The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-08-03
RfvfNUfs AND TAXES
DISCUSSION OF THE SUBJECT BE-
FORE THE FREEHoLDERs
REPORT ON FIRE DEPARTMENT
Beard Does Not Agree as to the Man.
ner Of Handling Appointive
Offices

At their meeting OF last night the board
Of freeholders received their first important
committee reports. They were from the
revenues and taxes committee, the fire de-
partment committee and the judicial COM
mittee.
& The first named committee made report
Of considerable length, but stated that 1t
was not offered as final, but was intended
more as a basis for definite discussion of
the questions involved. Much of the old
charter is embodied. but large number of
new sections are introduced on lines sug-
gested by an inspection of other cities char
tiers. The one dollar limit of taxation is
maintained. and the duties of council, sit
ting as the board of equalization, are very
much the same, but an important change
Is made in the duties of the assessor, as
shown by the following quotation from the
report:
1.-THE assessment of property within the
of Los Angeles county and the
the basis of taxation for the city,
as provided for by section 36H of the Polit-
ical Code provided that it shall be the duty
Monday of March in each year, tol request
in writing the county assessor of the county
OF Los Angeles to furnish to the city of
Los Angeles complete certified
copy of his assessment book, and
of all personal property and other
matters and information provided to
be furnished by him under the provisions
of section 1858 Of the Political Code, and fur
Their provided that If any property in the
city shall not be assessed by the county as
SCISSOR the city assessor shall assess and en-
ter the same in the subsequent assess
ments' provided for in the next section"
A provision for the issuance of bonds for
public improvements, buildings. etc., is
very much the same as heretofore, but the
following proviso is adkted: Nor shall any
such bonds be issued or sold during any one
year in excess of the actual expenditure IN
Cured in that year"
Transfers from one fund to another In the
city treasury are prohibited excepting
from the general fund to meet deficiencies
. and of excesses.
The judicial committees report sets
forth the duties of the city attorney and the
city clerk, and suggests that the charter
shall make no provision for the city police
court the same being left to the state law.
The fire department committee submitted
the following as their idea of the new char
ters provisions for city fire department:
1.-The fire department shall be under the
management OF q board of fire commits
sioners, consisting of four members, who
shall be appointed by the mayor. No per-
son shall be appointed fire commissioner
who shall not have been an elector of the
city for at least five years next preceding
his appoin tment.
"The board shall never be so constituted
as to consist of more than two members Of
the same political party. The terms of
office of the commissioners shall be four
years. Those first appointed shall so classi-
fly themselves by lot that they shall re-
spectively go out of Office at the expiration
of one, two, three and four years"
These reports will be discussed at next
meeting. The remainder of the time last
evening was taken up by the argument of
the best plan for disposing of the appoint
i've offices, whatever they may hereafter
prove to be. The members Of the board
could not agree and several motions met
with an ignominous death. A plan to give
the mayor exclusive appointive power, an
other to make his appointments subject to
councils approval, and third to have all
officers elected by the people were suggest
ed. Each had it's advocates, but the board
finally gave the matter up until next meet
ing and adjourned.
Judge Variel. Humphreys, Graft and
Garland were absent.