Terms Used In Maryland Code, LOCAL GOVERNMENT 12-617

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • County: means a county of the State or Baltimore City. See
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • Person: includes an individual, receiver, trustee, guardian, personal representative, fiduciary, representative of any kind, corporation, partnership, business trust, statutory trust, limited liability company, firm, association, or other nongovernmental entity. See
  • state: means :

    (1) a state, possession, territory, or commonwealth of the United States; or

    (2) the District of Columbia. See
(a) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, Cecil County shall obtain the following by a competitively bid contract awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder:

(1) the building or repair of a bridge; and

(2) the purchase or lease of bridge construction equipment or machinery.

(b) (1) The governing body of Cecil County shall advertise for bids on a contract under subsection (a) of this section in at least one newspaper of general circulation in the county.

(2) The advertisement shall:

(i) appear at least once;

(ii) appear at least 1 week, but not more than 30 days, before the final date for submitting bids;

(iii) if the contract relates to building or repair of a bridge, specify the location where the bridge is to be built or repaired;

(iv) include a description of the goods or services required under the contract;

(v) state that sealed bids for goods or services will be received until the date designated in the advertisement; and

(vi) designate a date for the opening of the bids.

(c) (1) Subsections (a) and (b) of this section do not apply to an expenditure that:

(i) is $10,000 or less; or

(ii) the governing body of Cecil County by a recorded majority vote taken at a public meeting declares to be an emergency expenditure.

(2) For an expenditure under this subsection, the governing body may determine:

(i) the manner of providing for the expenditure; and

(ii) if the building or repair is by contract, the manner in which the contract is awarded.

(d) (1) A contract entered into in violation of subsection (a) or (b) of this section is void, unless:

(i) a court determines in a judicial action that all parties acted in good faith; and

(ii) the parties have substantially complied with the provisions of subsections (a) and (b) of this section.

(2) If a contract is void under this subsection, the governing body of Cecil County shall compensate the contractor for costs actually incurred if the contractor:

(i) acted in good faith;

(ii) did not directly contribute to the violation; and

(iii) did not know of the violation.

(e) A person who willfully violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to a fine not exceeding $1,000.