The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1905-04-29
The QUESTION OF
INCORPORATION
METHOD OF PROCEDURE TO STIR
NIT QUESTION TO VOTE.
General Provisions of the Law Gov
erning Municipal Corporations of
the Fourth CIass-Poyvers of Coun-
c1l-Tax Limit One Per Cent.

Considerable interest has been
manifested here of late in the ques-
tion OF town incorporation and as the
provisions of the law governing the
matter do not appear to be general
ly understood large proportion of
the ISLANDER S readers will doubtless
be interested in their publication.
Municipal corporations are divided
into cities and towns, and cities are
divided into three classes first, Sec
ond and third, according to popula-
ton, which must be over 20, 900 for a
city of the first class, over 10000 for
a city of the second class and be-
tween 1900 and 10000 for city of
the third class. Municipal corpora
tions whose population is not less
than 300 nor more than 1900 are
known as towns, or municipal cor
porations of the fourth class. Their
area is limited to one square mile and
not more than twenty acres of un-
plated land belonging to any one
person can be included within the
corporate limits of such towns with
out the consent of the owner of such
land.
Before any town can be incorpor-
ated a petition must be presented to
the board of county commissioners,
signed by at least sixty qualified
electors of the county residing within
the limits of the proposed corpora
tion, which limits must be set forth
in the petition, which must also state
the approximate number of people
residing within the proposed limits.
The petition must be published for at
least two weeks prior to the time
fixed for it's presentation. The COM
missioners are required to act upon
the petition within two months. They
may make changes in the boundaries
proposed but cannot include any ter
ritory not within the limits described
in the petition. IF convinced that
the petition bears the requisite
number of signatures Of duly quail
fed electors and that there are with
in the proposed limits at least 300
people they are required to give no
tice of an election to be- held in such
proposed corporation for the pur-
pose of determining whether the
same shall be Incorporated, such cleo
ton to be conducted in accordance
with the, general election laws OF the
state. If a majority of the votes
cast are for incorporation the com
missioners are required to enter an
order upon their minutes declaring
such territory Incorporated and
shall cause a certified copy OF the
order to be filed with the secretary of
state. Officers chosen at the time
of incorporat tion serve until the first
general municipal election thereafter,
such elections being held annually on
the first Monday in December.
The governing power OF municipal
corporations of the fourth class is
vested in mayor and council con-
sisting of five members, all OF whom
are elected for two years. The Of
fee of treasurer is also elective, the
term being for one year. The mem
bers of the first council chosen are
required to classify themselves by lot
so that three of their number shall
90 out of Office at the expiration OF
one year and two at the expiration
of two years. The council IS re-
lquired to appoint marshal and
clerk and fix their compensation and
also the compensation of the treas
urer. The mayor and members OF
the council must serve without pay
! and neither they nor any other OH
GERS of the town are permitted to be
interested, directly or indirectly, in
any contract with the town or IN
furnishing any supplies for its use.
All council meetings must be pub
/ lie and no ordinance or resolution
granting any franchise for any pur-
pose shall be passed by the council on
the day Of its introduction nor within
! FIVE days thereafter, nor at any other
than regular meeting No resolu-