Sec. 1009. Subpoena power.

   The County Council, the County Executive, the Chief Administrative Officer, the Personnel Board, the County Board of Appeals, the County Auditor and such other officers or agencies of the County as may be so empowered by ordinance of the County Council or otherwise by law shall have the power to administer oaths, to compel the attendance of witnesses and to require the production of records and other materials in connection with any investigation, inquiry or hearing authorized by this Charter or by law.

Sec. 1010. Definitions and rules of construction.

   As used in this Charter:

   (a)   The word "law" shall be construed as including all acts, ordinances, public local laws and other legislative acts of the County Council, all ordinances and resolutions of the County Commissioners not hereby or hereafter amended or repealed, and all public general laws and public local laws of the General Assembly in effect from time to time after the adoption of this Charter, whenever such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.

   (b)   The term "The Sanitary Commission Act" whenever used in this Charter shall mean Chapter 22, titled "Waters and Sewers" of the Anne Arundel County Code (1957 Edition as amended and supplemented).

   (c)   The words "shall" and "must" shall be construed as mandatory and the word may" shall be construed as permissive.

   (d)   Whenever in this Charter the masculine gender is used, such words shall be construed to include any and all gender identities, except where such construction would be absurd or unreasonable.

   (e)   The word “person” shall include the words “corporation”, “partnership” and “association”, unless such a construction would be unreasonable.

   (f)   The word “officer” shall include the word “Council member”.

   (g)   The words “hereafter” and “heretofore” shall refer to the effective date of this Charter, unless such a construction would be unreasonable.

   (h)   The word “State” shall mean the State of Maryland.

   (i)   The term “operative date” when used in this Charter shall mean that date on which the majority of the members of the first elected County Council and the first elected County Executive qualify and assume the duties of their respective offices.

   (j)   The term “legislative session-day” shall refer to one of forty-five days specified in Section 3 of Article XI [XI-A] of the Constitution on which the County Council may convene for the purpose of enacting legislation.

(Res. No. 30-22)

Sec. 1011. Custody of papers and records.

   Except for papers and instruments entrusted to the Controller under Section 512 or 513 of this Charter, the County Council shall provide by ordinance for the custody and safekeeping of all deeds, bonds, contracts, releases and other papers and instruments involving the interests of the County.

(Bill No. 93-80; Bill No. 72-82)

Sec. 1011A. Publication and distribution of Charter.

   (a)   (1)   The Office of Law shall provide for the publication and keep copies of:

         (i)   This Charter as most recently amended; and

         (ii)   The Charter, with its annotations, as it was last published prior to the adoption of amendments on the ballot of November, 1982.

      (2)   On request, the Office of Law shall provide to any person a copy of any document that is required to be published under this subsection. A reasonable charge, not exceeding the actual cost to the County, may be made for each document.

   (b)   Each library in the County library system shall keep current copies of this Charter for public use. In addition, each library shall keep at least two copies of the Charter, with its annotations, as it was last published prior to the adoption of amendments on the ballot of November, 1982.

(Bill No. 72-82)

Sec. 1012. [Existing laws.]

   The public local laws of Anne Arundel County and all rules, regulations, resolutions and ordinances of the County Commissioners in force at the time of the effective date of this Charter are hereby repealed to the extent that they are inconsistent with the provisions of this Charter, but no further; and to the extent that they are not hereby repealed because of such inconsistency, all such public local laws, rules, regulations, resolutions and ordinances shall continue in full force and effect until repealed or amended.

(Bill No. 95-80)

Sec. 1013. [Reference in State Constitution and laws to County Commissioners.]

   In accordance with the provisions of Article XI-A of the Maryland Constitution, all references in the Constitution and the laws of this State to the County Commissioners shall, at such time as the elected members of the first County Council and first County Executive take office, be construed to refer to the County Council and to the County Executive whenever such construction would be reasonable. The County Council shall succeed to all legislative powers vested heretofore in the County Commissioners and the County Executive shall succeed to all executive and administrative powers heretofore vested in the County Commissioners by the Constitution and laws of this State except as provided in this Charter.

(Bill No. 95-80)