There shall be a County Council of Cecil County, Maryland, composed of five Council members.
All legislative powers which may be exercised by the County under the Maryland Constitution and laws of the state are vested in the Council, subject to those powers retained by the people of the County as hereinafter set forth in Section
308 of this Charter.
In all functions and deliberations, the Council shall act as a body. It shall have no power to create standing committees or to delegate any of its functions and duties to a smaller number of its members than the whole. The Council may, however, appoint special ad hoc committees solely for the purpose of inquiry and fact finding.
A Council member shall hold office for a term beginning at 12:00 noon on the first Monday of December next following the election of the Council member and ending at 12:00 noon on the first Monday of December in the fourth year thereafter, or until a successor is qualified.
Each Council member shall receive as compensation and allowances for the performance of public duties under this Charter the sum of not less than $25,000 per annum. A Council member shall not accrue annual leave or be entitled to any payment in lieu thereof. The compensation and allowances shall be in full compensation for all services performed by members of the Council as required by this Charter, but shall not preclude reasonable and necessary expenses as may be provided in the budget. The County Council shall establish by ordinance a Compensation Review Commission every four years to review the Council's compensation and allowances in accordance with the provisions of Article 25A, Subsection 5(AA), of the Annotated Code of Maryland.
At the first scheduled meeting of the Council in December following an election and biennially thereafter, the Council shall elect from among its members a President and Vice President of the Council. The President, or in the absence of the President, the Vice President, shall preside over meetings of the Council. The Council may provide for the selection of other officers as the Council may deem desirable for the exercise of its powers.
The Council may investigate the affairs of the County and the conduct of any County agency. The Council may subpoena witnesses, administer oaths, take testimony, and require the production of evidence for purposes of this section.
Neither the Council nor any of its members shall appoint, dismiss, or give directions to any individual employee of the Executive Branch of the government.
The Council may by resolution, at its discretion and subject to the provisions of its budget or supplementary appropriation, employ administrative employees or such legal, financial or other advisors as it deems necessary to perform its functions.