(a)      A county or municipal corporation may apply to the Secretary for designation of an area within that political subdivision as an arts and entertainment district, but if a county seeks to designate an area within a municipal corporation as an arts and entertainment district, then the governing body of the municipal corporation must first consent.

      (b)      A county may apply to the Secretary on behalf of a municipal corporation, with the consent of the governing body of the municipal corporation, for designation of any area within that municipal corporation as an arts and entertainment district.

      (c)      Two or more political subdivisions may apply jointly to the Secretary for designation of an area as an arts and entertainment district that is located astride their common boundaries.

      (d)      The application shall be in the form and manner and contain such information as the Secretary may, by regulation, determine, provided that the application shall:

            (1)      Contain information sufficient for the Secretary to determine if the criteria established in § 4-701(a)(3) and (c) of this subtitle have been met; and

            (2)      Be submitted on behalf of the political subdivision by its chief elected officer, or, if none, by the governing body of the political subdivision.

      (e)      (1)      Within 60 days following any submission date, the Secretary may designate one or more arts and entertainment districts from among the applications submitted to the Secretary on or before that submission date.

            (2)      The Secretary may not designate more than one arts and entertainment district in a county in any calendar year.

            (3)      The determination of the Secretary as to the areas designated as arts and entertainment districts shall be final, except that, for any area not designated an arts and entertainment district, a political subdivision may reapply at any time to the Secretary for designation of that area as an arts and entertainment district.

      (f)      A political subdivision may apply to the Secretary for the expansion of an existing arts and entertainment district in the same manner as the political subdivision would apply for the designation of a new arts and entertainment district.