The age-herald., 1901-06-25


 l nothing herein contained shall prevent any municipality from issuing bonds in | renewal or for the refunding of obligations already existing.
 Classification of Cities. | Sec 10. The General Assembly shall | provide by general laws for the organi- zation and classification of cities, towns and villages; the number of such classes shall not exceed four, and the powers of each class shall be defined by general laws so that all municipal corporations of the same class shall possess the same | powers and be subject to the same re- strictions
 The General Assembly shall assign the | cities, towns and villages of the State to the class to which they respectively belong and change assignments as popu- lation of such cities, towns and villages | increase or decrease, and in the absence of other satisfactory information as to their population, the General Assembly shall be governed by the last preceding Federal census, provided, however, that any city, town or village in Alabama may in the year 1905, and every ten years thereafter cause census of all it's in habitants to be taken, and the General Assembly may change the classification of such city, town or village according to the result of such census
 Cities Over 25,ooo.
 Any city having a population of more than twenty-five thousand inhabitants may frame a charter for it's town govern ment, not in conflict with this constitu- ton, whenever the Mayor, authorized by majority vote of the legislative body of such city shall have made application to the judge of the Circuit Court for the ap- pointment of the board to be composed of nine qualified electors who shall have foP af laaq qf five residents of such city. If the judge of the Circuit Court is 0 nonresident of the county in which said city is located then such ap- plication may be made to the judge of any court of record of general common law Jurisdiction. residing In such county, and the said application and tho appointments made thereon shall be entered Of record by the clerk of such court.
 Said board shall within ninety days af- ter such appointment return to the chief magistrate of such city the draft of such charter signed by majority of said board within thirty days thereafter, such proposed charter shall be submitted to the qualified voters of such city at Q special election to be called by the mayor and If a majority of such qualified voters voting thereat shall ratify the same, 1t shall at the end of thirty days thereafter become the charter of such city, and su- percede any existing charter or amend ments thereto, and all special acts of the General Assembly relating to the cor porate organization or government of such city, other than law securing and enforcing the payment of the debts of such city.
 A duplicate certificate shall be made setting forth the charter proposed, and It's ratification which shall be signed by the chief magistrate of such city, and be authenticated by it's corporate seal; one of such certificates shall be deposited in the office of the secretary of state. and the other shall be deposited among the archives of such city and all courts shall take judicial notice of such charter. Such charters so adopted may be amend ed at intervals of not less than four years by proposals therefor, submitted by the legislative authority of the city to tho qualified voters thereof at a general or special election held at least thirty days after the publication of such proposals in two newspapers of said city, and ratified by q majority of the qualified voters yot- ing thereat. In any such, charter or amendments thereto any alternative ar ticle or proposition may be presented for the choice of the voters and may be voted on separately without prejudice to the others.
 Limit of Taxation.
 Sec. Il. No city, town, village or other municipal corporation other than pro- vided for In this article shall levy or col lect higher rates of taxation in one year on the property situated therein than one half of one per centum of the value of such property as assessed for state taxation during the preceding year, pro- vided that for the purpose of paying debts existing on the 9th day of Decem- Der. 1875, and the interest thereon a tax of one percentum may be levied and collected, to be applied exclusively to the payment of such indebtedness, and pro- vided further that this section shall not apply to the city of Mobile, which city may from and after the ratification of this Constitution levy tax not. to ex- ceed the ste of three-fourths of one per- centum, to pay the expenses of the city government, and may also levy tax not to exceed three-fourths of one percentum to pay the debt existing on the 6th day of December. 1875 with the interest there on or any rnewal of such debt, and pro- vided further that this section shall not apply to the cities of Birmingham and Huntsville, which cities may levy and collect a tax not to exceed one-half of one percentum in addition to the tax of one-half of one percentum as hereinabove allowed to be levied and collected. such special tax to be applied exclusively to the payment of intrest on the bonds of said cities of Birmingham and Huntsville as heretofore issued in pursuance of law, and for a sinking fund to pay off said bonds at the maturity thereof.
 And provided further that this section shall not apply to the cities of Troy, At talla, Gadsden, Bessemer. Woodlawn a~d Florerce which cities may from and after the ratification of this Constitution levy and collect an additional tax not ex- ceeding one-half of one percentum per annum, but this additional tax shall not be levied unless authorized by majority