Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1910-03-04
Citizens Reasonably Certain OF
Getting Charter.

Unless an unexpected obstacle should b,
encountered in the Maryland Legislature
Chevy Chase. it is stated, may be an in
corporated town the first Monday in Jun,
next. A bill has been drafted with thi,
end in view, and it is now at ANNAPOLIS
IN the hands of the Montgomery county
delegation, headed by Senator Blair Lee
and some of the citizens of Chevy Chase
understand that the members of the dele
CATION have expressed the intention to re.
qulre only few minor changes in the bill
before recommending it for enactment. II
this be so, and if there is no interruption
to the established custom at the State
capitol of facilitating the passage of leeis-
lation which has the approval of the men,
bers Of the delegation from the county to
be affected, it is declared, then Chevy Chase
is assured of its charter.
According to the provisions of the pend
ing bill, Chevy Chase will have its first
election on the first Monday in June, and
the officers chosen at that time will take
Office Immediately, and thus effect the Or
ganization of the town.
simultaneously the municipality will
sever most of the links which now make
it an integral part of Montgomery county.
The most important point of ALL and the
real issue for which the citizens of the
townlet have been contending, lies in the
right which will be afforded them of fixing
and collecting their own taxes, and of ap-
plying the proceeds to the maintenance
and extension of civic improvements.
The contest for and against town char
ter was waged quite warmly at Chevy Chase
Tor several weeks. and variety of projects
have been put forward in lieu of the pro-
posed Incorporation. Always the question
OF the boundaries of the municipality has
been debated and practically general op-
position was expressed to admitting into
the town one or two of the newer subdi-
visions in the neighborhood which did
not have written into their property deeds
the same building restrictions which have
operated to give uniform and symmetri-
cal development to the property of the
original Chevy Chase Land Company.
Finally majority of the citizens agreed
that the town limits should be the same
as those laid down by the Chevy Chase
Land Company. and the bill which is now
in the hands of the Montgomery county
delegation at Annapolis is so drawn.
Leaders in the movement to secure the
Incorporation declare that large majority
of the citizens were in favor of the project,
and that this fact alone was sufficient to
secure its cOnsummation. One of the final
efforts of those who have stood out in op-
position to the securing of charter was
the publication of a statement that an
agreement had been reached whereby
Chevy Chase would not be incorporated
during this session of the legislature, but
that it would be made a special taxing dis
trlct in Montgomery county. By the terms
of this plan it was intended that all the
proceeds of special tax levied within the
section would be returned to the citizens
association of Chevy Chase to be devoted
to improvements of municipal nature
thus obviating the necessity of continuous
pleas to the county authorities for special
appropriations from the general funds of
the county
1t is understood that this plan was de-
feated finally because its advocates could
not agree among themselves as to the rate
to be fixed for the special Chevy Chase tax.