After the public hearing specified in the preceding section, the County Council may decrease or delete any items in the budget except those required by the public general laws of this State and except any provision for debt service on obligations then outstanding or for estimated cash deficits. The County Council shall have no power to change the form of the budget as submitted by the County Executive, to alter the revenue estimates except to correct mathematical errors, or to increase any expenditure recommended by the County Executive for current or capital purposes. In any year except a year during which members of the County Council will be elected, the County Council may completely fund for the next two ensuing fiscal years those capital projects designated in the capital budget proposed by the County Executive which are designated to be completely funded for two fiscal years pursuant to Section 705 of this Charter. If the County Executive proposes amendments to the budget so as to increase items in the budget or add items to the budget, the Chair of the County Council shall give reasonable public notice of the proposed amendments and hold a public hearing on the amendments, provided that the County Council may waive the public hearing by a vote of five members. The adoption of the budget shall be by the affirmative vote of not less than four members of the County Council on an ordinance to be known as the Annual Budget and Appropriation Ordinance of Anne Arundel County. The County Council may, at the same time or thereafter from time to time during the ensuing fiscal year, adopt bond issue authorization ordinances providing the means of financing such capital projects as are to be financed from borrowing in the ensuing fiscal year. All of said ordinances shall be exempt from the executive veto. The Annual Budget and Appropriation Ordinance shall be adopted by the County Council on or before the fifteenth day of the last month of the fiscal year currently ending; and if the County Council fails to do so, the proposed budget submitted by the County Executive shall stand adopted, and funds for the expenditures proposed in the current expense budget shall stand appropriated as fully and to the same extent as if favorable action thereon had been taken by the County Council.
(Res. No. 50-88; Res. No. 42-92; Res. No. 54-12; Res. No. 30-22)
Editor's note – The 2012 amendment changed the date by which the County Council must adopt the Annual Budget and Appropriation Ordinance to the 15th day of the last month of the current fiscal year.