Semi-weekly herald., 1911-11-23
CHARTER
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Bushes Men Claim City is
in No Financial Condi-
tion for Change

City council met last night in regu
lar session. Present-Mayor Hooe
and Aldermen Jarvis, Hanno, Wertin
Wingate, Owen, Meuser and O'Dris.
coll. The only absentee being Alder.
man Logan.
The minutes of the regular meet
ings of Oct. II and Nov. 7 and the
regular adjourned meetings of Oct
10, "a and 80 were read and declared
approved.
The following petitions for licenses
were presented and read and upon
motion granted: Durango Motor Car
company, one garage license; United
Theater company, theater license. A
petition from Frank Underhill asking
for reduction in the water rate for
his lunch counter was referred to
the fire and water committee with
power to act.
The following petition signed by
fifty-nine taxpayers received exhaust
i've consideration:
TO the Honorable Mayor and City
Council of the City of Durango:
Your petitioners, residents and
taxpayers of the city of Durango, re-
spectfully petition your honorable
body to defer action on the so-called
charter or commission form of gov
ernment for the following reasons:
81. The commission form of gov
ernment is only an experiment so far.
and we do not desire to incur the ex-
pense of accepting a form of city gov
ernment that may, and probably will,
prove no better than the present form.
Y. Owing to the damage OCCASION
ed by the late flood county taxes must
necessarily be increased and all city
funds are needed to put in repairing
the bridges and streets of our city
and repairing our pipe line, and any
raise in the city taxes would be, es-
pecially at this time, very undesira-
BILE.
"3. The contemplated change to a
charter or commission form of gov
ernment would entail an expense upon
the city which must of necessity cause
an increase in the rate of taxation
for city purposes and this in view of
the contemplated and necessary raise
in county taxes, the present condi-
tions in our city, the contemplated
shutting down of the smelter, thus
throwing many men out of employ
ment, and the expected dull times in
our city for some months to come,
render this matter to be avoided if
possible, and we protest against any
increase in the rate of city tax, that
is not rendered absolutely necessary
in order to meet the existing condi-
tions.
"A. There is nothing in the present
condition of our city government de-
manding any change. Our city af-
fairs are being economically and well
administered, and we can see no ne
cessity for any change, and we believe
that if the people of this city were
given another opportunity to express
their views through the ballot box,
the vote would be overwhelmingly
against any change in the present
form of our city government.
I'm view of these considerations, we
ask your honorable body
to take no further action in regard to
establishing commission or charter
form of government until the people
of the city may have an opportunity
at the next election to express their
views again on this subject when we
feel confident that the taxpayers and
voters of this city will emphatically
say that they do not want change,
and your petitioners will ever pray.
"F. R. Graham.
Harry Jackson.
Charles H. Snyder.
Mrs. C. H. Snyder.
"W. T. Darlington.
"F. II. Rivers.
"Rowe N. Pingrey.
Nancy ]. Pingrey.
"R. E. Sloan.
John Gilbert
IN. T. Thomson.
Charles E. Stilwell.
20. F. Boyle.
John Morlock.
Henry G. Berri.
"A. P. Camp.
81. L. Mcneil.
civilian P. Vale.
tx. A. Gagg.
"W. F. Weightman.
&c. G. Goodman.
"Ahred M. Camp.
"W. H. C. Folsom.
~. l.. Parsons.
David johnson.
&c. E. Tiffany jr.
morris ]. Stein.