The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1905-08-12
CITY OFFICIAL JOURNAL.
Water and Light Commissioners

Act No. 43 of the Legislature.
of 1904, which is the new charter
Of the city of New iberia, La,
gives in part the following infor
nation, governing the admins
traitors Of the city water and light
plant.
"Provided. further, that there
shall be a Board of Water and
Light Commissioners for said city,
composed of the Mayor, who shall
be ex Of1icio chairman OF said
Board, and six members to be ap
pointed by the Board of Trustees
Of said city as soon as is practi
cable, for terms of offices as fol
lows, to wit:
"Ihe terms Of said members
shall expire on the first Monday
Of December, 1906; the terms OF
two others on the first Monday of
December, 1908; and the terms of
the remaining two members SHALL
expire on the first Monday of
December, 1910, all terms shall be
filled as herein after provided for
the terms of six years. OF each
two vacancies by reason OF expi
ration Of term, one shall be filled
by appointment by the Mayor, and
the other by appointment by the
Board Of Trustees of said city
Vacancies happening during the
term of any member shall be filed
for the unexpired term by the ma
jOrity of said Board Of Commits
sioners I"
Section 30, of the same Act,
provides for the first city election
under the new charter, and that
the old Board of Trustees shall
hold over until their successors
shall have been elected and quail
fed.
Section % provides that the
commissioners Of any drainage
district within the limits of the
city ''shall continue to act until
their term shall have expired etc"
A careful search of the Act
nowhere reveals any provision for
the continuance in Office Of the old
commissioner of the water and
light plant. The contrary seems
to be the intent of the charter,
for it reads clearly that "six mem
bers (of the board of commission
ers arc) to be appointed by the
Board of Trustees of said city as
soon as practicable.' 1t will be
noted further that these first six
appointments shall be made by
the "Board Of Trustees,' while
future appointments to fill vacan
cics by reason of expirations of
terms Of each set Of two commits
siOners ere to be made, one by the
Mayor and one by the Board of
Trustees.
The difference in the method of
making the appointments-first,
that six shall be appointed by the
Board of Trustees; and second,
that each set Of two shall be appoln
ted, che by the Mayor and one by
the Board of Trustees-verv clear
ly indicates the intention OF the
Charter to mean that the first six
sbal! be appointed Gas soon as is
practicable" after the adoption and
PRONUNCIATION Of the Act No. 43 BY
the Legislature. This position is
further fortified by the fact that
the Act provides for the ccntinu
ance in office of the members Of the
Board Of Trustees aud drainage
commissioners, while making no
such provision for the commission
'rs Of water and light plant.
The past administration seems to
rave overlooked this necessity and
the old commissioners as
appointed under the old Charter,
With the exception of two members
Who were appointed just before the
I'D Council retired from office and
VIII were appointed tor the longest
erm. This failure on the part of
he old Council made it necessary
OK the new Council 10 fill the va
ancies, which was done at the
Meeting on last Monday evening.
THIS explicit statement is made
or the reason that rumOr has 1T,
IL /