Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-01-31
A CHARTER FOR SACRAMENTO.

A CHARTER FOR SACRAMENTO
Senate Bill 80, by Mr.. johnson, embraces
several municipal charters. One Of these
is for cities of the class in which Sacra-
mento is placed. In most respects it is
superior, and in some inferior to the exist
ing one. It is better charter, in that 1t
is briefer, and brings local government
closer to the people, which is always de-
sirable. Instead of specifically detailing
all the methods to be employed, and all the
minute in the collection and disbursement
of taxes. the valuation and condemnation
of property and the prosecution OF public
works. the duties of all the subordinate Of
fioers and the exact methods they shall
employ in discharge Of their trusts, it sets
out the general principles upon which the
city government is to be conducted and
leaves to the local legislature the task OF
specifying by ordinance details for the &C.
complishment of desired ends. Save in
two respects it does not materially change
our present form of government or make
any radical departures from the system
now observed. 1t is very much more SIM
pie than our present charter, and there
can scarcely be any misapprehen-
sion of its chief provisions.
With one or two exceptions it confers
upon the local legislature all the rights,
privileges and powers it now possesses.
OF all the present boards and commissions
it retains only the legislative body and the
Board of Education, placing the police,
fire, water and street departments directly
under the control of Board of Aldermen.
The city can pass from its present to the
proposed new form of government with
the minimum of friction. Tins much is
to be said for the johnson charter. For a
board of three salaried trustees represent.
ing the heads of independent departments,
it substitutes board of seven unsalaried
Aldermen, and in this respect is objection
able as enlarging the political arena in
which contests for local patronage may be
carried On. Sacramento has tried the
Aldermanic scheme and abandoned it.
The new charter fails to give US Board of
Health, or to affirmatively confer the
power the city now has to enforce sanitary
regulations. Even if the general laws are
to be taken as sufficient in this respect,
but which cannot be admitted, the police
powers of the municipality in that regard
should be explicitly affirmed and defined in
its charter, as it is one of the most essential
and difficult branches of city government.
It is doubtful if under the new plan the
present City Dispensary can be maintained.
The charter does not recognize distinctly
the right to collect harbor dues. There is
provision for the election of Mayor,
Aldermen, Police Judge, Attorney, Asses
sor and School Directors. There is to be
an Auditor, Treasurer, Superintendent of
Streets, Tax and License Collector and a
Water Rate Collector, who, with other in
feriCr officers, are to be chosen by the
Aldermen after nomination by the Mayor,
except that the School Superintendent is
to be chosen by the School Directors. The
Mayor ia to be the head of the Executive
Department, and to have special supervi.
zion of the Police Department. Salaries
are placed at probably the lowest living
rate the Mayor, Tax Collector, Water
Rate Collector and Street Superintendent,
81, 200 each Police Judge and Assessor,
81, 500 Attorney, Auditor and School Su-
perintendent, 81, 500, and Treasurer, 81, 600.
Taxation is limited to road poll tax of 81
on males between d and GO years of age,
a levee and water front tax of 20 cents, and
property tax of 81, distributed, so cents
to the general fund and % cents each to the
road and school funds. Expenditures are
not to exceed the amount on hand in the
fund liable, except after submission to the
people of the question OF special tax. No
reference is made to the present indebted.
ness, or methods for its discharge. Ex-
penditures for improvements in excess of
$500 are to be made only on contracts let
by bids. An excellent provision is that
which leaves the city free to set up her own
system of street improvements, and for the
levy and collection of taxes therefor, as
also the power given to provide her own
system for the levy and collection of all
taxes, with the proviso that the system
shall conform as nearly as possible to the
tax collection methods of the general laws
of the State. Such in brief are the salient
points of the proposed new charter. 1t
should receive very close analysis on the
part of the present officials, and be exam.
ined with care by the people generally, for
evidently where there is room for improve
ment the Legislature will give heed to the
! c;tizans for whose beneht IL il intended.