Town of Capitol Heights

Transcription

1 CHARTER OF THE Town of Capitol Heights PRINCE GEORGE S COUNTY, MARYLAND Revised 1997 with the assistance of the Institute for Governmental Service Center of Applied Policy Studies, University of Maryland, College Park (Reprinted November 2014)

2 The Department of Legislative Services General Assembly of Maryland prepared this document. For further information concerning this document contact: Library and Information Services Office of Policy Analysis Department of Legislative Services 90 State Circle Annapolis, Maryland Baltimore Area: ( ) Washington Area: ( ) Other Areas: ( ) TTY: ( ) ( ) TTY users may also contact the Maryland Relay Service to contact the General Assembly E mail: libr@mlis.state.md.us Home Page: The Department of Legislative Services does not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, color, creed, marital status, national origin, race, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability in the admission or access to its programs, services, or activities. The Department's Information Officer has been designated to coordinate compliance with the nondiscrimination requirements contained in Section of the Department of Justice Regulations. Requests for assistance should be directed to the Information Officer at the telephone numbers shown above.

3 Charter of the Town of Capitol Heights 20 - iii CONTENTS ARTICLE I Corporate Name, General Powers and Boundaries Section 101. Corporate Name and General Powers Corporate Boundaries Records and Description of Corporate Boundaries ARTICLE II The Mayor and Council 201. The Mayor and Council Qualifications for Office Mayor and Council to be Judge of Qualifications for Office Vacancies in Office Forfeiture of Office Removal Proceedings Salary of the Mayor and Councilmembers Meetings of the Mayor and Council Quorum Procedures of the Mayor and Council Procedure for Enacting Ordinances Emergency Ordinances Public Records General Powers Exercise of Powers Enforcement File of Ordinances Mayoral Powers and Duties. ARTICLE III Registration, Nominations, and Elections 301. Voters Registrations Appeal Election of the Mayor and Council Nominations Conduct of Elections Notice of Nomination Conventions and Elections Absentee Voting Vote Count.

4 20 - iv Municipal Charters of Maryland 310. Preservation of Ballots Regulation and Control Registration, Nominations and Election. ARTICLE IV Personnel 401. Authority to Employ Personnel Retirement System Compensation of Employees Employees Benefits Program Town Clerk Town Attorney Appointment of Town Administrator Powers and Duties of the Town Administrator Bond of Town Employees Multi functions Personnel Fiscal Year Budget Budget Adoption Appropriations Amendments after Budget Adoption Over Expenditure Forbidden Appropriations Lapse After One Year Checks Taxable Property Budget Authorizes Levy Notice of Tax Levy Taxes Constitute a Lien When Taxes Are Overdue Sale of Tax Delinquent Property Fees Audit Tax Anticipation Borrowing Authority to Issue Bonds. 518A. Additional Borrowing Authority. 518B. Private Sale Authorized Previous Issues Purchasing and Contracts Finances. ARTICLE V Finances

5 Charter of the Town of Capitol Heights 20 - v 601. Public Ways and Sidewalks (Definition) Control of Public Ways Public Ways Powers Sidewalks Powers Defines Public Ways and Sidewalks. ARTICLE VI Public Ways and Sidewalks ARTICLE VII Special Assessments 701. Special Assessment Power Procedures Special Assessment for Refuse Collection and Disposal Special Assessments. ARTICLE VIII Town Property 801. Town Property Acquisition, Possession, and Disposal Condemnation Town Buildings Protection of Town Property Town Property. ARTICLE IX General Provisions 901. General Provisions Oath of Office Prior Rights and Obligations Misdemeanors Municipal Infraction Effect of Charter on Existing Ordinances Separability General Provisions Redevelopment Urban Renewal Definitions Powers Establishment of Agency Initiation of Project. APPENDIX Redevelopment Urban Renewal

6 20 - vi Municipal Charters of Maryland Preparation and approval of plan Disposal of Property in Area Eminent Domain Encouragement of Private Enterprise General Obligation Bonds Revenue Bonds Review and Approval Separability Appendix Amendment. APPENDIX I Urban Renewal Authority for Slum Clearance A A A A A A A A A A A A A A Definitions. Powers. Additional powers. Establishment of urban renewal agency. Powers withheld from the agency. Initiation of project. Preparation and approval of plan for urban renewal project. Disposal of property in urban renewal area. Eminent domain. Encouragement of private enterprise. General obligation bonds. Revenue bonds. Short title. Authority to amend or repeal.

