§ 14. Levy of taxes.

(a)

For the purposes of meeting the liability of the district, if any, under the contracts or agreements provided for in Section 12, retiring revenue anticipation notes, authorized to be issued by Section 16, and the payment of interest on the notes, and providing funds for the administrative and other expenses and obligations of the district, there shall be levied against all the assessable property within the district, by the County Councils of Montgomery and Prince George's Counties annually, a tax sufficient to meet these obligations and expenses as they mature or become payable. The tax shall be determined, levied, collected and paid over in the following manner:

(1)

At least 30 days before the tax levying period of each year, the respective County Council shall certify to the Commission, by counties, the whole valuation of assessable property within the district. The Commission shall then determine the amounts necessary to be raised by each county for the ensuing year. The amounts shall be determined by the allocation of obligations agreed to under Section 12 except that the administrative expenses of the Commission shall be borne by each county, as set forth in Section 15, after deducting all amounts in hand available for such purposes. The Commission shall determine the number of cents per $100 necessary for each county to raise the amounts required and shall certify that amount to both County Councils. The County Councils in their next annual levy shall levy a tax on all land and improvements and any other property assessed for county tax purposes within the district. The tax shall be levied and collected as county taxes are levied and collected, and have the same priority rights, bear the same interest and penalties and in every respect be treated the same as county taxes. The tax levied for the ensuing year shall be collected by the respective tax collecting authorities, and every 60 days they shall remit the whole amount of tax collected to the Commission.

(b)

Notwithstanding Subsection (a) of the Section, the County Councils of Montgomery County and Prince George's County may, in order to satisfy their separate guarantees of the obligations of the district under Section 13, levy any tax which they are authorized to levy and use any available revenues or funds and may reduce the number of cents per $100 to be levied against assessable property as certified by the Commission to take into account the use of the alternative funds.

(c)

Nothing herein shall be deemed to be a limitation on the power of either the County Council of Montgomery County or of Prince George's County to issue bonds or other obligations, in accordance with applicable provisions of law, for the purposes set forth in Subsection (a) of this Section or to satisfy their separate guarantees of the obligations of the district under Section 13 or to levy taxes to discharge the obligations of any such bonds or other obligations.

(Laws 1965, Ch. 870, Sec. 1; Laws 1968, Ch. 727, Sec. 2; Laws 1963, Sec. 83A-14; Laws 1992, Ch. 22)

Editor's note

CR-44-1982 expressed the County's intention to appropriate funds annually to WMATA to meet all payment requirements agreed to by the County as its share of WMATA's Metrorail budget and debt service costs of WMATA revenue bond obligations.