The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-13
TERM Of TWO YEARS
TENURE OF THE CITY
CLERK.
NOW ELECTED FOUR YEARS.
ANOTHER CHANGE is THAT PRO
yIDING FOR THE MAYORS
APPOINTMENT
OF THE CORPORATION ATTORNEY
\ Session Devoted to the Chapter
Relating to City Officers, Gen
eraI Powers, Etc.

- 0SS'hOh DCNOicu ~ thC
Relating to City Officers, Cen
eraI Powers, Etc.
Thirteen of the fifteen members of
the charter commission attended the
| fifth session, which was held last even
ing. The two absent members were
| Messrs. O'Brien and Dean. The COM
mission adopted the first chapter OF
the new charter, which was reported
| by the committee appointed to revise
and redraft it. The chapter relates
solely to the boundaries of the city and
the wards. The committee consisting
of Messrs. Lightner, Lusk and Fetter,
to whom was referred chapter OF the
present charter submitted a report.
This chapter Of the proposed charter
relates to CITY officers, general pow
ers and duties" The important
! changes made in reference to the city
officers are that the city clerk shall,
after the term of the present incum-
| bent expires be elected for two instead
of four years. The sections relating
| to the legal department of the city
were referred back to the committee
to redraft, but by vote of to the
committee was instructed to incor-
porate in the sections the provisO that
the corporation attorney should be ap-
pointed by the mayor rather than elect
ed by the council, as now provided.
There was some discussion as to
whether the appointment should be
| made as soon as the mayor entered on
his term of office or in the odd-num-
bered years. The motion to have the
corporation attorney appointed by the
mayor in the even-numbered years was
carried by vote of to 3. There was
some talk about reducing the number
of assistants in the corporation attor-
EeyS office from three to two, but no
| decision was reached. The commission
| adjourned while section 20, relating to
the bonds to be given by city officers,
was being discussed. Eight of the
| twenty-four sections in chapter of the
new charter We're adopted and these
/ are given herewith:
Section l. The mayor shall take care that
the laws Of the state and the ordinances
| of the city are duly observed and enforced,
and that all other executive officers of the
| city discharge their respective duties. He
| shall, from time to time, give the common
| council such information and recommend
! ouCu measure as he may uSSlH duN dAIdStOuS
Sec. 2. The city treasurer shall receive all
moneys belonging to said city, including all
taxes license moneys and fines, and other
revenues of said city and keep accurate
and detailed account thereof.
! Sec 8. No funds of the city shall be
| loaned by the treasurer to any city officer or
other person or otherwise disposed of ex-
| cept in accordance with law. Any viola
! ton of this provision shall be misdemeanor,
| punishable by Imprisonment for period of
! mot y Y
ceeding $1,000, or both, in the discretion OF
| the court. ..--.,-..
Sec. y. There shall be a c;erk of said
city, styled the city clerk, who shall be elect
| ed by the common council acting in joint SEES
| sion and shall hold Ibis office at thereby ghaH.
| He shall be elected on the first Tuesday OF
! June, 1899 for term of one year, and there
! after on the first Tuesday of June each two
years thereafter, and the term of office of said
| city clerk, except as above provided, snail De
| two years from and after the second Tuesday
| of June next succeeding his election and until
his successor shall have been elected and
| qualified.
Sec 49, The city clerk shall keep the cor
| porate seal and all papers and records of the
| city and keep record of the proceedings of
| the common council and each of the bodies
/ thereof at all of whose meetings it shall be
his duty to attend. Copies of all papers filed
| in his office and transcripts of the records
| of the common council and of each body
thereof certified by him under the corporate
seal, shall be evidence in all courts, as IL the
| original were produced. He shall draw and
| countersign all orders on the treasury, in
pursuance of any order or resolution of the
| common council, and keep full and accurate
account thereof in books provided for thai
purpose. The clerk shall have power to adj
minister oaths and affrmations and take the
| acknowledgment of deeds and other writings.
Sec A. There shall, be one assistant city
| clerk of said city of st. Paul, who shall be
subject to the city clerk of said city, and for
all the acts of said assistant clerk the city
clerk shall be responsible. He shall be ap-
pointed in writing by said city clerk and he
may be removed by said city clerk at pleas
ure. Said appointment. before it shall be
operative shall be filed in the Office of the
city comptroller. The said assistant clerk
may perform the same duties required of
said city clerk.
Sec. Is The city clerk shall be ex-offic;2
secretary of the board of park commissioners
and of the conference committee and shall
keep correct and full record of their pro-
ceedings He shall file and carefully preserve
in his office the reports OF members of said
conference committee.
Sec. 10. The city printer or printers, i'm
medatey after the publication of any notice,
ordinance or resolution, which by this act is
required to be published, shall file with the
clerk of the city copy of such publication,
with his or their affidavit or the affidavit of
his or their foreman, of the length of time
the same has been published, and such Aft
davit shall be conclusive evidence of the
publication of such notice, ordinance or reso-
luton and account for the publication of
such notice, ordinance or resolution shall be
allowed or adjusted by the comptroller with
out the certificate of the city clerk that such
proof of publication has been made and filed
Section 4, relating to the duties of
the city treasurer as reported by the
committee, was referred to the COM
mittee having charge of the chapter
relating to the treasury department.
! Sections and II inclusive, defining
the duties of the city comptroller, were
laid over until the committee having
in charge the chapter relating to the
/ treasury department of the city had
reported. Sections 16 and II, relating
to the legal department and the duties
| of the corporation attorney and his
assistants, as we'll as the time and
manner of the choosing of the corpo-
ration attorney, were referred back to
the committee to amend as the com
mission decided. Section IS, which pro-
vided the manner in which the coun-
Gil should select the official paper, was
also referred back to the committee
with instructions to have the section
amended so that the work should be
given to the paper which would pub
fish the ordinances and other proceed
ings at the lowest rate.
The committee, comprising MeSsrs.
Clark, Murray5and tInnis, to which had
been referred the first chapter of the
present charter for revision, submit
ted it's report. The chapter relates to
the boundaries of. the city and the
ward limits. Sections / and 8, Mr..
Clark said, had been adopted without
change. The section changed would
relate solely to the boundaries and
limits of the city. The paragraphs in
the present section relating to the pro-
hibition of liquor in certain territory
and exempting other territory from
assessments had been taken from the
new draft of.ithei section and would
be placed in the proper chapter. There