of Baltimore, as set forth in Article 4, Section 6, Public Local Laws of Maryland, shall not be enlarged or extended by any charter formed under the provisions of this Article, but such powers may be extended, modified, amended or repealed by the General Assembly.

Sec. 3. Every charter so formed shall provide for an elective legislative body in which shall be vested the law-making power of said city or county. Such legislative body in the city of Baltimore shall be known as the City Council of the city of Baltimore, and in any county shall be known as the County Council of the county. The chief executive officer, if any such charter shall provide for the election of such executive officer, or the presiding officer of said legislative body, if such charter shall not provide for the election of a chief executive officer, shall be known in the city of Baltimore as Mayor of Baltimore, and in any county as the President of the County Council of the county, and all references in the Constitution and laws of this State to the Mayor of Baltimore and City Council of the city of Baltimore and to the President and County Commissioners of the counties shall be construed to refer to the Mayor of Baltimore and City Council of the city of Baltimore and to the President and County Council herein provided for, whenever such construction would be reasonable. From and after the adoption of a charter by the city of Baltimore, or any county of this State, as hereinbefore provided, the Mayor of Baltimore and City Council of the city of Baltimore or the County Council of said county, subject to the Constitution and Public General Laws of this State, shall have full power to enact local laws of said city or county, including the power to repeal or amend Local Laws of said city or county enacted by the General Assembly, upon all matters covered by the express powers granted as above provided; provided, that nothing herein contained shall be construed to authorize or empower the County Council of any county in this State to enact laws or regulations for any incorporated town, village, or municipality in said county, on any matter covered by the powers granted to said town, village, or municipality by the Act incorporating it, or any subsequent Act or Acts amendatory thereto. Provided, however, that the charters of the various counties shall provide that the County Council of the counties shall not sit more than one month in each year for the purpose of enacting legislation for such counties, and all legislation shall be enacted during the month so designated for that purpose in the charter, and all laws and ordinances so enacted shall be published once a week for three successive weeks in at least one newspaper published in such counties, so that the taxpayers and citizens may have notice thereof. This provision shall not apply to Baltimore city. All such local laws enacted by the Mayor of Baltimore and City Council of the city of Baltimore or the Council of the counties, hereinbefore provided, shall be subject to the same rules of interpretation as those now applicable to the Public Local Laws of this State, except that in case of any conflict between said Local Law and any Public General Law now or hereafter enacted, the Public General Law shall control.

Sec. 4. From and after the adoption of a charter under the provisions of this Article by the city of Baltimore or any county of this

State, no Public Local Law shall be enacted by the General Assembly for said city or county on any subject covered by the express powers granted as above provided. Any law so drawn as to apply to two or more of the geographical sub-divisions of this State shall not be deemed a Local Law, within the meaning of this Act. The term "geographical sub-division" herein used shall be taken to mean the city of Baltimore or any of the counties of this State.

Sec. 5. Amendments to any charter adopted by the city of Baltimore or by any county of this State under the provisions of this Article may be proposed by a resolution of the Mayor of Baltimore and the City Council of said city of Baltimore, or the Council of said county, or by a petition signed by not less than 20 per cent of the registered voters of said city or county, provided, however, that in any case 10,000 signatures shall be sufficient to complete a petition, and filed with the Mayor of Baltimore or the President of the County Council, and when so proposed shall be submitted to the voters of said city or county at the next general or Congressional election occurring after the passage of said resolution, or the filing of said petition; and if at said election the majority of the votes cast for and against said amendments shall be in favor thereof, said amendment shall be adopted and become a part of the charter of said city or county from and after the thirtieth day after said election. Said amendments shall be published by said Mayor of Baltimore or President of the County Council once a week for five successive weeks prior to said election in at least one newspaper published in said city or county.

