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<section article="glg" article_name="Local Government" number="12-406" title_number="12" title_name="Other Powers of Counties -- Generally" subtitle_number="4" subtitle_name="Property Acquisition and Transfer">
  <level label="a">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The County Commissioners of Charles County may:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>purchase or lease personal property under a multiyear contract that requires the county commissioners to make installment or rental payments during 2 or more fiscal years;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>pay interest as part of any installment or rental payments in accordance with the terms of the contract; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>pledge and assign the personal property purchased or leased to secure the obligation.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <level label="i">
        <text>The county commissioners may enter into a contract described under paragraph (1) of this subsection only if:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>the county commissioners have appropriated money sufficient to pay the amount due under the contract during the first fiscal year in which the contract is effective;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>subject to subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph, the contract authorizes the county commissioners to terminate the contract if money sufficient to pay the amount due under the contract for any fiscal year is not appropriated;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>the contract provides that, except if the county commissioners default in payment under the contract, an obligation for payment under the contract is limited to money appropriated for contract payment for that fiscal year; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="4">
          <text>the contract provides that, if the county commissioners default in payment under the contract, the obligation for payment is limited to:</text>
        </level>
        <level label="A">
          <text>money appropriated for contract payments for that fiscal year;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="B">
          <text>any money realized from the personal property purchased or leased under the contract; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="C">
          <text>any other money legally available for contract payment.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The contract may provide that a contract termination is ineffective if the county commissioners purchase or lease personal property similar or functionally related to the property purchased or leased under the contract within a specified period of time.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <level label="1">
      <level label="i">
        <text>The County Commissioners of Charles County may:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>transfer without public sale an interest in surplus county property to another government unit in the county under terms and conditions and for consideration, if any, as determined by the county commissioners; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>execute and acknowledge any instruments necessary to transfer the property.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The county commissioners shall obtain three independent appraisals before selling surplus school board real property under this paragraph.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Notwithstanding any other provision in this section, the county commissioners may transfer by public or private sale, any interest in surplus real property under terms determined by the county commissioners if the transfer of the property would contribute to economic development in the county.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <level label="1">
      <text>To establish affordable housing for families of limited income as defined in § 4–901 of the Housing and Community Development Article or to address education, human services, housing, cultural, recreational, or community needs, the County Commissioners of Charles County may:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>by resolution, transfer surplus real property in the county to a private nonprofit corporation in the county or to the Housing Commission of Charles County, with or without consideration; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>sell or, if the State does not have a financial interest in the property, donate surplus school property that is transferred to the county by the school board, to a government unit or a private nonprofit corporation.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Before transferring surplus property under this subsection, the county commissioners shall:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>hold a public hearing;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>at the hearing, solicit and accept comments concerning the transfer; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>at the hearing, consider issues related to the transfer that include:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>compatibility of the proposed use with the neighborhood;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>financial issues, including the ability of the proposed transferee to construct, renovate, maintain, and operate a facility on the property;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>the historical significance of the property; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="4">
          <text>unique characteristics of any structure on the property.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>The notice of the public hearing shall:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>be published at least once each week for 2 successive weeks, with the last notice advertised at least 7 days before the date of the hearing in a newspaper of general circulation in the county; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>include an appraisal of the property obtained by the county commissioners.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>The county commissioners shall adopt regulations to implement this subsection.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The County Commissioners of Charles County may:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>acquire by purchase, lease, condemnation, gift, or devise real property, or any interest in property, to establish county roads;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>return real property to the original owner of the property or the owner’s successor in interest when the property is no longer needed for road purposes;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>sell at a public or private sale any property established as a county road when the property is no longer needed for road purposes; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>exchange real property established as a county road when the property is no longer needed for road purposes for other real property needed to establish county roads.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The county commissioners shall advertise the sale or exchange of property under this section at least 20 days before the date of the sale or exchange.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <level label="1">
      <text>If the County Commissioners of Charles County determine at a public sale of surplus county property that the highest bid is not reasonable, the county commissioners may reject all bids on the property.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>If the county commissioners reject all bids under this subsection, the county commissioners:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>shall record the highest bid in the minutes; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>may privately negotiate and sell the surplus property for a higher price if:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>the settlement of the property sale is within 1 year from the day of the initial public sale; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>the county commissioners announce the privately negotiated agreement at the first meeting after reaching the agreement.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>The county commissioners shall adopt regulations to implement this subsection.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
