The Minneapolis journal., 1903-12-12

-. 4
is giving this article to It's readers.
jrearranged SO there is only one retir-
| Ing member each year.
Council Issues All Bonds.
(s) The power Of issuing bonds is
taken away from the board Of park
commissioners. This board. like the
school board, must apply to the council
for the issuing Of bonds for it's bene-
fit.
(1o) Under the. new charter the
council still has power to change the
grade of streets but the owner of
| property is given sixty days instead of
twenty in which to make claim for
damages, He Is also given right OF
appeal to the district court in case he
is dissatisfied with award made for
damages.
| CID Power to vacate streets is still
/ left with the council and it requires
only a majority vote instead of a
! two-thirds vote as under the present
| charter. Before, however, the council
can take UP the question of street
vacation, a majority of the property
| owners along the street proposed to
be vacated and within 800 feet on
each side of the lines Of the street
and for one-fourth of mile In each
direction from the ends of the portion
of street to be vacated must petition
| for such vacation. P. 1919
Then council is to hear the petition
either direct or by committee, and If
it votes to vacate the street it shall
thereupon appoint commissioners to
award damages and the procedure
thereafter including an appeal to the
district court is substantially the same
| in Of nnaYioer no StraatS
| The changes enumerated are al
important and believe are great i'm
| provements upon the corresponding
provisions, 50 far as there are any, OF
the present charter, and l cannot see
how any one can object to any OF
them.
Real Meat of the Charter.
I come now to consider four mat
ters that I believe of greater 1mpor'
tance than anything else in the char.
ter. These matters are to be founc
in the following named chapters:
Cd Civil service.
(2) Taxation and Finance.
CD Local improvements and AS
: sessments, and
60 Franchises.
Civil Service.
. Civil service is provided for the po
|
,, going into details, I may say briefl!
!. that a civil service commission o
; three members appointed by tn
, mayor, Is provided. All employees a
the time the charter is adopted are t
be classified. Provision is made fo
9 examinations and appointments ar
to be made upon the results Of tn
, examination. Promotions are to b.
made on the basis of experience am
: ascertained merit seniority in service
and such competitive examinations a
may to the commission seem deSir
, able" (P. SD A period of proba
ton before appointment is also to b.
provided.
The commission is to make rule
covering these various points.
{ The chief engineer of the fire de
9 police shall have the power to dis
charge, disrate and suspend with los
: of pay for period not exceedin
: thirty days at any one time, an
member or employe of their. respec
tive departme but shall, in an
case of the exercise of such power, a
2 once notify the civil service commits
y sion of the fact, with a summar
+ statement of the reasons therefor. An
+ person who shall be so discharged o
a disrated may within five days there
:. after file with the commission Pre-
lIeSI dSLlllSL SUCH dCClOI1. IC VIII
;, mission shall make such investiga
y tion as it deems proper and deter
Il mine whether a public hearing an
: trial should be had to ascertain tn
: propriety of such discharge or dis
e ratement and trial is had or not g
: the commission determines.
The mayor shall appoint and at h
i pleasure remove the superintende1
of police.
1t Whenever there shall be a vacanc
e in the office Of chief engineer Of tt
d fire department his successor sha
e be appointed by the mayor from a Iii
W of not less than two or more than fi1
" persons who shall be professional
n competent and whose names shall (
l. furnished to the mayor by the civ
n service commission. The mayor ma
e remove the chief engineer of the fiji
department for cause.
l. These are the principal provision
e of the civil service chapter.
le The members of the fire depar
y ment urged the commission to provit
r that no member Of the departme1
ot shall be removed until after a publ
e trial. The commission was unanimo7
~ in rejecting this proposition, belle
ly ing that it would be fatal to the di
m cipline Of the department.
Il Taxation and Finance.
Under the present charter as bas
.
u sent to the council on Sept. in ea'
year an estimate of the amou
needed for the current expenses f
~ the next year and statement of tt
amount received during the precedil
81 twelve months from other sourc
Nv than taxation. This means a stat
=, ment of what was received in nil
an months of one year and three mont
i'd. of another
~ The new charter requires the co
trolier to submit a statement Of nee
N and an estimate for the coming We
- of the receipts from other sourc
at than taxation.
,v No provision is made in the prese
20 charter for the issuance of any bon
"a except refunding bonds. All rece
e. bond issues have been made und
s+ special acts of the legislature a.
"a there is in the present charter no fix
limit of indebtedness.
a. The enabling act under which t
~ new charter was drawn provides tn
-, ~ cities in framing charters must pla
- ~ a limit of Indebtedness not great
=. than 10 per cent of the assessed We
y uation, and provides that in asce
ie tanning that 10 per cent the sinki
US fund-water works bonds and certi
III Gates to create a revolving fund m
In be deducted from the gross debts.
I'd The new charter gives the city cou
ell authority to issue bonds for a.
n city purpose not in excess Of $1O0, o
tn and not to an extent that will ma
tie the total debt exclusive of the sinki