(a) The citizens of a certain area in the County, more particularly defined in this Section, for the purpose of enabling the citizens to enjoy protection from fire and other dangers, hereby are created a body corporate known as the Conduit Road Fire Board, Incorporated. The corporation has all the powers and privileges of a body politic and corporate, and by the corporate name may have perpetual succession, sue and be sued, plead and be impleaded, in any court of law or equity, and may have and use a common seal. The affairs of the corporation must be managed by a board of Directors, which may exercise all the powers granted to the corporation except the power to nominate and elect the members of the board of Directors, but the board of Directors may fill a vacancy on the board. The board of Directors must be elected as prescribed in this Section. The corporation also has power subject to the limits of this Chapter to cause to be organized one or more volunteer fire fighting companies, auxiliary to the corporation, to approve or disapprove the officers thereof, and to make rules to govern them and to maintain discipline therein. The Board may make, alter and amend bylaws, rules and regulations for the corporation; take title to real estate, and alienate same; borrow money and secure the payment thereof; build, alter and improve one or more fire houses; acquire by purchase or otherwise fire fighting apparatus and equipment; install fire alarms, telephones, radios, telegraph instruments and other means of communication; acquire equipment for the purpose of saving human life from loss by fire, drowning or other accident; report its financial condition annually to the Council; make contracts for necessary supplies of all kinds; employ firemen; insure the corporation, and its property against loss by reason of accident or actions at law for damages, and insure also the members of the auxiliary organization and the widows or the dependent next of kin of such members against loss by reason of accidental injury or death; accept gifts or bequests of money or property; build up a capital fund. The board of Directors must organize by electing from the members thereof a president, 2 vice-presidents, a secretary, a treasurer and an Executive committee. The persons so selected must be officers of the corporation.
(b) The board must fill any vacancy in any office or any vacancy on the board, showing due regard to the geographical distribution of the board members. The board of Directors must be made up of 3 members elected from candidates at large in the area, and one member from each of the several communities in the area: The Town of Glen Echo, Incorporated; Mohican Hills, situate in the northwestern portion of Glen Echo Heights, and comprising the lots bordering on Mohican Road, Wiscassatt Road, Dehlonega Road and Scioto Road as per plat of Glen Echo Heights recorded in Plat Book Number 1, Folio Number 44 and Folio Number 45 of the land records of Montgomery County; Glen Echo Heights, other than the portion covered by Mohican Hills; as per plats of Glen Echo Heights; Brookmont, as per plat of Brookmont recorded in Plat Book 4, Page 305, of the land records of the County; Crest View, as per plat of Crest View recorded in Plat Book Number 3 on Page 31, of the land records of the County; and American University Park, as per plat of the American University Park recorded in Plat Book Number 1, Page 31, of the land records of the County; who must be elected from a group who may be nominated as candidates for the several communities. A candidate at large must be a qualified voter in the area, and must be nominated by petition in writing, of 40 or more qualified voters in the area. A candidate from any one of the listed communities must be a qualified voter resident in the community, and must be nominated by petition in writing, of 20 or more qualified voters resident in the community. Each person so nominated for membership on the board must be certified in writing to the mayor of the Town of Glen Echo. The mayor must provide printed blanks for petitioning and certifying the nominations. The mayor must call a special election to be held in the Town of Glen Echo, for the purpose of electing members of the board of Directors.
(c) The mayor must provide printed ballots for elections and must appoint an election board to hold such election. The election board must consist of one member from each community, who must be a qualified voter in the area and who must reside in the community, and must serve without pay and must select 2 clerks who must be qualified voters in the area and who must serve without pay. The mayor must give notice of the election by advertisement, one time, in a newspaper published in the County, and the newspaper must have a general circulation in the area and the notice must be given at least 2 full weeks before the day designated for such election. The election must be held on the second Tuesday in May, every fourth year and the ballot must contain all the names of the candidates nominated as provided in this Section which may be certified to the mayor.
(d) All of the candidates from a given community must be grouped on such ballot under a headline indicating that they are candidates from that particular community, and the voter may vote for any one of the group. The voters who participate in the election may vote for one candidate in each group and not otherwise; and the candidate from each community who receives the highest number of votes cast must be certified by the election board in writing, in triplicate, to the mayor, and the candidates so elected must be members of the board of Directors for 4 years and until their successors are duly elected and qualified.
(e) All candidates at large must be grouped on the ballot under a headline indicating that they are candidates at large and that the voter may vote for any 3 of the group. The voters who participate in the election may vote for not more than 3 of the candidates in the group and not otherwise. The 3 candidates of the group who receive the highest number of votes cast must be certified by the election board in writing to the mayor, and the candidates so elected must be also members of the board of Directors for 4 years and until their successors are elected and qualified.
(f) Each community that arises in the area, other than those provided for, must have a member on the board of Directors, after its candidates have met the same qualifications as those that have been already admitted by the other communities. The president of the corporation, or one of the vice-presidents, shall perform all duties herein devolved upon the mayor of Glen Echo, after the first election. (Mont. Co. Code 1965, § 32-1; 1933, ch. 183, § 1; 1945, ch. 314; 1998 L.M.C., ch. 4, § 1.)
Editor’s note-Section 21-28, formerly § 21-7, was renumbered and amended pursuant to 1998 L.M.C., ch. 4, § 1.