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(A) Attorney.
(1) The County Commissioners shall appoint a County Attorney, who shall provide legal counsel to the Commissioners and handle any additional matters as may be assigned by the County Commissioners.
(2) The salary of the County Attorney shall be as set by the County Commissioners, and the County Attorney shall serve at the pleasure of the County Commissioners.
(B) Civil Service Commission.
(1) There is a Civil Service Commission consisting of 3 members, 1 of whom shall be elected by a majority vote of all county employees covered by the merit system and 2 of whom shall be appointed by the County Commissioners representing the public at large. Appointments to the Commission may not be made from among the county employees.
(2) The term of office for Commission members shall be 3 years. The terms of the members of the Commission are staggered as required by the terms in effect for members of the Commission on July 1, 1998. At the expiration of each term, the Commission member’s successor shall be elected or appointed as herein provided for a 3-year term. Members of the Commission may be reelected or reappointed for succeeding terms of 3 years.
(3) If a member of the Commission resigns, is deceased or otherwise is unable to serve a complete term, a successor shall be chosen as herein provided for the remainder of the unexpired term.
(4) If a member of the Commission fails to attend and serve at 3 consecutive meetings without just cause, the member shall be subject to removal by the County Commissioners; however, the unexpired term shall be filled as provided herein.
(5) Compensation and expenses for Civil Service Commission members shall be as determined by the County Commissioners.
(6) In accordance with the County Personnel Handbook adopted by the County Commissioners, the Civil Service Commission:
(a) Shall be the final administrative step in the county’s grievance process for classified county employees; and
(b) May be used in other personnel matters as directed by the County Commissioners or County Administrator.
(1986 Code, § 20-9) (1973, Ch. 489; 1973, Ch. 881; 1997, Ch. 26; S.B. 423, passed 2-23-1998)
The County Commissioners shall appoint a Supervisor of Tax Collection who shall execute the required bond or bonds and qualify as specified under the provisions of §§ 31.20 et seq. The Supervisor of Tax Collection shall be employed under the provisions of the rules and regulations of the classified service of Garrett County.
(Md. H.B. 391, passed 3-6-2001)
POWERS AND DUTIES
The title to all lands in Garrett County heretofore sold by the Supervisor of Tax Collections to the County Commissioners under the provisions of this subchapter shall become absolute in the County Commissioners as against the taxpayer in whose name the land was assessed and sold in May, provided that the County Commissioners shall give 3 weeks notice by publication in some newspaper published in Garrett County, 3 weeks prior to the date of sale, warning the delinquent taxpayers that unless the taxes, interest and costs accrued against the lands are paid and discharged before the first day of March, title to the lands shall become absolute in the County Commissioners as against the person or persons in whose name or names the lands were assessed and sold, which notice shall contain a brief description of the lands, the name of the persons in whose name the same was assessed and sold and the amount of taxes, interest and costs due thereon. All of the lands not redeemed by payment as aforesaid on the day of the annual sale shall be held as the property of Garrett County, and the County Commissioners are authorized at any time thereafter to sell the lands or any of them, either at public or private sale, and, after reporting the sale or sales to the Circuit Court for Garrett County and after the ratification thereof by the court, to convey the same to the purchaser or purchasers thereof, and a good title shall be vested in the purchaser or purchasers of the land as against the delinquent taxpayer or taxpayers.
(1986 Code, § 20-11) (P.L.L., 1930, Art. 12, § 92; 1957 Code, § 73: 1912, Ch. 479, § 41A)
(A) Procedure.
(1) Except for transactions under division (D) of this section, professional services required to be licensed by the State of Maryland, or as otherwise authorized by law, the County Commissioners, or any employee of Garrett County, may not enter into any contract of sale or purchase to which the county is a party where the amount involved under the contract exceeds $50,000 without advertising for bids in one or more newspapers circulated in the county. Professional services required to be licensed by the State of Maryland may be solicited by written bids.
