(a)      The membership of the Council consists of the following members from Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot counties:

            (1)      Nine commissioners, three from each county, appointed by their respective county governing bodies as voting members;

            (2)      Three county administrators, one from each county as nonvoting ex officio members;

            (3)      (i)      Three municipal elected officials, one from each county, appointed by their respective municipal corporations as voting members; or

                  (ii)      If the municipal corporations located in a county are unable to choose a municipal elected official within a reasonable period of time, the Eastern Shore Municipal Association shall appoint an elected municipal official to represent the municipal corporation;

            (4)      Members of the General Assembly representing the region who have a majority of their legislative district in the region as voting ex officio members;

            (5)      Members of the General Assembly representing the region who do not have a majority of their legislative district in the region as nonvoting ex officio members; and

            (6)      The other commissioners as nonvoting ex officio members.

      (b)      (1)      A voting commissioner listed under subsection (a)(1) of this section may designate another commissioner or county administrator representing the same county to vote by proxy on behalf of the voting commissioner when the voting commissioner is absent from a meeting.

            (2)      A voting commissioner listed under subsection (a)(1) of this section shall inform the council executive director, in advance, of which other council members the voting commissioner designates to cast a proxy vote on behalf of the voting commissioner.

      (c)      The bylaws of the Council may provide for additional private citizen membership on the Council.