Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1906-10-26
BRArrLEBoRo, FRIDAY. OCT: 90. 1905
VILLAGE CHARTER AMENDMENT.

The proposed amendment TO the VII
lare charter introduced in the legls-
lature last week by Representative Glib
son is published in full elsewhere IN
The Reformer and will doubtless be
read with care by all interested in the
local water question. The amendment
pertains entirely to village ownership
and control of a water system and ITS
introduction is pursuant to the resolu-
ton adopted at the last special village
meeting. The bill has been referred to
the committee on municipal corporations
and hearing on the bill will probably
be given next week. There is no doubt
that every taxpayer in the village be-
lieves that sufficient power should be
delegated the village to enable 1t 10
acquire a water system if such is the
wish of the majority of the voters.
There are some features of Mr.. Gibson
hill however, which need discussion.
Section gives the village the right to
elect water board of not more than IL
or less than five members, which shall
have power subject to the control OF
the corporation to install a water sys-
fem. This is well if the people of the
village are satisfied that such plan is
better than leaving the matter to the
bailiffs. But further along in the sec
tion we find that "the votes taken by
said village at its meeting held Jan. III,
1906, are hereby legalized, and SAID
water board then elected shall remain
in office as such until their duties are
performed and completed or their sue
cessors are elected Is this wise
plan? Is it reasonable to ask the legls-
lature to legalize actions taken with the
knowledge that they were illegal and IN
the face of strongly made cbjectionsf
We think not. There is doubt, more
over, whether the legislature has any
constitutional right to put the present
water board in power. The legislature
may create an office, but it is not Gus
tomarv. to say the least, for it to say
who shall be the officer
In section 16 it is provided that any
action taken under the provisions of the
act or relating to matters therein set
forth shall be by vote of the majority
of the legal voters of the village pres
ent and voting at meeting duly
warned and holden, This, of course,
gives the village the power to decide as
to what shall be done toward municipal
ownership, but it does not allow the
voters an opportunity to say whether
the power delegated Ay the charter to
the village, its baiiffs and water board
is what is wanted. When, III 1876,
bill was first introduced in the legls-
lature amending the village charter IN
regard to municipal ownership OF a
water system. the committee on cor
porations would not report it favorably
until the following clause was intro
duced: "This act shall not take effect
until accepted by said village by ma
iority of the legal voters of said village
at a meeting duly warned and holden
for that purpose, nor until assent there
to in writing of persons representing a
majority of the grand list of said vii
lage shall have been obtained. Amend
ing a village charter is highly i'm
portant proceeding, especially when
such amendment gives the village the
right to bond itself to the extent OF
100000. 1t is not enough that the citi-
zens ask for such legislation. They
should be given the right to decide on
it's acceptance or rejection after. the
exact scope of its power is put before
them.