Division 2. Redevelopment Authority Established

The Redevelopment Authority shall consist of seven (7) public members and two (2) ex officio members. Three (3) of the seven (7) public members shall be residents of the County. All shall be voting members. The ex officio members shall be the Chief Administrative Officer of the County or a Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, as designated by the County Executive, and the Director of Housing and Community Development of the County.

All members shall be persons who possess ability, experience, and integrity.

Five (5) of the public members shall be appointed by the County Executive for terms of four (4) years each and confirmed by the County Council. Two (2) of the public members shall be appointed by the County Council according to the Council's rules. The terms of the appointments shall be staggered in such a manner that the terms of office of no more than two (2) members of the Redevelopment Authority may expire in the same year.

Vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired term in the manner of original appointment. Each member shall serve until a successor is appointed and qualified even though the period of service may extend beyond the four (4) year term. All official acts and votes of any member during the period of extended service shall be valid as if the member were within said four (4) year term. A member of the Redevelopment Authority may be removed by the County Executive for cause.

Two (2) of the public members shall be designated by the County Executive to serve as Chairman and Vice Chairman. Each such officer shall serve until a successor is designated even though the period of service may extend beyond the period originally designated by the County Executive. All official acts of any such officer during the period of extended office shall be valid as if the officer were within the period of original designation.

The public members shall be entitled to such compensation as is established in the annual operating budget of the Redevelopment Authority, provided that such compensation shall be paid only for meetings actually attended.

There shall be a Community Advisory Committee whose purpose shall be to assist and advise the Redevelopment Authority.

Members of the Community Advisory Committee shall be nominated by the County Executive and confirmed by the County Council at the time of the initial appointments to the Redevelopment Authority. Members should represent the communities throughout the County where redevelopment efforts will be directed, and there shall be at least one representative from each Councilmanic District.

The terms of each member shall be for staggered terms of three years each.

Except as may be limited as provided therein, the Redevelopment Authority shall have all the rights and powers as established in Sections 15B-107(a), (b), (c), and (f) and 15B-112 of this Subtitle.

The Redevelopment Authority may appoint, with the consent of the County Executive, an Executive Director, Secretary-Treasurer, and General Counsel, who need not be members of the Redevelopment Authority. The Redevelopment Authority may appoint and remove such other employees or agents as the Redevelopment Authority shall deem necessary or desirable, except that no action shall conflict with the other provisions of this Division or the County Personnel Law as it relates to County employees.

Until such time as the Redevelopment Authority shall appoint an Executive Director, Secretary-Treasurer, and General Counsel for the Redevelopment Authority, the Chief Administrative Officer, Director of Finance, and County Attorney of the County shall serve, respectively, in such capacities.

The Redevelopment Authority may delegate to one or more of its members, or to the officers, agents, or employees of the Redevelopment Authority, such powers and duties as the Redevelopment Authority may deem necessary, so long as such delegation is not inconsistent with the provisions of this Subtitle.

On or before January 15th of each year, the Redevelopment Authority shall prepare and submit to the County Executive a proposed operating budget for the next fiscal year in such format as the County Executive may direct.

The operating budget shall contain a statement of all revenue estimated to be received by the Redevelopment Authority during the ensuing fiscal year, classified so as to show the receipts by funds and sources of income; a statement of any debt service requirements for the ensuing fiscal year; a statement of the estimated cash surplus, if any, available for expenditure during the ensuing fiscal year; a statement of any estimated deficit required to be made up in the ensuing fiscal year; an estimate of the amounts the Redevelopment Authority deems necessary for conducting the business of the Redevelopment Authority to be financed from estimated revenue for the ensuing fiscal year; a statement of the bonded and other indebtedness of the Redevelopment Authority; a statement of any contingency reserve which shall remain unappropriated; a comparative statement of the receipts, amounts budgeted, and annual expenditures for the last completed fiscal year; a statement of all proposed expenditures for, and estimated revenue from, leases, subleases, and similar real estate transactions; and such additional information as the County Executive may require.

If the proposed operating budget includes any item to be funded from payments (whether by lease payments, grant, or otherwise) to be received from Prince George's County, Maryland, the anticipated receipt or receipts shall be identified for each item, and a copy of the respective proposed budget shall be submitted to the County Executive and County Council for their review and comment. The Redevelopment Authority may make such modification to the proposed budget as may be deemed appropriate in response to the comments of the County Executive or County Council.

On or before June 1st of each year, the Redevelopment Authority shall adopt the operating budget of the Redevelopment Authority for the next fiscal year. The operating budget of the Redevelopment Authority shall be balanced at all times.

The Redevelopment Authority may amend the operating budget at any regular or special meeting. Each member shall receive a copy of the proposed amendment with accompanying justification not less than seventy-two (72) hours prior to the meeting. If a proposed budget amendment includes an increase in any anticipated receipt from Prince George's County, Maryland, or the deletion of any facility of which the County is to be a user, copies of the proposed budget amendment shall be submitted to the County Executive and County Council for their review and comment at least thirty (30) days prior to its adoption.

For purposes of this Section, the term "capital project" or "project" shall mean:

The Redevelopment Authority shall not commence any capital project without prior authorization of the County Executive and the County Council as provided in this Section. No capital project shall be proposed unless it is proposed to be commenced within the next succeeding six fiscal years. All capital projects approved under this Section shall constitute the Redevelopment Authority's Capital Improvement Program. The Capital projects and related information for each fiscal year, approved as part of a capital improvement program, shall constitute the capital budget of the Redevelopment Authority for that fiscal year.

