Daily Kennebec journal., 1916-02-21

SuSLd City Charter 10 Ue VOIcO oAA q
the coming city election. as follows:
Sec. /. Changes city election from
second Monday Of March to second
Monday Of December and
Changes beginning Of municipal year
from third Monday of March to first
Monday Of January.
Other provisions Of this section
merely have the effect Of harmonizing
it with the biennial election program
in case Section shall be adopted.
Sec. .. Changes from annual to
biennial city elections and provides Tor
tenure of Office accordingly.
Other provisions Of this section
merely harmonic it with date OK
holding election according to whether
Section 1 be adopted or rejected.
Sec. 3. Makes the Mayors salary
$1,000 a year.
Sec. 4. Gives the Mayor the power
to appoint the city officers to hold Of
flee during term for which the Mayor
is elected. except that the two COM
missioners of streets ana overseer of
the poor are TO be appointed for three
year terms, and one assessor TO be ap-
pointed each year for a three-year
| term.
| Gives the Mayor power to remove
citv officers for cause, and to I'LL va
cancies.
Last sentence Of this section merely
provides for harmonizing 1t on the
matter of street commissioner in case
Section shall be adopted and thereby
establish one street commissioner Tor
the entire city.
Soc :. Substitutes one street com
missioner for the entire city in place
of the two present commissioners VI
streets for the eastern and western
districts respectively.
Reuuires the street commissioner 70
be q trained road builder. Fixes MS
salary at $4,000 year-for the on
! commissioner. Tenure Of office to De
three wears subject to removal by the
Mayor for cause.
Sec. 6. Directs that the first hve
sections be submitted to the lesa'
voters of Augusta, at the coming city
election in such manner that each
section shall be voted on separately
and that such, if any, OF the sectlohs
as receive more favorable than uh
favorable votes shall be deemed u
have been adopted and shail take el-
feet. while such, if any, OF the sec
tions as are not thus adopted shail pe
void and OF no effect
Each of these five sections is sepaf
ate. independent and complete IN am
of itself, so that any one alone or ahs
combination Of them, may pc auop'eo
nv rejected without producing any
conflict or Inconsistency in the result
Some Reasons Why the PROPOSED
Amendments Should Be Adopted
At present most of the city o'l'ceiS
are elected annually by the aldermen
and councilmen in joint conven'ioii'
hut one assessor is SO elected eaci
year for threeyear term.
Under the charter in it's presen'
form the Mayor and Aldermen annual
" appoint the superintendent OF puiy
ing grounds and some other minor VI
ficers: and the Mayor once IN three
wears appoints the overseer OF the poor
for a three-year term.
We shall elect mayor and alder
men and councilmen this comihs
spring on the second Monoa! =. :.
March, the same as heretofore put II
section /, changing the date Tor 1utui.
c;+v elections to December, is adopted
we shall have a city election on the
second Monday Of next December &c
a,ec+ a new mayor and aldermen anC
councilmen to be indicted into onlce
on the first Monday of January l9i'
to succeed the city government elec.
ed this coming March. This Wouio
shorten the term of Office OF those
elected in March only about t"e
months and is unavoidable if we are te
change the beginning Of the municipal
wear from March to January, "hlcn y
The approved practice in other states
land has been adopted by the CITY @
Portland with highly satisfactory re
suits.
Resides the propriety and con
yenience of having the munlclpal yea'
coincide with the calendar year tn'
lchanee would be of important practl'
cal benefit. The law Of the state re-
nuires that municipal taxes be as
sessed in the spring, as Of the first day
~ Anril. and the assessment is baset
4 on ana mas " So'Si e"S >>HF-
tions made in the spring to provio'
funds for the ensuing twelve months
Under our present charter require
ments a new city government come;
into office each year on the third Wed
nesday of March, and Immediately haE
to wrestle with the big problems O
appropriations and tax rate Tor the
year without having sufficient time fo'
due consideration Of these lmportan'
questions. By having the city electlor
in December and beginning the NUM-
cipal year in January each new mayor
and new city government Will have
three months time to tamlllarize
themselves with the financial condl-
4 ton and needs Of the city and OF III
various departments before MAKING
the annual appropriations. The ad'
vantage Of this can be seen at
glance, and it would seem that there
can be no possible objection to the
adoption Of section one.
If section two is adopted it will givf
us biennial instead Of annual city
elections, which is in accord with the
tendency Of the times toward less ire
quent elections so not to keep the
political pot incessantly boiling, but
give the people a chance to think Of
of3 yolO M