7 20-1 CAPITOL HEIGHTS ARTICLE I Corporate Name, General Powers and Boundaries Section 101. Corporate Name and General Powers. The inhabitants of the Town of Capitol Heights within the corporate limits legally established from time to time are hereby constituted and continued a body corporate by the name of The Town of Capitol Heights with all the privileges of a body corporate. The Town may, by that name, sue and be sued, plead and be impleaded in any court of law or equity, and may have and use a common seal. The Town shall have perpetual succession, unless the Charter and the corporate existence are legally abrogated. Section 102. Corporate Boundaries. The boundaries of the Town shall be: (1) as they existed immediately prior to the date of this charter, subject to all rights, reservations, limitations, and conditions as may be set forth in all prior resolutions of annexations in effect immediately prior to this charter; and (2) as the boundaries may be hereafter amended, as provided by law. Section 103. Records and Description of Corporate Boundaries. (a) The courses and distances showing the exact corporate limits of the Town shall be filed at all times with the Clerk of the Circuit Court for Prince George s County and the Director of the Department of Legislative Reference [Services] of the Maryland General Assembly. (b) A copy of the courses and distances describing the corporate boundaries of the Town shall be on file in the Town offices and available for public inspection during normal business hours. A map showing the current corporate boundaries shall be maintained in the Town office and shall be available for public inspection during normal business hours. Section 104. The Town of Capitol Heights is a municipality with all the privileges of a body corporate in the State of Maryland, the Town has perpetual secession [succession], the corporate boundaries are as they exist immediately prior to the date of this revised Charter and are on file with [the] Clerk in the Circuit Court for Prince George s County and the Director of the Department of Legislative Records [Services] with the Maryland General Assembly. The corporate boundaries of the Town are also on file in the Town of Capitol Heights, Maryland, and are available for public inspection.

8 20-2 Municipal Charters of Maryland Section 201. The Mayor and Council. ARTICLE II The Mayor and Council All legislative powers of the Town should be vested in the Mayor and Council. The qualifications for office of the Mayor and each Council are that each member shall have attained the age of at least 21 years, shall be a citizen of the United States, a resident of the Town of Capitol Heights for at least two years immediately preceding the date of election, and a qualified voter in the Town. The Mayor and each Councilmember must maintain permanent residence in the Town during the term in office. The Charter provides for filling vacancies in forfeiture of office and removal proceeding, salaries, meetings, features of the Mayor and Council, procedures for enacting ordinances, votes, regular ordinances, and emergency ordinances. The keeping of public records and enumeration of the general powers of the Town, the exercise of those powers, enforcement of the laws, the maintenance of a file of ordinances, and an enumeration of mayoral powers and duties are set forth in the revised charter. Section 202. Qualifications for Office. The Mayor and each Councilmember shall have attained at least twenty one (21) years of age and shall be a citizen of the United States, a resident of the Town of Capitol Heights for at least two (2) years immediately preceding the date of election, and a qualified voter in the Town pursuant to Section 301 of this Charter. The Mayor and each Councilmember shall maintain a permanent residence in the Town during their term of office. Section 203. Mayor and Council to be Judge of Qualifications for Office. The Mayor and Council shall be the judge of the election and qualifications of its members and of the grounds for forfeiture of office. Section 204. Vacancies in Office. In case of a vacancy in the office of Mayor or any Councilmember, for any reason, the remaining elected officials shall elect, by majority vote within 45 days of declaring a vacancy on the Council, a qualified person to fill the vacancy for the unexpired term. Any vacancies on the Council or the office of the Mayor shall be filled by the favorable votes of a majority of the remaining members of the Mayor and Council. The results of any such vote shall be recorded in the minutes of the Mayor and Council. Section 205. Forfeiture of Office. (a) The Mayor or a Councilmember shall forfeit office if he or she (1) lacks at any time during the term of office any qualifications for the office prescribed by this Charter or by law, (2) violates any express prohibition of this Charter, (3) is convicted of a felony or, (4) fails to attend

9 Charter of the Town of Capitol Heights 20-3 three consecutive regular meetings of the Mayor and Council without being excused by the Mayor and Council. (b) Prior to any forfeiture of office under this section, the Mayor and Council shall hold a public hearing on the matter. At the public hearing, any interested party may be heard and the facts shall be established as to whether an elected official shall forfeit office in accordance with this section. (c) The forfeiture of office may, within 10 days of the action, be appealed to the Circuit Court for Prince George s County, Maryland by petition of the official who forfeited office. Upon filing of the petition, the court may stay the forfeiture pending the court s decision. Upon appeal, the court shall make a de novo determination of fact. Section 206. Removal Proceedings. (a) The Mayor or a Councilmember may be removed from office if he or she is accused of committing an offense involving malfeasance, misfeasance, or nonfeasance in office. (b) In order to remove an elected official a petition shall be filed with the Mayor and Council. The petition shall state the specific reasons for removing an elected official from office and shall contain the signatures of at least 25 percent of the registered voters of the Town. Under each signature shall be typed or printed each petitioner s name and address. At the bottom of each page of the petition, the individual circulating the petition shall sign the page and make an affidavit before a notary public that he or she circulated the petition and saw each individual whose name appears thereon sign the petition in his or her presence. Upon receipt of a petition, the Mayor and Council shall promptly refer the petition to the Prince George s County Board of Supervisors of Elections for verification of the appropriate number of registered voters signatures and addresses. The County Board of Supervisors of Elections shall return to the Mayor and Council the petition with written findings as to the validity of the petition. (c) If the Mayor and Council is in receipt of a valid petition as certified by the County Board of Supervisors of Elections, the Mayor and Council may pass a resolution to hold a public hearing on the matter. The resolution shall name the elected official who may be removed, the specific charges for removal, and the time, date, and place of the public hearing. Upon passage of the resolution, the Mayor and Council shall forward a copy of the resolution signed by the Town Clerk to the elected official named in the resolution. The Mayor and Council may, by a majority vote, suspend from exercising the duties of office the charged official until the hearings are complete, provided the hearing or hearings shall be completed within 15 days of the decision to suspend the elected official. (d) An elected official who is the subject of a petition for removal shall not have the right to vote in any matter involving his or her removal, but shall be regarded as a defendant. The Mayor and Council shall act as a board of inquiry and shall elect from its members a chairman to preside over the hearings. A quorum for the proceedings shall consist of a majority of the Mayor and Council. The Town Attorney shall act as prosecutor on behalf of the town. In the course of the hearings, the Mayor and Council shall have the power to:

