(a) The County Executive must appoint, subject to confirmation by the Council, a Commission on Common Ownership Communities. The Commission consists of 15 voting members.
(1) Eight members should be selected from unit or lot owners or residents of self-managed and professionally managed condominiums, self-managed and professionally managed cooperative housing corporations, and self-managed and professionally managed homeowners' associations, and may include members or former members of governing boards.
(2) Seven members should be selected from persons who are members of professions associated with common ownership communities (such as persons involved in housing development and real estate sales and attorneys who represent community associations, developers, housing management or tenants), including at least one person who is a professional community association manager.
(b) Designees of the County Council (if the Council selects a designee), Planning Board, Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Permitting Services, Department of Transportation, and Department of Housing and Community Affairs are ex-officio nonvoting members of the Commission.
(c) Each voting member serves a 3-year term. Of the members first appointed, one-third must be appointed for 1-year terms, one-third must be appointed for 2-year terms, and one-third must be appointed for 3-year terms. A member must not serve more than 2 consecutive full terms. A member appointed to fill a vacancy serves the rest of the unexpired term. Members continue in office until their successors are appointed and qualified.
(d) Prior to participation in any Commission matter, each voting member must complete:
(1) training required of common ownership community board members under Section 10B-7(c); and
(2) training in the State and local laws on matters within the jurisdiction of the Commission provided or otherwise approved by the County Attorney.
(e) The County Executive, with the consent of the Council, may remove a voting member of the Commission for neglect of or inability to perform the duties of the office, misconduct in office, or serious violation of law. Before the Executive removes a member, the Executive must give the member notice of the reason for removal and a fair opportunity to reply.
(f) Section 2-148(b) applies only to voting members of the Commission.
(g) The Commission must elect one voting member as Chair and another as Vice Chair, to serve at the pleasure of the Commission, and may elect other officers as it determines.
(h) Voting members of the Commission receive no compensation for their services.
(i) The Commission meets at the call of the Chair as often as required to perform its duties, but at least once each month. A majority of the voting members are a quorum for the transaction of business, and a majority of the quorum present at any meeting may take any official action.
(j) The Office must provide the Commission with staff, offices and supplies as are appropriated for it.
(k) The Commission must submit an annual report by September 1 to the County Executive and the County Council summarizing its activities, needs, and recommendations, and the extent to which the goals of this Chapter are being met. (1990 L.M.C., ch. 33, § 1; FY 1991 L.M.C., ch. 9, § 1; 1995 L.M.C., ch. 17, § 1; 1996 L.M.C., ch. 4, § 1; 1996 L.M.C., ch. 13, § 1; 1996 L.M.C., ch. 20, § 1; 1998 L.M.C., ch. 12, § 1; 2001 L.M.C., ch. 14, § 1; 2002 L.M.C., ch. 16, § 2; 2005 L.M.C., ch. 24, § 1; 2005 L.M.C., ch. 26, § 1; 2008 L.M.C., ch. 5, § 1; 2010 L.M.C., ch. 10, § 1; 2016 L.M.C., ch. 10, § 1; 2023 L.M.C., ch. 7, §1.)
Editor’s note—2016 L.M.C., ch. 10, § 3, states: Current members of the Commission must complete the training required under Section 10B-3(d) within 90 days after this Act takes effect.
2008 L.M.C., ch. 5, § 3, states: Sec. 3. Any regulation in effect when this Act takes effect that implements a function transferred to another Department or Office under Section 1 of this Act continues in effect, but any reference in any regulation to the Department from which the function was transferred must be treated as referring to the Department to which the function is transferred. The transfer of a function under this Act does not affect any right of a party to any legal proceeding begun before this Act took effect.
2005 L.M.C., ch. 26, §§ 2 and 3, state:
Sec. 2. Regulations. A regulation which implements a function transferred to the Office of Consumer Protection by this Act continues in effect until otherwise amended or repealed, but any reference to any predecessor department or office must be treated as referring to the Office of Consumer Protection.
Sec. 3. Transition. This act does not invalidate or affect any action taken by the Department of Housing and Community Affairs before this Act took effect. Any responsibility or right granted by law, regulation, contract, or other document, and which is associated with a function transferred by this Act from the Department of Housing and Community Affairs, is transferred to the Office of Consumer Protection.