Bisbee daily review., 1907-02-21
rHg NEW cHARTER IpgA.


 A bill for the provision Of a new form of charter for Arizona cities is said to be incubatins in the legislature Its provisions are not yet announced but the aim of the reyisionists is said to be the establishment of n uniform charter. undor which all cities of . certain population may opera.e. says inc Tucson Citizen
 The expansion Of many of the smaller towns to the city estate has caused them 10 outgrow the charters which were found adequate for the conduct of village government This Is notably the case with Disbee, Doug laA and Phoenix. In Tucson the llmi tations of our prosent charter are also felt ln some degree
 As an Instance, the juriFdietlon of justices of the peace while quite properly extended over rural dis trlet or small village. h not proper tor city ot ncar'na twenty tta.. and. The fee bills which do no, amount to a large total in sparEely sattled district become very consid- erable item in city. The majority of cases now coming before the jus. tices' courts should come before salaried magistrate or police judge The duties of such official should be separated from those of the city clerk.
 Mayors and councilmen in cities of twenty thousand should receive ade. quate compensation and should dc. vote a considerable part Of their time to the city's business. Separate assessment for city and county taxes should be made.
 In this connection 1t would be well for the lawmakers to look into the commission government" plan which is meeting with great success in Tex. as. The idea originated in Galveston shortly after the great disaster which laid that city low and it's successful operation is cause for its having been adopted by San Antonio. Fort Worth and other cities. El Paso has under consideration the plan. Its main de- parture from the old idea is the sub gtituting of commission of, in Gal weston. three members comprising the mayor and two commissioners for the time honored board of aldermen or councilmen. The commissioners are elected "at large" instead of from certain wards and are each in charge of certain branches of the city's af. fairs. with power to make appoint ment of officials and employees in their department They thus become directly responsible to the eatire body Of voters for the conduct Of their department. A man who serves the city we'll as commissioner of sew. terage, streets snd water may be re- tsIned in office while another who in. cTectually adralaisters the depart. meHt Of iicenaeS may be recalled and better man substituted in his stead. [ This plan is in effect the organiza- tica of city government upon the bas- is which private @baslnsss- affairs are administered. IL contemplates put ting efficient men in charge of the city's business. paying them remuner- ative salaries and getting from them the same quality of service which a private corporation demands.
 | Other elective officers are police magistrates, assessors and in some in- stances, meter inspectors charged with the duties of safeguarding the interest of the public from unjust or extortionate charges for water, cleo tricity or gas, where those utilities are controlled by private corpora tions.
 This plan or a modification of 1t may be found to fit well our condi- tions and the consideration thereof will be advantageous to the framers ! of tha proDosed charter legislation.