10 20-4 Municipal Charters of Maryland (1) administer oaths and affirmations, (2) issue subpoenas, (3) rule on offers of proof and receive relevant evidence, (4) take or have taken depositions, (5) regulate the course of the hearings, and (6) settle procedural issues by consent of both parties. The defendant shall have sufficient opportunity to answer all evidence brought against the defendant. (e) The defendant shall be immediately removed from office if a majority of the Mayor and Council votes to remove the elected official. The decision of the Mayor and Council may, within 10 days of removal, be appealed to the Circuit Court for Prince George s County, Maryland by petition of the removed official. Upon filing of the petition, the court may stay the removal pending the court s decision. Upon appeal, the court shall make a de novo determination of fact. (f) Upon a final vote on the matter by the Mayor and Council, a suspended official who is not removed shall be entitled to resume the exercise of all rights and privileges of office, including the right to receive any amount of salary withheld during the period in which the official may have been suspended from office. Section 207. Salary of the Mayor and Councilmembers. The Mayor shall receive an annual salary of not more than six thousand dollars ($6,000). Each Councilmember shall receive an annual salary of not more than four thousand eight hundred dollars ($4,800). The compensation of the Mayor and Councilmembers may be changed by an affirmative vote of not less than two thirds (2/3) of the members of the Mayor and Council, provided the salary specified at the time an elected official takes office shall not be changed during the period for which the official was elected. Section 208. Meetings of the Mayor and Council. Members of the Mayor and Council shall have power to meet and adjourn from time to time as they shall think proper, except that the Mayor and Council shall meet at least once in every month. The Mayor shall preside at all meetings and vote only in case of a tie vote. Special meetings shall be called by the Mayor or a majority of the members of the Mayor and Council. Except as may be provided by law, all meetings of the Mayor and Council shall be open to the public, and the rules of the Mayor and Council shall provide that the residents of the Town shall have a reasonable opportunity to be heard at any public meeting in regard to any municipal questions.

11 Charter of the Town of Capitol Heights 20-5 Section 209. Quorum. (a) of business. Four Councilmembers and the Mayor shall constitute a quorum for the transaction (b) The Town Clerk shall be notified by a member in the event the member is unable to attend a regular meeting. Section 210. Procedures of the Mayor and Council. The Mayor and Council shall determine its own rules and order of business. It shall keep a permanent record of its proceedings and enter therein the yeas and nays upon final action on any question, resolution, or ordinance, or at any other time, if required by one of its members. The permanent record shall be open to public inspection, subject to reasonable regulation. Section 211. Procedure for Enacting Ordinances. (a) Except as otherwise provided in this charter, no ordinance shall be passed at the meeting at which it is introduced. An ordinance may be passed, or passed as amended, or rejected, or its consideration deferred to some specific future date at any regular or special meeting of the Mayor and Council held not less than six nor more than sixty days after the meeting at which an ordinance is introduced. An ordinance shall be passed and enacted into law by an affirmative vote of at least four members of the Council and, in the event of a tie, the Mayor. (b) Every ordinance, unless it is passed as an emergency ordinance, shall become effective at the expiration of twenty calendar days following its passage by the Mayor and Council. (c) A fair summary of every ordinance excepting emergency ordinances shall be published at least once prior to the date of passage in a newspaper having general circulation in the town. A fair summary of every ordinance, including emergency ordinances, shall be published at least once within ten days after the date of passage in a newspaper having general circulation in the town. Section 212. Emergency Ordinances. When the Mayor and Council deems that immediate action is necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health, safety or welfare, the Mayor and Council may enact an emergency ordinance by an affirmative vote of at least five members of the Mayor and Council. Every emergency ordinance shall be plainly designated as such and shall contain a declaration stating that an emergency exists and describing the emergency in specific terms. An emergency ordinance may be enacted at the meeting at which it is introduced and shall become effective on the date specified in the ordinance. All emergency ordinances shall have a date of termination not to exceed one year after enactment.

