Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-01-31
CHARTER REVISION
The Report Of the Special Commit
tee Formulated Last Night
Three Acts Recommended forPromps
consideration ma Passage in sho
LeEis,n,uro- No Ioro Raising sal
arins During Terms OF once.

The Special Committee on Revision of
City Charter met last night for further
consideration of the matter of changes
to be recommended to the Councils.
After consideration OF various pro-
posed changes. the following report to
the Councils was formulated and adopt
ed unanimously:
10 the Honorable Common and Select
Councils:
Gentlemen-Your committee. appoint
ed to consider the question of charter
changes. In connection with the draft
of n charter. reported to the former
Councils. beg leave to submit the fol-
lowing report:
Your committee deems 1t too late in
the session of the present Legislature
to recommend any radical changes in
the charter, for the reason that the
matter would have to be pushed to be
passed at the present session, and
proper opportunity for public discussion
of the various questions would not be
Afforded. Your commi tee thinks that
a new charter should be drawn some
time before the meeting of the Legisla-
lure, SO that the proposed changes
could be thoroughly argued and consid-
cred.
Your committee would, however, rec
ommend the following amendments,
which are not radical, and will, in their
judgment. commend themselves to the
public.
AS VIII be seen from the accompany
Ing amendments to the charter, we
have submitted the following chnnGes-
In addition to ordinances or resolu-
tons appropriating money or imposing
taxes having to be passed by n ma
1ority vote of all the members of the
Councils we have also required that
ordinances increasing salaries or pay
or employees or granting franchises
shall be passed by majority of all the
members elected. We have further pro-
vided that ordinances granting fran
chises must lie introduced in the Coun-
ellis month before being passed, and
the ordinances appropriating money or
Imposing taexs cannot be passed on the
day by both Councils. We have also
provided that no salary shall be jim
creased during q term of Office
AS the law now is, the Police JUS
tice has to be elected one of the Jus
tees of the Peace. This has been
changed so that the Police Justice is
first elected and thereafter the Justices
from the various wards are elected. In
luis way, III duultlOn TO the GOllce JUS
tice, each ward will have a Justice of
the Peace. AS Justices are paid by fees
no additional burden Is put on the tax
payers.
We have also provided that the mem
bers Of the Councils from Atlantic City
ward shall have the same right to vote
on all questions as Other members of
the Councils Under the annexation
act the members from that ward cannot
vote on questions appropriating money
not raised from said ward. This ward
will soon become an integral part of
the city, and its citizens will thus have
to pay the same taxes as others, and
the money appropriated in the mean
while will be burden on them as we'll
as on others.
We feel therefore that the members
from that ward should have the same
rights as those from Brambleton and
the other wards.
TO CALL SPECIAL MEETING.
1t was decided to ask the president
of the Select Council to call a special
meeting for next Tuesday night to con-
slider and, If satisfactory, recommend
to the Legislature for adoption three
acts covering the changes embraced in
the report.