The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-04-18
Proposed Changes
In City Cha ter
To Be Asked
OF Legislature

To the Editor Of the Evening Tele
gram:
/ At the request Of the City Commits
son l am giving you herewith a re-
sumo Of the important changes to be
made in the City Charter of tho City
OF Lakeland, copy of which is now
on file with each newspaper and at
our Office for inspection. The Char
ter will be presented next week to
the Legislature for its passage
Therefore any citizen interested
enough to make suggestions can do
30 before its passage.
The new Charter substantially is a
copy of the old Charter of the CITY of
Lakeland and does not change fun
damentally the government Of the
City in any respect.
The Commission form Of govern
ment is retained, with one Commits
sioner from each ward and one Com
missioner at Large, elected as a.
present and with the same titles, ex-
cepting the name Of the Commissioner
Of Public improvements is changed to
the Commissioner of Streets.
The Office Of the Tax Assessor and
Treasurer. the office of the Clerk and
Collector, and the office of the NUM-
cipal Judge are made elective in
stead of appointive as at present.
The most fundamental change in
the Charter is the method Of the col
LEGION Of taxes. The method Of levy
ing taxes is made very simple, and il
is made optional as to whether the
city shall collect the same by suit or
by advertisement. The chief object
ton to the collection of taxes by suit,
towit-that 1t would involve the city
In a very great number Of suits in
the collection Of taxes and impose
upon delinquent taxpayers heavy
costs and expenses, has been clint
mated in the new Charter in that II
gives the city the option of collecting
all Of the taxes in one or more suits.
making several or all of the aelin :.
luent taxpayers parties to one suit.
and allowing the City Marshal to
serve the summonses in the suit. The
City Charter further gives the Judge
Of the Circuit Court the right to
make final DEGREES in regard 10 each
piece Of property without waiting for
final adjudication in all matters in
Volved in the suit. After property IL
put up and sold under this process,
he delinquent taxpayer still has one
year to redeem It in, and upon fail
ire so to do the title becomes perfect
ID in tho person purchasing the
property at the special masters sale. |
This was the best remedy that we
'ould devise for the effective collec
Ion Of taxes without imposing upon
he taxpayers in the city of Lakeland
tremendous burden of attorneys
ees and court costs upon failure to |
'ay taxes. and 1t is our judgment that
{ will prove an effective method of
SELECTING taxes. Under this process
,arties will either have to pay their
axes or ultimately lose their prop !,
,rty.
The Charter also gives the right to
he City Commission, II 1t 30 desires, I
o collect taxes which are already !
wed to the city under this method.
o that thousands of dollars of taxes
low owed to the city can be collected
s soon as the Charter passes.
Under this method, the costs Of any
uit will be prorated among the par.
les defendant to the suit.
The City Charter also gives the
light to the City Commission u com.
el public utilities to comply with
he terms of their Charter either by
rrrender of their Charter or by the
IMPOSITION Of penalties, or to force
hem to sell their holdings In the city.
1t limits the power of the City Com
1issioners to incur an indebtedness
I more than twenty-five per cent. of
ne property valuation of the city.
Which In our judgment is a wise lin
tation, as there should be some limit
pom the Indebtedness a city can in
ur.
1t requires budget and will place
he city finances upon the budget
asis, and limit the appropriations to
e made by the budget made by the
lily Commissioners.
II eliminates the costly and unnec.
ssary expense of advertising All tho