12 20-6 Municipal Charters of Maryland Section 213. Public Records. All public records shall be permanently filed by the Town Administrator and shall be kept available for public inspection during normal business hours, subject to reasonable regulations. Section 214. General Powers. (a) The Mayor and Council shall have the power to pass all such ordinances not contrary to the Constitution and Laws of the State of Maryland or this Charter as it may deem necessary for the good government of the Town; for the protection and preservation of the Town s property rights and privileges; for the preservation of peace and good order; for securing persons and from violence, danger, or destruction; and for the protection and promotion of the health, safety, comfort, convenience, welfare and happiness of the residents of the Town and visitors thereto and sojourners therein. (b) The Mayor and Council shall have, in addition, the power to pass ordinances not contrary to the laws and Constitution of this State for the following specific purposes. The enumeration of powers in this subsection is not to be construed as limiting the powers of the Town to the several subjects mentioned. (1) Advertising To provide for advertising for the purpose of the Town, for printing and publishing statements as to the business of the Town. (2) Aisles To regulate and prevent the obstruction of aisles in public halls, churches and places of amusement, and to regulate the construction and operation of the doors and means of egress therefrom. (3) Amusements To provide in the interest of the public welfare for licensing, regulating, or restraining theatrical or other public amusements. (4) Appropriations To appropriate municipal monies for any purpose within the powers of the Mayor and Council. (5) Auctioneers To regulate the sale of all kinds of property at auction within the Town and to license auctioneers. (6) Band To establish a municipal band, symphony orchestra or other musical organization, and to regulate by ordinance the conduct and policies thereof. (7) Billboards To license, tax and regulate, restrain or prohibit the erection or maintenance of billboards within the Town, the placing of signs, bills and posters of every kind and description on any buildings, fence, post, billboard, pole or other place within the Town. (8) Boards and Committees To appoint boards and committees that may be deemed necessary to the purposes of the Town.

13 Charter of the Town of Capitol Heights 20-7 (9) Bridges To erect and maintain bridges. (10) Buildings To make reasonable regulations in regard to buildings and signs to be erected, constructed, or reconstructed in the Town, and to grant building permits for the same; to formulate a building code and a plumbing code and to appoint a building inspector and a plumbing inspector, and to require reasonable charges for permits and inspections; to authorize and require the inspection of all buildings and structures and to authorize the condemnation thereof in whole or in part when dangerous or insecure, and to require that such buildings and structures be made safe or be taken down. (11) Cemeteries To regulate or prohibit the interment of bodies within the Town and to regulate cemeteries. (12) Codification To provide for the codification of all ordinances which may have been or may hereafter be passed. (13) Community Services To provide, maintain and operate community and social services for the preservation and promotion of the health, recreation, welfare, and enlightenment of the inhabitants of the Town. (14) Cooperative Activities To make agreements with other municipalities, counties, districts, bureaus, commissions and governmental functions. (15) Curfew To prohibit people from being in the streets, lanes, alleys or public places at unreasonable hours of the night. (16) Dangerous Conditions To compel persons about to undertake dangerous improvements to execute bonds with sufficient sureties conditioned that the owner or contractor will pay all damages resulting from such work which may be sustained by any person or property. (17) Departments To create, change, and abolish offices, departments or agencies other than the offices, departments and agencies, established by this Charter; to assign additional functions or duties to offices, departments or agencies established by this Charter, but not including the power to discontinue or assign to any other office, department or agency any function or duty assigned by this Charter to a particular office, department or agency. (18) Disorderly Houses To suppress boarding houses, transit residences and facilities, bawdy houses, disorderly houses, and houses of ill fame. (19) Dogs, Cats and Other Animals To regulate the keeping of dogs, cats, and other animals in the Town and to provide whenever the County does not license or tax dogs, cats, and other animals, for the licensing and taxing of the same; to provide for the disposition of homeless dogs, cats, and other animals and dogs, cats, and other animals on which no license fee or taxes are paid.

14 20-8 Municipal Charters of Maryland (20) Elevators To require the inspection and licensing of elevators and to prohibit their use when unsafe or dangerous or when they are operated without a license. (21) Explosives To regulate or prevent the storage of gunpowder, oil, or any other explosive or combustible matter; to regulate or prevent the use of firearms, fireworks, bonfires, explosives or any other similar things which may endanger persons or property. (22) Fees and Charges To establish and collect fees and charges for all franchises, licenses, and permits issued by the Town and for all governmental and proprietary functions of the Town. (23) Filth To compel the occupant of any premises, buildings or outhouse situated in the town, when the same has become filthy or unwholesome, to abate or cleanse the conditions; and after reasonable notice to the owners or occupants, to authorize such work to be done by the proper officers and to assess the expense thereof against such property, making it collectible by taxes or against the occupant or occupants. (24) Finances To levy, assess, and collect ad valorem property taxes; to expend municipal funds for any public purpose; to have general management and control of the finances of the Town. (25) Fire To suppress fires and prevent the dangers thereof and to establish and maintain a fire department; to contribute funds to volunteer fire companies serving the Town; to inspect buildings for the purpose of reducing fire hazards, to issue regulation concerning fire hazards and to forbid and prohibit the use of fire hazardous buildings and structures permanently or until the conditions of Town fire hazard regulations are met; to install and maintain fire plugs where and as necessary, and to regulate their use; and to take all other measures necessary to control and prevent fires in the Town. (26) Food To inspect and to require the condemnation of, if unwholesome, and to regulate the sale of any food products. (27) Franchises To grant and regulate franchises to water companies, electric light companies, gas companies, telegraph and telephone companies, transit companies, taxicab companies, cable television companies and any other which may be deemed advantageous and beneficial to the Town, subject, however, to Maryland law; to grant one or more exclusive or non exclusive franchises for a community antenna system or other cable television system that utilizes any public right of way, highway, street, road, lane, alley or bridge, to impose franchise fees, and to establish rates, rules, and regulations for franchises granted under this subsection. No franchise shall be granted for a longer period than 10 years. (28) Gambling To restrain and prohibit gambling. (29) Garbage To prevent the deposit of any unwholesome substance either on private or public property, and to compel its removal to designated points; to require slops, garbage, ashes and other waste or other unwholesome materials to be removed to designated