Sec. 6. The power heretofore conferred upon the General Assembly to prescribe the number, compensation, powers and duties of the County Commissioners in each county, and the power to make changes in Sections 1 to 6, inclusive, Article XI of this Constitution, when expressly granted as hereinbefore provided, are hereby transferred to the voters of each county and the voters of city of Baltimore, respectively, provided, that said powers so transferred shall be exercised only by the adoption or amendment of a charter as hereinbefore provided; and provided further, that this Article shall not be construed to authorize the exercise of any powers in excess of those conferred by the Legislature upon said counties or city as this Article sets forth.

Sec. 7. The word "Petition," as used in this Article, means one or more sheets written or printed or partly written and partly printed; "Signature" means the signature of a registered voter written by himself in his own handwriting (and not by his mark), together with the ward or district and precinct in which he is registered. The authenticity of such signatures and the fact that the persons so signing are registered voters shall be evidenced by the affidavit of one or more registered voters of the city or county in which said voters so signing are registered, and one affidavit may apply to or cover any number of signatures to such petition. The false signing of any name, or the signing of any fictitious name to said petition shall be forgery, and the making of any false affidavit in connection with said petition shall be perjury.

3. Michigan constitution, Article VIII, Local Government.

Sec. 1. Each organized county shall be a body corporate, with such powers and immunities as shall be established by law. All suits and proceedings by or against a county shall be in the name thereof.

Sec. 2. No organized county shall be reduced by the organization of new counties to less than sixteen townships as surveyed by the United States, unless in pursuance of law a majority of electors voting on the question in each county to be affected thereby shall so decide. When any city has attained a population of one hundred thousand inhabitants, the legislature may organize it into a separate county without reference to geographical extent, if a majority of the electors of such city and of the remainder of the county in which such city may be situated voting on the question shall each determine in favor of organizing said city into a separate county.

Sec. 3. There shall be elected biennially in each organized county a sheriff, a county clerk, a county treasurer, a register of deeds and a prosecuting attorney, whose duties and powers shall be prescribed by law. The board of supervisors in any county may unite the offices of county clerk and register of deeds in one office or separate the same at pleasure.

Sec. 4. The sheriff, county clerk, county treasurer, judge of probate and register of deeds shall hold their offices at the county seat.

Sec. 5. The sheriff shall hold no other office, and shall be incapable of holding the office of sheriff longer than four in any period of six years. He may be required by law to renew his security from time to time, and in default of giving such security, his office shall be deemed vacant. The county shall never be responsible for his acts.

Sec. 6. The legislature shall by general law provide for the appointment of a board of jury commissioners in each county; but such law shall not become operative in any county until a majority of the electors of the county voting thereon shall so decide.

Sec. 7. A board of supervisors, consisting of one from each organized township, shall be established in each county, with such powers as shall be prescribed by law. Cities shall have such representation in the boards of supervisors of the counties in which they are situated as may be provided by law.

Sec. 8. The legislature may by general law confer upon the boards of supervisors of the several counties such powers of a local, legislative and administrative character, not inconsistent with the provisions of this constitution, as it may deem proper.

Sec. 9. The boards of supervisors shall have exclusive power to fix the salaries and compensation of all county officials not otherwise provided for by law. The boards of supervisors, or in counties having county auditors, such auditors, shall adjust all claims against their respective counties; appeals may be taken from such decisions of the boards of supervisors or auditors to the circuit court in such manner as shall be prescribed by law.

Sec. 10. The board of supervisors of any county may in any one year levy a tax of one-tenth of one mill on the assessed valuation of

said county for the construction or repair of public buildings or bridges, or may borrow an equal sum for such purposes; and, in any county where the assessed valuation is less than ten million dollars, the board may levy a tax or borrow for such purposes to the amount of one thousand dollars; but no greater sum shall be raised for such purposes in any county in any one year, unless submitted to the electors of the county and approved by a majority of those voting thereon.

Sec. 11. Any county in this state, either separately or in conjunction with other counties, may appropriate money for the construction and maintenance or assistance of public and charitable hospitals, sanatoria or other institutions for the treatment of persons suffering from contagious or infectious diseases. Each county may also maintain an infirmary for the care and support of its indigent poor and unfortunate, and all county poor houses shall hereafter be designated and maintained as county infirmaries.

