The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-06-25

in which the bill proposing such change is introduced.
 Sec. {. No city. town or village shall be authorized or permitted to grant any franchise or privilege or make any contract in reference thereto for 8 term exceeding twenty years. nor shall any city. town or village grant any rights or public way or part thereof except to the person or corporation offering the highest sum therefore or the highest per centage of gross annual receipts to be derived from the business so us- ing the right of way or street or pub lie place. No such privilege shall be granted until the applicant therefor shall have given notice by publication for thirty days in some newspaper pub lished in the city, town or village of his intention to ask for such franchise and the date upon which such applica- tion shall be made, and the person, firm. association or corporation to whom such franchise is granted shall be liable for any damages inflicted up- on the property of abutting proprie- tors.
 Sec. 5. No street railway. gas. water, steam or hot water heating, telephone, telegraph. electric light or power com pany within city, town or village shall be permitted or authorized to con- struct its tracks or mains or erect its poles, posts or other apparatus or string it's wire upon the same, along, ovar. under or across the streets, ave- nues. alleys or public grounds of such city. town or village without the con- sent of the proper municipal authori- ties of such city. town or village being first had and obtained.
 Sec. 6. The General Assembly shall not enact any law which will permit a person, firm, corporation or association of any character to pay a privilege li- cense or other tax to the State of Ala bama and relieve him or it from the payment of all other privilege and li- cense taxes in the State.
 Sec. z. No county, city. town, vil- lage. district or other political sub-di- vision of county shall have authority or be authorized py the General As sembly after the ratification of this Constitution to issue bonds, unless such issue of bonds shall have first been approved by majority vote by ballot of the qualified voters of such county, city, town, village, district or other po- litical subdivision of a county voting upon such proposition. In determining the result of any election held for this purpose, no vote shall be counted as an affirmative vote. which does not show on it's face that such vote was cast in approval of such issue of bonds. This section shall not apply to the re- newal. refunding or reissue of bonds lawfully issued, nor prevent the issu- Rnce of bonds in cases where the same have been authorized by laws enacted prior to the ratification of this Con- stitution. nor shall this section apply to obligations incurred or bonds to be issued to procure means to pay for the property abutting said improve sanitary or storm water sewers, the cost of which is to be assessed against the property abbuting said improve ments or drained by such sanitary or storm water sewers.
 Sec. 8. That no city, town or village shall hereafter become indebted for any purpose or in any manner to an amount which including existing in debtedness shall exceed per centum of the assessed valuation of the real and personal property within said city, town or village subject to taxation as shown by the last preceding assess ment for State and County purposes, provided. however. that in de- termining the limitation of the power of such city, town or village to incur indebtedness there shall not be included the fol- lowing class of indebtedness. to wit:
 (a) Notes. certificates of indebted ness or revenue bonds issued in antic- ipation of the collection of taxes, un- less the same be not paid within two years from the date of such issue and all such notes. certificates of indebt- edness, and revenue bonds shah be pro- vided for. and made payable from the taxes levied for the year in which they are issued, and shall never exceed the amount of such taxes.
 Cb) Bonds issued for the purpose of purchasing or otherwise providing for a supply of water or for the construe- tion or installation of sanitary sewers, or for the extension of either of the same.
 (c) Obligations incurred and bonds issued to procure means to pay for street or sidewalk improvements or storm water sewers, the cost of which Is to be assessed against the prop erty abutting or drained by such sew CTS.
 (d) Debts created for the preserva- tion of the public health.
 (e) Debts existing on the 5@ day ot December, 1875, or any obligation is- sued to renew or refund the same.
 Sec. 9. No city. town or village whose present indebtedness exceeds tn' limitations herein imposed shall be al- lowed to become indebted in any fur ther amount until such indebtedness shall be reduced within such limit; provided, however, that nothing herein contained shall prevent any municipal ity from issuing bonds in renewal or for the refunding of obligations already existing.
 Sec. 10. The General Assembly shall provide by general laws for the organ ization and classification of cities towns and villages; the number of such classes shall not exceed four, and the powers of such class shall be defined by general laws so that all municipal corporations of the same class shall possess the same powers and be sub- ject to the same restrictions.
 The General Assembly shall assign the cities, towns and villages of the State to the class to which they re- spectively belong and change assign ments made as populations of such cities, towns and villages increase ol decrease, and in the absence of other satisfactory information as to theil population, the General Assembly shall be governed by the last preceding Fed eral census, provided, however. that any city, town or village in Alabama may in the year 1905. and every ter years thereafter cause census of all it's inhabitants to be taken, and the General Assembly may change the classification of such city, town or will lage according to the result of such census.
 Any city having a population of more than 10000 inhabitants may frame a charter for it's own government, not ir conflict with this Constitution. when n,,nr tha MaNn~ ant hnrized hY a ma