15 Charter of the Town of Capitol Heights 20-9 points, or to require the occupant of the premises to place them conveniently for removal, and the Town will not be responsible for any damages incurred in the act of removing garbage or trash from the premises of any resident. (30) Grants in Aid To accept gifts and grants of Federal or of State funds from the Federal or State governments, or any agency thereof, and to expend the same for any lawful public purpose, agreeable to the conditions under which the gifts or grants were made. (31) Hawkers To license, tax, regulate, suppress and prohibit hawkers and itinerant dealers, peddlers, pawnbrokers and all other persons selling any articles on the streets of the Town, and to revoke such licenses for cause. (32) Health To protect and preserve the health of the town and its inhabitants; to appoint a public health officer, and to define and regulate his powers and duties; to prevent the introduction of contagious diseases into the Town; to establish quarantine regulations and to authorize the removal and confinement of persons having contagious or infectious diseases; to prevent and remove all nuisances; to inspect, regulate, and abate any buildings or structures, or places which cause or may cause unsanitary conditions or conditions detrimental to health; but nothing herein shall be construed to affect in any manner any of the powers and duties of the State Board of Health, the County Board of Health, or any pubic general or local law relating to the subject of health; and to enter into an agreement with any of the above to promote better health in the Town. (33) House Numbers To regulate the numbering of houses and lots and to compel owners to re number the same or in default thereof to authorize and require the same to be done by the town at the owner s expense, such expense to constitute a lien upon the property collectible as tax monies. (34) Jail To establish and regulate a station house or lockup for temporary confinement of violators of the law and ordinances of the town or to use the County jail for such purposes. limits. (35) Land Use To regulate land use and development within the corporate (36) Licenses Subject to any restrictions imposed by the public general laws of the State, to license and regulate all persons beginning or conducting transient or permanent business in the town for the sale of any goods, wares, merchandise or services, to license and regulate any business, occupation, trade, calling, or place of amusement or business; to establish and collect fees and charges for all licenses and permits issued under the authority of this Charter. (37) Liens To provide that any valid charges, taxes, and assessment made against any real property within the Town shall be liens upon such property, to be collected as municipal taxes are collected. (38) Lights To provide for the lighting of the town.

16 20-10 Municipal Charters of Maryland (39) Livestock To regulate and prohibit the running at large of cattle, horses, swine, fowl, sheep, goats, dogs, or other animals; to authorize the impounding, keeping, sale and redemption of such animals when found in violation of the ordinance in such cases provided. (40) Markets To obtain by lease or rent, own, construct, purchase, operate, and maintain public markets within the Town. (41) Minor Privileges To regulate or prevent the use of public ways, sidewalks and public places for signs, awnings, posts, steps, railings, entrances, racks, posting handbills and advertisements, and display of goods, wares and merchandise. (42) Merit system To provide for a merit system for such Town employees as the Mayor and Council shall determine and to enact rules and regulations thereof. (43) Noise To regulate or prohibit unreasonable ringing of bells, crying of goods or sounding of whistles and horns and other unreasonable noise. (44) Nuisances To prevent or abate by appropriate ordinances all nuisances in the Town which are so defined by common law, by this Charter, or by the laws of the State of Maryland, whether the same be herein specifically named or not; to regulate, to prohibit, to control the location of, or to require the removal from the Town of all trading in, handling of, or manufacture of any commodity which is or may become offensive, obnoxious or injurious to the public comfort or health. In this connection, the Town may regulate, prohibit, control the location of, or require the removal from the Town of such things as stockyards, slaughter houses, cattle or hog pens, canneries and renderies. (45) Obstructions To remove all nuisances and obstructions from the streets, lanes and alleys and from any lots adjoining thereto, or any other places within the limits of the Town. (46) Parades To regulate the holding of meetings, processions and parades in town streets, parks or public places. (47) Parking Facilities To license and regulate and to establish, obtain by purchase, by lease or by rent, own, construct, operate and maintain parking lots and other facilities for off street parking. (48) Parking Meters To install parking meters on the streets and public places of the Town in such places as they shall be by ordinance determined, and by ordinance prescribe rates and provisions for the use thereof, except that the installation of parking meters on any street or road maintained by the State Roads Commission of Maryland must be first approved by the Commission.