Sec. 12. No county shall incur any indebtedness which shall increase its total debt beyond 3 per cent of its assessed valuation, except counties having an assessed valuation of five million dollars or less, which counties may increase their total debt to 5 per cent of their assessed valuation. (As amended 1910).

Sec. 13. No county seat once established shall be removed until the place to which it is proposed to be removed shall be designated by two-thirds of the board of supervisors of the county, and a majority of the electors voting thereon shall have voted in favor of the proposed location, in such manner as shall be prescribed by law.

Sec. 14. No navigable stream of this state shall be either bridged or dammed without permission granted by the board of supervisors of the county under the provisions of law, which permission shall be subject to such reasonable compensation and other conditions as may seem best suited to safeguard the rights and interest of the county and the municipalities therein. No such law shall preclude the state from improving the navigation of any such stream, nor prejudice the right of individuals to the free navigation thereof.

Sec. 15. The board of supervisors of each organized county may organize and consolidate townships under such restrictions and limitations as shall be prescribed by law.

Sec. 15a. Any drainage district, established under provision of law, may issue bonds for drainage purposes within such district. (Amendment of 1917.)

Sec. 16. Each organized township shall be a body corporate, with such powers and immunities as shall be prescribed by law. All suits and proceedings by or against a township shall be in the name thereof.

Sec. 17. The legislature may by general law confer upon organized townships such powers of a local, legislative and administrative character, not inconsistent with the provisions of this constitution, as it may deem proper.

Sec. 18. There shall be elected annually on the first Monday of April in each organized township one supervisor, one township clerk, one commissioner of highways, one township treasurer, not to exceed

four constables and one overseer of highways for each highways district, whose powers and duties shall be prescribed by law.

Sec. 19. No township shall grant any public utility franchise which is not subject to revocation at the will of the township, unless such proposition shall have first received the affirmative vote of a majority of the electors of such township voting thereon at a regular or special election.

Sec. 20. The legislature shall provide by a general law for the incorporation of cities, and by a general law for the incorporation of villages; such general laws shall limit their rate of taxation for municipal purposes, and restrict their powers of borrowing money and contracting debts.

Sec. 21. Under such general laws, the electors of each city and village shall have power and authority to frame, adopt and amend its charter, and to amend an existing charter of the city or village heretofore granted or passed by the legislature for the government of the city or village and, through its regularly constituted authority, to pass all laws and ordinances relating to its municipal concerns, subject to the constitution and general laws of this state. (As amended 1912.)

Sec. 22. Any city or village may acquire, own, establish and maintain, either within or without its corporate limits, parks, boulevards, cemeteries, hospitals, almshouses and all works which involve the public health or safety.

Sec. 23. Subject to the provisions of this constitution, any city or village may acquire, own and operate, either within or without its corporate limits, public utilities for supplying water, light, heat, power and transportation to the municipality and the inhabitants thereof; and may also sell and deliver water, heat, power and light without its corporate limits to an amount not to exceed 25 per cent of that furnished by it within the corporate limits; and may operate transportation lines without the municipality within such limits as may be prescribed by law; Provided, That the right to own or operate transportation facilities shall not extend to any city or village of less than 25,000 inhabitants.

Sec. 24. When a city or village is authorized to acquire or operate any public utility, it may issue mortgage bonds therefor beyond the general limit of bonded indebtedness prescribed by law: Provided, That such mortgage bonds issued beyond the general limit of bonded indebtedness prescribed by law shall not impose any liability upon such city or village but shall be secured only upon the property and revenues of such public utility, including a franchise stating the terms upon which, in case of foreclosure, the purchaser may operate the same, which franchise shall in no case extend for a longer period than twenty years from the date of the sale of such utility and franchise on foreclosure.

Sec. 25. No city or village shall have power to abridge the right of elective franchise, to loan its credit, nor to assess, levy or collect any tax or assessment for other than a public purpose. Nor shall any city or village acquire any public utility or grant any public utility franchise which is not subject to revocation at the will of the city or vil