Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-02-11
CITY CHARTER AMENDMENTS
Ordered into a Bill for Legisla.
tive Action.
Mn y Or's Veto of SheriH's Claim for
Prisoners Board In Sustained md
Suit against the city IL
Probable.

Probable. ,
A long session of the board Of al
dermen was held Monday night at which
much business was transacted. OF
primary Importance was the submits
sion Of the report Of the citizens com
mittee on city charter amendments,
which will radically change the pres
ent form of municipal government.
The report of proposed changes was
made by w. j. Var Patten, chairman
of the committee, who explained in de-
tail what was proposed. The alder
men ooh action by instructing the
city representative to prepare a bill
OF the amendments for legislative ac-
ton, which also includes q provision
that >the proposed amendment shall
be submitted to a referendum of the
people. A large part of the time was
taken up with the bill of Sheriff Allen
for the board of prisoners detained In
jail by legal process In eJectment suits.
Mayor Burke. who recently vetoed a
resolution to pay the bill, argued at
length in support of his action and on
the other side, representing sheriff Al
len. was Attorney r. +. Brown. The
Argument was long and earnest on
both sides and when it was all over
the mayors veto was sustained, the
vote to pay the bill being six for 1t
and five against it, those who voted in
the affirmative being defeated because
they could not muster the eight votes
necessary to pass a resolution over the
mayors veto.
ON CHARTER AMENDMENT.
The aldermanic committee to whom
was referred the matter of charter
~ndm made their report. which
included the amendment suggested at
the last meeting, and In the report
was the statement that the members
had invited a representative of the
citizens committee to appear before
the aldermen on the question of their
proposed amendments.
Mr.. Van Patten was the repre-
sentative and he outlined the changes
! proposed. He said that the commit
tee he represented had worked with a
view primarily to reduce the abuses that
are apt to come to municipalities through
the interest of partisan politics, there
being no reason why the affairs of the
city should be a matter for contention
among the voters divided by lines Of
national political parties. In the methods
Of securing better city government as
practiced by a large number of cities
in the country are included nomination
by petition, doing away with caucuses.
reduction of the number of officers to
be elected, a short ballot, the elimina-
ton of ward boundaries and the eX-
ercise Of increased appointive powers by
the mayor, with the approval of the
hoard of aldermen. Under the proposed
amendments there will be a mayor and
vice-mayor to hold office for two years
each, six aldermen to hold office for
three years each. five school commits
s.oners for five years each. AS there
will be no wards the officers to be elect
ed will be on a general ticket and when
the system is well under way there Will
l be only n very few officers to be voted
J for on the ticket each year. Caucuses
will be eliminated and the candidates
will be placed In nomination by petition
and the preferential rallot will be used
No party designations will he on tbs
! tickets. All the other city officials be
sides those mentioned will be appointed
. by the mayor with the approval Of tn
! aldermen. The amendments propose
provide for a city purchasing AGENT, ant
n mayors power to appoint a woman
police officer, 1t is also proposed tina
the question OF the adoption of thes
II amendments carry with il a provision
II to submit the same to the vote OF tn
n people. Should the amendments b
adopted there will not he time TO hav
o the referendum this spring but it wi
be accomplished before another cleo
ton.
City Representative Charles f. Blacl
who was present at the meeting, sal
IS that to-day was the last day to introduc
bills but that the rule could be suS
pended on consent of the entire Hous
and that body would undoubtedly Civ
attention to the question Of charte
N amendment for Burlington.
IL Alderman Lamson moved that tn
= amendments proposed be Incorporated /
la a bill to be introduced in the Lectslatur
is to carry with it a provision for
referendum lause
In speaking Of what the city needle
" Alderman Dwyer took occasion to ga
ut that Burlington would like I'll chanC
,s TO spend the money il raised 10y taXatio
a more than 1t needed charter amendmen
for when all is paid that the senert
ne law demanded there seemed to be vei
A. little for the city to spend as it please
I'd Alderman Boucher said he did not b
st lieve in the present form of governmel
n. by commission ms practiced in the CT
and thought that the system in practi'
90 years ago here was much better. !
did not believe in the proposition of u
general ticket or the abolition Of ward
for the people. In one part Of the eli
ID. could not know what the people In u
ri, other end wanted. and could not alwa,
ne act intelligently.
The motion of Alderman Lamson W;
adopted. It was voted also to incorpo
n rate the amendments suggested by q
TN aldermanlc committee into n bill.
lE. THE sHERIFF'S BILL.
- The veto of Mayor Burke to the b
of Sheriff Allen for $685. for the boa
40 of prisoners detained in Jail for Il
-, ~non-paymcnt of house rent was read al
~ the mayor explained at length. The b
a. was recently ordered paid by the boar
on the opinion Of City Attorney She
,s man. The mayor said that the city WI
%, not holden for the bill because the pc
-, pie who were being boarded We're not
,or the pauper class He said he had be-
advised by the best legal talent In q
DCity t. that effect. He added that sin
,.- lar bills had been paid in the past throui
a caralass syStem OF r~ailrOading the