Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1917-03-15
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

March 9tn., l9lf,
To the Honorable City Council, Alex
andria, Virginia.
Gentlemen:--I am returning with
out approval can ordinance to pro-
vide for the revision, codifcation, and
indexing, with suitable marginal cita-
tions and references, of the laws Of
the City of Alexandria; to provide
for the supervision and control of the
work by the Committee on General
Laws; authorizing and empowering
the said Committee to employ legal
and clerical assistance; and to appro-
pirate the necessary funds for said,
work"
NV reason for returning the Or
dinance is that section 90 three i'm
poses upon the Mayor and Auditor
the procuring and furnishing infor-
nation for the Committee on General
Laws, which is no part of the duties
of the Mayor and Auditor.
As a preface to what may here
matter state, will quote in part
from section (5) five of the City Char
ter, as follows, "The Clerk of each
branch of the City Council shall re-
cord in book to be kept by him for
the purpose, all the proceedings Of
his branch, and shall deliver a copy
of them to the public printer, or pub
lie printers, to be published for The
information of the people; and the
Clerk of the Common Council shall
also record in book to be kept for
that purpose all the laws of the cor
poration, and shall furnish copy of
every law for publication as afore-
said" This Charter provision is a
State law, not Council resolution,
act or ordinance and perchance es-
caped the observation of the COM
mittee on General Laws. The Mayor
only has such leaflets or pamphlets
of law and etc., as he found IN his
office when he assumed it's duties, and
those printed in 1918, The Auditor
has the laws as they were printed
from time to time to May l3, 1913,
but they. are his personal property,
given to Shim by the clerks OF Coun-
eli as these same laws in discon-
nected way were given to others. Inc
Auditor has preserved his leaflets
and other copies ,of laws, and will II
requested, no doubt, allow their use
by:. the proper person or persons. III
conversation with me he quite ma
turally advances the opinion that ne
is in no way associated officially with
the passage, approval, publication or
enforcement of these laws, and IN
addition as the Committee on Gen,
eral Laws is to employ legal and
clerical talent as associates in their
work for which an appropriation OF
(SsOO.OO) eight hundred dollars is
to be available, those charged win
such duties should furnish the data.
| in as much rs section t3) three, OF
| the ordinance requires "The Mayor
of the City and the Auditor of Public
| Accounts shall furnish<to each mem.
her of the Committee such copies of
! the several codes of the city and OF
/ the ordinances and joint resolutions
of the City Council as they may need
| in the prosecution of their work y,
Il only remains for me to say the sec
| tion is Objectionable to the Mayor
| and he returns the ordinance without
approval in order that section 81
| three be eliminated, and the ordn'
ance AGAIN passed imposing the work
entirely upon those who are to be
compensated for doing it, and thus
] imposing no obligations upon the twe
offices to which have referred ant
\ Who are not custodians of the paper;
l of the City Council.
Very respectfully,
THOMAS A. FISHER, Mayor