Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-11-15
CHARTER REFQRMERs ARE
CALLED FOR WEDNESDAY
Committee Will Consider Draft of
Authorized Changes Prepared
by City Attorney.
GOES TO COUNCIL in DECEMBER
Chairman Jones Expresses Satisfac-
ton With Progress Made, and Be-
lievcs Completed Ordinance VIII
BE Reported Next Month.

BE Reported Next Month.
After months vacation. the Coun-
ell Charter Change Committee will re
convene Wednesday night for "a de-
tailed consideration of the reforms that
have already been authorized in gem
cral terms. City Attorney Pollard has
notified Chairman Jones. of the Char
ter Change Committee. that he will
be ready to submit Il draft OF the char
ter amendments any evening this
week. and Mr.. Jones decided yester-
day to call the committee together
Wednesday night.
n Apparently the committee has rati-
fed all the changes for which any
nope of ratification at the hands Of this
body was entertained. Practically
every feature Of the various reform
plans that have been proposed has
been before the committee for it's con-
sideration in one form or another.
Those that have not been ratified have
as to render their approval at this
late date wholly improbable.
ABoIISIIES THREE BOARDS,
PUTTING THEM UNDER MAYOR
The outstanding reform that has re-
!, ceived approval is tho abolition of
the lolice. Fire and Health Boards
and the placing of the deriction Of
| these departments Immediately under
1 the Mayor. Other amendments have
I been recommended, such as the en-
fragment of the Mayors power of re-
moval over all city officials but none
/ is regarded as radical
i In Council circles il is believed that
| tho committee has practically com
! pieted its reform labors. The amend
ments already authorized have not vet
! neen passed upon in their final legal
draft. and considerable time must nee
essarily elapse before the finished char
] ter-reform ordinance can be ready for
/ the Council.
With the General Assembly scheduled
to convene on January les less than
two months remain before the 1916
! Legislative session. While IL is not
essential that the Richmond charter
reform bill be introduced ut the opcn-
j ing of the session, every effort Will
be made to put the bill into the hands
! OF the Richmond delegation as early
! AFTER that as possible. since the fate
OF even uncontested local bills that
are late in getting on the calendar
none too certain.
! CHAIRMAN JONES
STANDS ny COMMITTEE
/ II don't believe the committee Will
rescind any of the amendments il has
ratified said Chairman Jones last
. i'SIl. mere are many amendments
which ! should like TO have had the
committee adopt. but which it refused
10 adopt. Nevertheless. 1 feel that
the sum total of the reforms authorized
by the committee is decided stcp in
the direction Of better government and
Tor that reason l shall stand by what
the committee has adopted, and oppose
any move to backwater
Considering all circumstances
feel that the committee has made sat
isfactory progress. Ii it gets 10 work
promptly now and puts in final legal
form the amendments that have been
authorized. there is plenty OF time to
secure their adoption by the Council
IN time for the introduction of the re-
form bill early in January
| Il don't see why the committees
completed report should not go to the
council in December. In order to do
mat 1t Will be necessary to do consider
able work in the next two or three
weeks. President Peters will call the
+. council in special session the minute
the committees report is ready, and it
VIII receive the same prompt consider
| alton at the hands of the Board OF AL
dermen.
EXPECT FIGHT on
FLOOR Of COUNCIL.
While IL is believed by most members
that the council will eventually sus-
tam the committees recommendations,
n sharp fight on some features of tho
reform program appears certain to de-
NeioD The placing of the Police, Fire
and Health Departments under the
, Mayor is !, radical step which some of
the councllmcn arc not prepared to
take except under the stress of much
persuasion. The reforms were ratified
by divided vote in the committee
and the division of opinion viii in all
probability extend TO the council
1 There is still pending before the
committee the Adams resolution, which
asks the body to recommend the
amendment by the Legislature of the
acts describing how cities of the first
and second class may change their
forms of government in order that the
city OF Richmond may be admitted to
the provisions of the act now applying
only to the city of Norfolk. Under this
enactment the city is given lower to
elect 4 charter commission whose re-
forms may he approved by the General
Assembly direct without the ntcrvcn-
t ton OF the council, and may later be-
come law upon approval by the people.
DOUBT VALIDITY or
OPTIONAL ACT
The Adams resolution. however,
among other things. asks for an
amendment of an act which the City
Attorney regards as of doubtful con-
Il stitutionality, or worse. and the meas
ure was upon the motion Of Council
man Pollock, ut the last meeting laid
on the table to allow the members to
make n full digest of the city Attor-
neys lengthy opinion on the subject.
The charter changes agreed unon by
the committee will be embodied in n
single bill carrying amendments to the
charter now In force. While no time
remains In which to secure an express
sion of the voters before its transmits
sion to the Legislature. il will he en-
tirely regular some authorities believe.
to make part of the reform bill n see
ton providing that the charter
amendments therein carried shall be-
come effective only upon subsequent
ratification by the citys electorate
The regularity of such Il procedure is
questioned by the same element that
entertained doubts as to the regularity
. with which the enabling act was made