the manner and
for the purposes in this Charter provided.
[Amended 2-11-2002 by Ord. No. 2002-1]
B.
Repayment. At the time of issuing any promissory note or notes as provided by Subsection A of this section, the Commissioners of Princess Anne shall make provisions for the payment and liquidation of said notes and interest either from the current tax receipts of said town or from the water rents or other sources of revenue available to said Commissioners of Princess Anne.
The power and obligation of the town to pay any and all bonds,
notes or other evidences of indebtedness issued by it under the authority
of this Charter shall be unlimited, and the town shall levy ad valorem
taxes upon all the taxable property of the town for the payment of
such bonds, notes or other evidences of indebtedness and interest
thereon without limitation of amount. The faith and credit of the
town is hereby pledged for the payment of the principal of and the
interest on all bonds, notes or other evidences of indebtedness hereafter
issued under the authority of this Charter, whether or not such pledge
is stated in the bonds, notes or other evidences of indebtedness or
in the ordinance authorizing their issuance.
All bonds, notes or other evidences of indebtedness validly
issued by the town previous to May 28, 1958, and all ordinances passed
concerning them are hereby declared to be valid, legal and binding
and of full force and effect as if herein fully set forth.
[Amended 5-10-2010 by Res. No. 2010-09]
All purchases and contracts for the town government shall be
made by the Town Manager. The Commissioners may provide, by ordinance,
for rules and regulations regarding the use of competitive bidding
and contracts for all town purchases and contracts. All expenditures
for supplies, materials, equipment, construction of public improvements
or contractual services involving more than $25,000 shall be made
on written contract. The Town Manager shall be required to advertise
for sealed bids, in such manner as may be prescribed by ordinance,
for all such written contracts. Such written contracts shall be awarded
to the bidder who offers the lowest or best bid, quality of goods
and work, time of delivery or completion and responsibility of bidders
being considered. All such written contracts shall be approved by
the Commissioners before becoming effective. The Town Manager shall
have the right to reject all bids and re-advertise. The town at any
time, in its discretion, may employ its own forces for the construction
or reconstruction of public improvements without advertising for or
re-advertising for or receiving bids. All written contracts may be
protected by such bonds, penalties and conditions as the town may
require.