17 Charter of the Town of Capitol Heights (49) Parks and Recreation To establish and maintain public parks, gardens, playgrounds, and other recreational facilities and programs to promote the health, welfare and enjoyment of the inhabitants of the Town. (50) Police Force To establish, operate and maintain a police force. (51) Police Powers To prohibit, suppress and punish within the Town all vice, gambling, and games of chance; prostitution and solicitation therefore, and the keeping of bawdy houses and houses of ill fame; all tramps and vagrants; all disorder, disturbance, annoyances, disorderly conduct, obscenity, public profanity and drunkenness. (52) Property To acquire by conveyance, purchase or gift, real or leasable property for any public purposes; to erect buildings and structure thereon for the benefit of the Town and its inhabitants; and to convey any real or lease held property when no longer needed for the public use, after having given at least twenty days public notice of the proposed conveyance; to control, protect and maintain public buildings, grounds and property. public health. (53) Quarantine To establish quarantine regulations in the interests of the (54) Regulations To adopt by ordinance and enforce within the corporate limits police, health, sanitary, fire, building, plumbing, traffic, speed, parking and other similar regulations not to conflict with the laws of the State of Maryland or with this Charter. (55) Sidewalks To regulate the use of sidewalks and all structures in, under and above the same; to require the owner or occupants of premises to keep the sidewalks in front thereof free from snow or other obstructions; to prescribe hours for cleaning sidewalks. (56) Sweepings To regulate or prevent the throwing or depositing of sweepings, dust, ashes, offal, garbage, paper, handbills, dirty liquids, or other unwholesome material into any public way or onto any public or private property in the Town. (57) Taxicabs To license, tax and regulate public hackmen, taxicab men, draymen, drivers, cabmen, porters and expressmen, and all other persons pursuing like occupations. (58) Vehicles To regulate and license wagons and other vehicles not subject to the licensing powers of the State of Maryland. (59) Voting Machines To purchase, lease, borrow, install, and maintain voting machines for use in Town elections. Section 215. Exercise of Powers. For the purpose of carrying out the powers granted in this subtitle or elsewhere in this Charter[,] the Mayor and Council may pass all necessary ordinances. All the powers of the Town

18 20-12 Municipal Charters of Maryland shall be exercised in the manner prescribed by this Charter, or, if the manner be not prescribed, then in such manner as may be prescribed by ordinance. Section 216. Enforcement. To ensure the observance of the ordinances of the Town, the Mayor and Council shall have the power to provide that violation thereof shall be a misdemeanor or a municipal infraction and to affix thereto penalties that do not exceed the maximum penalties prescribed by law. Section 217. File of Ordinances. Ordinances shall be permanently filed by the Town Clerk and shall be kept available for public inspection, subject to reasonable regulation. Section 218. Mayoral Powers and Duties. (a) The Mayor shall be recognized as the head of the Town Government for all ceremonial purposes, by the courts for serving civil process and by the Governor for the purposes of military law. The Mayor shall execute all ordinances passed by the Mayor and Council. The Mayor shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as may be prescribed by this Charter or as may be required of the office by the Mayor and Council, not inconsistent with this Charter. (b) The Mayor shall appoint a Councilmember to serve as mayor pro tempore who, in the absence of the Mayor, shall exercise all of the powers provided to the Mayor by this charter, ordinance, or any other law, resolution, or regulation. In the event the mayor pro tempore is unable to serve, the next senior member of the Council shall serve as mayor pro tempore. (c) All persons, not including the Mayor and Council, taking and subscribing to the oath of office provided in Section 901 of this Charter shall do so before the Mayor. Section 301. Voters. ARTICLE III Registration, Nominations, and Elections Every person who meets all of the following requirements is a qualified voter of the town and may vote in town elections: (a) (b) is a citizen of the United States; is at least eighteen (18) years of age; (c) has resided within the corporate limits of the Town for thirty (30) days preceding any Town election; and

