The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1913-10-17
City Council on Amendments.

At the October meeting of the muni-
clpal board, certain amendments to the
city charter were proposed and are now
being published as provided by law.
These amendments were proposed
under Sec. 3444 of the Code of 1906,
which prescribes the only method of
amending municipal charters. Under
this section the final determination of
the amendments rests with the voters
of the city, and in the event of a pro-
test filed by one-tenth of the qualified
electors, it is made the duty of the
board to order an election for the pur-
, pose of submitting to the voters the
question, whether the amendments
shall be approved or disapproved.
In view, therefore, of this RESPONSE
bility resting finally on the electors
themselves, we deem it not unwise to |
call their attention to the proposed
changes and some of the reasons on
which they are based The changes
proposed by section 3, as published, are
these:
A reduction of the number of al
dermen to four, instead of six as here
tofOre. By this means l-3 of the sala-
ries paid on this account are cut off,
with no injury done to the city. 1t is
apparent to all familiar with the man.
agement of the city that four aldermen
and the mayor can handle the munich
pal affairs and by the reduction the
amount saved at the present rate, will
be $240 per annum. There is no neces-
sity, moreover, in increasing the salary
of the remaining four, since this office
. is one which should not be sought for
pecuniary gain.
2 Fixing the terms of all offices at
, four instead of two years. By this
, change we take merely the same term
, which would apply to US, as with all
. cities, under the code, and with saw
e ing of the biennial election.
8 3 Divorcing the Office of marshal
Y from that of assessor and collector of
j taxes. Under the present system the
t major part of the marshal's time is re-
s quired in the office. and necessarily,
t therefore the duties appertaining to the
u Office of marshal must be neglected.
k This is true because necessity require
it, and no one man can fill well and
i with the best results from both branch
/ es the Office of marshal and tax asses
= sor and collector at the same time. The
e latter, being Of the more Importance,
/, necessarily to certain extent has alb
l. sorbed the former, until it has ap
l. peared to be wise and proper that the
e two duties be separated and performed
a by different men. This change vii
e bring about reduction, in this, thai
It the salaries to be paid to the two mer
ly the marshal and the assessor and col
k lector of taxes-will be considerab.,
sr less than is now being paid to the mar
shal under the old system.
ie Providing for the appointment o
In .,,.,, <~q 1f H., n,+
IS as is now the case with some of them
al Instead, therefore, of electing the mar
re shal, recorder, etc as heretofore, thi
v. change proposes to take these office
entirely out of politics, as they shoul
be. By this means, it is highly proba
BILE that we shall secure more efficien
service. Not necessarily more etficien
IS employees, but better service on &C
g., count of the complete absence of a
~ politics from the office. At the sam
"a, time, these officers and employees ar
~ w. not taken beyond the control of tn
IL voters. nor are the aldermen veste
:, with authority whereby they nigh
ri were they so inclined, to disregard tn
:" wishes of the electors. The vesting {
n this appointing system is, under tn
i0 amendent, entirely conditional upon tn
N approval of the people, and the lattt
'"' relinquish no right to control either tt
employees themselves nor the Officer
!. appointing them. In other words,
the event of petition by l3 of II
electors, it will become the duty of Il
to board to remove the Objectionable o
GER, or submit the matter of his appr
val to the voters at an election, thu
ere leaving it, at all times, optional wi
the people as to whether the men a
pointed by the board shall serve or nc
This plan is not original with the OF
GERS of your city, nor novel one
this state, since it was suggested
the commission form of governme
provided by your legislature of l9l
u under which some of our cities are nc
operating. There has not yet be-
presented petition for us to take
the commission form, but there Wa
and probably is now, petition sign
by enough voters to require an elect
es under that system. 1t occurs to
that the proposed amendments we
better than the form of governme
provided for by the Act; but the peop
ed after all, must determine whether t
change be made, and if so, in WI
way.
We believe that under the eropos
change there should be saving to
city of a considerable sum of mon
each year in salaries, estimated at
5OO If the city can be saved so nut
and if the people desire that this
DONE it would be gratifying to
present administration to make
Z. change. If the people are satisf
with the present system and desire
change, or not the proposed change,
can not be forced upon them. At 6
TO rate, there should be no desire save
,;tis act for the best interest of the city {
ines the whole people, Whatever is dt
roin should be done with an eye single to
a a welfare of the commonwealth. e'
her. though it will personally cut
led. some OF the present aioer'hei'
,eu- In respect to Sec. II, there is an
hat tirely new section proposed in or
m a that the city may pay, dollar for {
mo- Ior of all times 1.-THE salaries of tea