The Redevelopment Authority may propose to the County Executive one or more projects for inclusion in the Redevelopment Authority's Capital Improvement Program. Each proposal shall include the following information:

After reviewing the request of the Redevelopment Authority for the inclusion of one or more capital projects in the Redevelopment Authority's Capital Improvement Program, the County Executive shall transmit any approved project, or any additional project that the County Executive may propose for inclusion in the Redevelopment Authority's Capital Improvement Program, to the County Council for its approval by ordinance or resolution. Any such project proposed by the County Executive shall conform to the requirements of Subsection (b), above.

Prior to the adoption of the ordinance or resolution approving the Redevelopment Authority's Capital Improvement Program, the County Council may add new projects or amend or delete any proposed project.

The proposed expenditure of funds by the Redevelopment Authority for each fiscal year of an approved capital improvement program shall constitute the Redevelopment Authority's Capital Budget in that fiscal year. Where modifications are required to a capital project, the capital improvement program shall be amended in the same manner as originally approved. Nothing in this Section shall be deemed to authorize the Redevelopment Authority to expend any funds on any capital project beyond the six-year period specified in the Redevelopment Authority's current Capital Improvement Program.

No appropriation for a capital project in the Capital Budget of the Redevelopment Authority shall lapse until the purpose for which the appropriation was made shall have been declared to be accomplished or declared to be abandoned by the Redevelopment Authority. The balances remaining to the credit of the completed or abandoned capital projects being lapsed shall be available for appropriation by the County in accordance with the requirements of this Division.

Transfers of appropriations between capital projects in the Redevelopment Authority's Capital Budget or Capital Improvement Program may be authorized by resolution of the County Council upon request of the Redevelopment Authority and upon concurrence of the County Executive.

The Redevelopment Authority may adopt by resolution rules and regulations for the operation and use of property and undertakings under its jurisdiction.

The Redevelopment Authority shall adopt by resolution rules and regulations implementing temporary or contractual personnel procedures, purchasing, and bidding procedures. Such regulations shall encourage minority business participation and may contain reasonable exceptions from any competitive bidding requirements as determined by the Redevelopment Authority.

On or before December 1st of each year, the Redevelopment Authority shall submit to the County Executive and County Council a financial statement of its financial condition and results of its operations for the most recently completed fiscal year. This financial statement shall be prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and shall be audited by an independent certified public accountant.

The Redevelopment Authority shall provide such other reports as the County Executive or County Council may require.

All matters voted upon by the Redevelopment Authority shall require a quorum of four (4) members of the Redevelopment Authority.

Unless otherwise specified by statute or local law, the Redevelopment Authority may take action by resolution with respect to any matters within its jurisdiction.

County-wide budgeting and human resource functions shall no longer come under Department of Housing and Community Development. Instead, those functions shall be separated and specifically designated as and for the Redevelopment Authority and shall follow applicable County procedures and regulations.

As of the effective date of the legislation implementing this section, County employees currently assigned to Department of Housing and Community Development, Redevelopment Authority Division, shall be transferred to and deemed employees of the Redevelopment Authority.

Employee shall be defined as set forth in County Code Section 16-102(22).

The current classification of these employees will remain the same, as well as their designation as represented or non-represented employees, unless future changes are implemented in accordance with applicable County laws or procedures.

The appointing authority for these employees shall be the Executive Director of the Redevelopment Authority.

County laws and procedures applicable to employees, as defined in this section, currently in effect or hereinafter amended, shall be applicable to employees now assigned to the Redevelopment Authority.

The Redevelopment Authority shall comply with the provisions of Division 17 of Subtitle 2 of this Code with regard to conflicts of interest and ethical considerations.

Members and officers of the Redevelopment Authority shall file financial disclosure statements pursuant to Division 17 of this Code.

The County finds that citizen participation and involvement in the various stages of housing and community development and redevelopment activities in the County is important and that the Redevelopment Authority shall encourage public input in its decision making process.

In addition to the Community Advisory Committee established under Section 15-119, rules and regulations or operating procedures adopted pursuant to Section 15B-109 and 15B-125 of the County Code, respectively, the Redevelopment Authority shall conduct at the minimum one (1) community meeting, including with notice to the County Council and the Council Member whose district the property or project sits, the adjoining property owners and to those departments, agencies, organizations, and citizens which the Redevelopment Authority reasonably believes may have an interest in the property or project, to review and discuss the vision and scope of a property or project prior to the release of any request for proposal (RFP), request for qualifications (RFQ), request for solicitation or other process for the development, redevelopment, sale, lease, conveyance, transfer, or otherwise disposition of Redevelopment Authority property or project.

At least thirty (30) days prior to the release of any request for proposal (RFP), request for qualifications (RFQ), request for solicitation or other process for the development, redevelopment, sale, lease, conveyance, transfer, or otherwise disposition of Redevelopment Authority property or project, the Redevelopment Authority shall send written notice to the County Council and the Council Member whose district the property or project sits. Such written notice shall adequately describe the property or project and shall contain a statement of its acquisition cost, date of acquisition, present assessment value, and, where proposed for private sale, the proposed sale price.

A Redevelopment Authority request for proposal (RFP), request for qualifications (RFQ), request for solicitation or other process for the development, redevelopment, sale, lease, conveyance, transfer, or otherwise disposition of Redevelopment Authority property or project shall not be valid for more than one (1) year from the date of its release.