The Council may pass additional legislation to implement the
objects and purposes of this Charter as it deems necessary.
No officer or employee of the County, elected or appointed,
whose compensation is fixed, in whole or in part, by this Charter,
the laws of the County, or personnel regulations if adopted, is entitled
to any other compensation from the County for performance of public
duties, except expenses for travel and subsistence incident to the
performance of his official duties as prescribed by law.
Any person has the right to inspect and obtain copies of any
public record in the custody of the County government as provided
for in State law (Article 76A of the Annotated Code of Maryland[1]). In accordance with State law, the Council may prescribe
reasonable regulations for the inspection and establish reasonable
fees for the production of requested copies.
[1]
Editor's Note: For records provisions, see now Md. Code Ann.,
State Government Article, Title 10, Subtitle 6.
Officers of the County government who have possession of or
control over any funds of the County shall be bonded for the faithful
performance of their duties in a sum, not less than one hundred thousand
dollars ($100,000.00), as may be fixed by, and with sureties approved
by the Council. Surety bond premiums shall be paid by the County.
If any article, section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase
of this Charter is held unconstitutional, invalid, or inapplicable
to any person or circumstance, it is intended and declared by the
people of the County that all other articles, sections, subsections,
sentences, clauses, or phrases of the Charter and their application
to other persons and circumstances is separable and not affected by
the decision.
As used in this Charter:
(1)
The word "bill" means any measure introduced in the Council for legislative
action.
(2)
The words "act," "ordinance," "public local law," and "legislative
act," when used in connection with any action by the Council, are
synonymous, and mean any bill enacted in the manner and form provided
in this Charter.
(3)
The word "resolution" means a measure adopted by the Council having
the force and effect of law but of a temporary or administrative character.
(4)
The word "law" includes all acts, public local laws, ordinances,
and other legislative acts of the Council, all ordinances and resolutions
of the County Commissioners not hereby or hereafter amended or repealed
and all public general laws and public local laws of the General Assembly
in effect from time to time after the adoption of this Charter, whenever
such construction would be reasonable.
(5)
The words "pass," "passed," "passage," "enact," "enacted," and "enactment"
when used in connection with the legislative activities of the Council,
mean the final action by the Council in approving any item of legislative
business and constitute the means whereby a bill attains the status
of law.
(6)
The word "State" means the State of Maryland.
(7)
The word "shall" is mandatory and the word "may" is permissive.
(8)
The word "person" includes the words "individual," "corporation,"
"partnership," and "association" unless this construction would be
unreasonable.
(9)
The word "officer" includes the word "councilman."
(10)
Whenever in this Charter the masculine gender is used, it includes
the feminine gender, unless this construction would be absurd or unreasonable.
(11)
The word "agency" when used to designate a subordinate element of
government includes all offices, departments, institutions, boards,
commissions, and corporations of the County government and, when so
specified, all offices, departments, institutions, boards, commissions,
and corporations which receive or disburse County funds.
(12)
Reference to a span of time is not intended to include the day the
event occurs, but includes the last day of a period computed, unless
that day is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, in which event the
period runs until the end of the day thereafter which is neither a
Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday.