(2) The advertisement for bids shall appear at least a week prior to the date on which bids are to be filed.
(3) Any contract of sale shall be awarded to the highest responsible bidder, and any contract of purchase shall be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder, but the County Commissioners shall have the right to reject any and all bids.
(4) Any contract entered into in violation of the provisions of this section shall be null and void. The provisions of this section shall not apply to necessary repairs made in case of emergency.
(5) If any County Commissioner shall violate any provisions of this division, the Commissioner shall be liable to indictment, and, upon conviction, shall forfeit the office.
(B) Multi-year contracts.
(1) The County Commissioners may purchase or lease personal property for any public purpose in the county pursuant to a multi-year contract in accordance with Md. Code, Art. 25, § 9D.
(2) Prior to entering a contract under Md. Code, Art. 25, § 9D, the County Commissioners shall advertise for bids in accordance with division (A) of this section.
(C) Lease purchase agreements.
(1) Subject to divisions (2) and (3) below, the County Commissioners may enter into lease purchase agreements and related financing agreements to obtain personal or real property for any public purpose in the county.
(2) Prior to entering a lease purchase agreement under this division, the County Commissioners shall advertise for bids in accordance with division (A) of this section.
(3) A multi-year lease purchase agreement or related financing agreement shall be subject to cancellation by the County Commissioners at the end of a fiscal year if sufficient money is not appropriated to fund the agreement in the subsequent year.
(D) Used personal property.
(1) Subject to division (D)(2) of this division, whenever the County Commissioners consider it in the best interest of the county, the County Commissioners may:
(a) Acquire used personal property at an auction or at a public or private sale;
(b) Lease used personal property; and
(c) Enter into any financing or lease agreement for used personal property that the County Commissioners could enter had the personal property been acquired or leased new.
(2) Unless acquired at public auction, the County Commissioners may not acquire used personal property if the price exceeds $5,000 unless the County Commissioners first obtain 2 independent appraisals of the property. However, if by resolution the County Commissioners declare that 2 independent appraisals are not reasonably available, the County Commissioners may acquire the used personal property at a price not exceeding a documented published book value that generally would be accepted within the appropriate industry. The resolution shall be adopted at a regular public session of the County Commissioners and shall indicate what efforts the county made to obtain independent appraisals and the source of the book value relied on in lieu of the independent appraisals.
(1986 Code, § 20-14) (1957 Code, § 77; 1935, Ch. 35; 1945, Ch. 370; 1977, Ch. 861; 1984, Ch. 52; 1995, Ch. 35; Am. by Md. H.B. 465, passed - -; Am. by Md. H.B. 571, passed 2-24-1998; Am. by Md. S.B. 540, passed 2-27-2018; Am. Res. 2024-12, passed 10-7-2024)
(A) (1) For the purpose of this section, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
LOCAL FIRM. A business entity that has its principal office in Garrett County or maintains an active business in Garrett County as defined and evidenced by criteria set by the County Commissioners by ordinance or resolution.
NONRESIDENT FIRM. A business entity that is not a local firm.
(B) The County Commissioners may establish by ordinance or resolution a local preference program applicable to contracts awarded by the county by competitive bids in accordance with this section.
(C) (1) Under a local preference program established under this section, if the state or the political subdivision in which a nonresident firm is located gives an advantage to its resident businesses, the County Commissioners may give an identical advantage to the lowest responsive and responsible bid from a local firm over that of the nonresident firm.
(2) An advantage may include:
(a) A percentage preference;
(b) An employee residency requirement; or
(c) Any other provision that favors a local firm over a nonresident firm.
(D) An ordinance or resolution adopted under this section may reserve to the County Commissioners the right to provide in a solicitation for competitive bids that a local preference is not available under the contract.
(E) A local preference is not available under any contract if the County Commissioners determine that the preference would be inconsistent with the provisions of any applicable federal or state grant or program.
(1986 Code, § 20-14.1) (1997, Ch. 589)
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