19 Charter of the Town of Capitol Heights (d) is registered to vote at least 30 days prior to the election and registered in accordance with the provisions of state and county law. Section 302. Registrations. (a) Registration with the Prince George s County Board of Elections shall be deemed registration for town election, provided that the person so registered meets the voter qualification required by this charter. (b) There shall be a registration in the Town of qualified persons not registered to vote in accordance with subsection (a) of this section on the second Monday in March in every even numbered year. If necessary for the performance of registration or the convenience of the citizens of the Town, the Mayor and Council may designate additional days as registration days. (c) Provided a person is registered in accordance with this section and is otherwise a qualified voter, registration shall be permanent. No person shall be entitled to vote in Town elections unless the person is registered in accordance with this section. (d) Except as may be provided in this section, it shall be the duty of the Town Clerk to keep the registration lists up to date by striking from the lists persons known to have died or to have moved out of Town, and persons who have not voted in a Town election for three (3) consecutive years. Section 303. Appeal. If any person is aggrieved by the action of the Town Clerk in refusing to register any person or on in striking off the name of any person, or is aggrieved by any other action involving Town elections, the person may appeal to the Mayor and Council. Any decision of the Mayor and Council upon such appeals may be appealed to the Circuit Court for Prince George s County within thirty days of the decision or action of the Mayor and Council. Section 304. Election of the Mayor and Council. On the first Monday in May of 1998 and every four years thereafter on the first Monday in May the qualified voters of the Town shall elect one person as Mayor and six persons as councilmembers to each serve for a term of four years, or until a successor qualifies for office. Section 305. Nominations. (a) At least fifteen days before any Town election, the Mayor shall issue a proclamation calling the legally qualified voters of the Town in convention for the purpose of nominating candidates for the office of Mayor and the office of Councilmember. The Town Clerk shall be the clerk of the convention. Only the persons nominated at the convention shall be eligible to have their names appear on election ballots.

20 20-14 Municipal Charters of Maryland (b) Before the name of any candidate for an elective office shall appear on the election ballots, the candidate must within three days after the convention in which nominated file with the Mayor and Council or Town Clerk the candidate s consent in writing to be a candidate for the office for which named. (c) The names of all candidates nominated for office and who are to appear on the ballots shall be posted in at least three public places in the Town at least ten (10) days before the election. It shall be the duty of the Town Clerk to post publicly the names of the candidates nominated for office. Section 306. Conduct of Elections. All Town elections shall be conducted in the manner prescribed by the Mayor and Council. Section 307. Notice of Nomination Conventions and Elections. The Mayor shall give at least two weeks notice of every town convention at which candidates for Mayor and Council shall be nominated and of every town election. Notice shall include an advertisement of the election or convention, published in at least one newspaper of general circulation in the Town and by posting the advertisement in some public place or places in the Town. Section 308. Absentee Voting. Any registered voter is entitled to vote in any municipal election by absentee ballot under conditions established by the Mayor and Council. The Mayor and Council shall provide the procedure to vote by absentee ballot, which shall include provisions for the transmittal and receipt of applications for absentee ballots, envelopes, instructions, and printed matter to enable absentee voters to vote. Section 309. Vote Count. (a) Within five hours after the closing of the polls, the Town Clerk, or a person appointed by the Mayor and Council, shall determine the vote cast for each candidate or question and shall certify the results of the election to the Town Administrator who shall record the results in the minutes of the Mayor and Council. The candidate for Mayor and the six candidates for Council with the highest number of votes in the general election shall be declared elected. (b) In the case of a tie between any candidates for an elected office in which the tie has a bearing on who shall be declared elected, those candidates shall participate in a special election pursuant to Section 306 of this Charter. Section 310. Preservation of Ballots. All ballots used in the Town election shall be preserved for at least six months from the date of the election.

21 Charter of the Town of Capitol Heights Section 311. Regulation and Control. The Mayor and Council shall have the power to provide by ordinance in every respect not covered by the provisions of this Charter for the conduct of registration, nomination, and Town elections and for the prevention of fraud in connection therewith, and for a recount of ballots in case of doubt or fraud. Section 312. Registration, Nominations and Election. The revised Charter addresses the definition of voters, registration, sets for the election procedures for the Mayor and Council to include nominations, conduct of elections, notice of nomination convention and election, absentee voting, vote counting, preservation of balance, regulation control and appeals. Section 401. Authority to Employ Personnel. ARTICLE IV Personnel 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 state law and to operate the Town government. Section 402. Retirement System. 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. Section 403. Compensation of Employees. The compensation of all employees and officers of the Town shall be set from time to time by a resolution passed by the Mayor and Council, subject to the restrictions imposed upon establishing the salaries of the Mayor and Council. Section 404. Employees Benefits Program. The Town is authorized and empowered by ordinance to provide for or participate in hospitalization or any other forms of benefit or welfare programs for its officers and employees, and to expend public monies of the Town for such programs.

22 20-16 Municipal Charters of Maryland Section 405. Town Clerk. The Town Clerk shall be appointed by the Mayor and Council and serve as Clerk to the Mayor and Council. The Town Clerk shall attend every meeting of the Mayor and Council at the request of the Mayor and Council and keep full and accurate account of the proceedings of the Mayor and Council. The Town Clerk shall keep such records and perform such other duties as may be required by this Charter or the Mayor and Council. Section 406. Town Attorney. The Mayor and Council may appoint a Town Attorney. The Town Attorney shall be a member of the Bar of the Maryland Court of Appeals. The Town Attorney shall be the legal advisor of the Town and shall perform such duties in this connection as may be required by the Mayor and Council. The Town shall have the power to employ such additional legal consultants as it deems necessary from time to time. Section 407. Appointment of Town Administrator. The Town Administrator shall be appointed by majority vote of all members of the Mayor and Council for an indefinite term, and serve at the pleasure of the Mayor and Council. The Town Administrator shall be chosen by the Mayor and Council solely on the basis of executive and administrative qualifications with special reference to actual experience in or knowledge of accepted practice of the duties of office. The Town Administrator shall be the Chief Financial Officer of the Town. Section 408. Powers and Duties of the Town Administrator. (a) The Town Administrator shall be responsible to the Mayor and Council for the proper administration of the town government and for carrying out the policies determined and approved by the Mayor and Council. The Town Administrator shall have the power and shall be required to perform such duties as may be required of the Town Administrator by the Mayor and Council, not inconsistent with any law or ordinance. (b) As the chief financial officer of the Town, the Town Administrator shall perform the following duties under the supervision of the Mayor and Council: (1) prepare an annual budget for consideration of the Mayor and Council; (2) supervise and be responsible for the disbursement of all monies and have control over all expenditures to assure that budget appropriations are not exceeded; (3) maintain a general accounting system for the Town in such form as the Mayor and Council may approve; (4) submit at the end of the fiscal year, and at such other times as the Mayor and Council may require, a complete financial report;

23 Charter of the Town of Capitol Heights (5) ascertain that all taxable property within the Town is assessed for taxation; (6) receive any funds receivable by the Town and collect all revenues, taxes, special assessments, license fees, liens, and all other revenues, including utility revenues, for which the Town may be responsible; (7) have custody of all public monies belonging to or under the control of the Town, except as to funds in the control of any set of trustees, and have custody of all bonds and notes of the Town; and (8) perform any other duty in relation to the fiscal or financial affairs of the town as required by law, this charter, ordinance, or the Mayor and Council. Section 409. Bond of Town Employees. The elected officials, Town Administrator and any employee handling municipal funds shall be bonded in such amounts as the Mayor and Council shall determine. The premiums of the bonds shall be paid by the Town. Section 410. Multi functions. In the discretion of the Mayor and Council, the Mayor and Council may permit an employee of the Town to serve in more than one position, job classification, or function. Section 411. Personnel. The revised Charter addresses personnel and grants the Town authority to employ personnel, set forth a retirement system, provide for the compensation of employees and set forth an employee benefits program, itemize its positions that may be filled to include Town Clerk, Town Attorney, Town Administrator, enumerating the duties of the Town Administrator, set forth the bond of Town employees, and provide for the permissible multifunctions. Section 501. Fiscal Year. ARTICLE V Finances The Town shall operate on an annual budget. The fiscal year of the town shall begin the first day of July and shall end on the last day of June. The fiscal year shall constitute the tax year, the budget year and the accounting year.

24 20-18 Municipal Charters of Maryland Section 502. Budget. The Mayor and Council at least thirty two days before the beginning of any fiscal year, shall compile, draft and establish a proposed budget to be presented to the public. The proposed budget shall provide a complete financial plan for the budget year and shall contain estimates of anticipated revenues and proposed expenditures for the coming year. The total of the anticipated revenues shall equal or exceed the total of the proposed expenditures. Section 503. Budget Adoption. Before formally adopting the proposed budget, the Mayor and Council shall hold a public hearing on the proposed budget after at least one notice thereof in some newspaper or newspapers having general circulation within the Town at least two weeks prior to the date of the public hearing. At any time after the public hearing, the Mayor and Council may amend the proposed budget by adding or deleting items or increasing or decreasing the amounts of specific items contained in the proposed budget. Where the Mayor and Council shall increase the total proposed expenditures it shall also increase the total anticipated revenues in an amount at least equal to such total proposed expenditures. The budget shall be prepared and adopted in the form of a resolution. A favorable vote of at least a majority of the total elected membership of the Mayor and Council shall be necessary for adoption. The adopted budget shall be effective on the first day of the fiscal year and shall be a public record in the office of the Town Administrator, open to public inspection by anyone during normal business hours. Section 504. Appropriations. No public money shall be expended without having been appropriated by the Mayor and Council. From the effective date of the budget, the amounts stated in the budget shall be and become appropriated for the purposes named therein. Section 505. Amendments after Budget Adoption. (a) Supplemental appropriations. The Mayor and Council may make supplemental appropriations. Supplemental appropriations shall be made from unexpended and unencumbered funds set aside for contingencies in the budget; revenues received from anticipated sources but in excess of budget estimates; or revenues received from sources not anticipated in the budget. (b) Emergency appropriations. To meet an emergency declared pursuant to Section 212 of this charter, the Mayor and Council may make emergency appropriations from sources provided in Section 505 of this Charter. To the extent unappropriated revenues are unavailable to meet the emergency, the Mayor and Council by ordinance may authorize the issuance of emergency notes, which may be renewed from time to time. Emergency notes and renewals issued pursuant to this subsection shall not be paid later than the last day of the next fiscal year succeeding that in which the emergency appropriation was made. The total emergency appropriation in any fiscal year shall not exceed five percent of all appropriations, including debt service, made in the budget for the fiscal year.