New Britain herald., 1919-03-15
HAS CHARTER CHANGE
 TO SETTLE TAX RATE
Corporation Counsel Drafts Amendment Providing For
 Peoples Decision.

Corporation Counsel J. F. Cooper has drafted a proposed charter amend ment which, if passed, will have 8 direct bearing upon the levying of the tax rates in the future and will in effect. put the matter before the people at the polls, rather than at a mass meeting, except that the system will be less complicated than on Wednesday,. Although the hearings on the charter amendments have been
 completed, the committee on cities and burroughs will reopen them next wek for hearings on his amendment which follows:
 Section , of an act amending the charter of the City of New Britain
 approved May 18th, 1917 is amended
 by striking out the last sentence i'll
 said section as follows:
 'Whenever a tax shall be laid by the Common Council of said city un-
 der the next proceeding section a city meeting shall be called within ten
 days thereafter, which may change and revise the estimates which form
 the basis of said tax and said city at
 such meeting may confirm or disap-
 prove the action of said Comm on
 Council in laying said tax and may
 lay and appo Ttion such other or diff
 ferent tax on the ratable estates of
 the city and said taxing districts as
 it may deem proper and the tax laid
 by said city at such meeting shall be
 legal and binding in the ratable es-
 tates of said city,
 And the following section is added
 to said city charter Section 6 A.
 Whenever a tax shall be laid by the
 Common Council of said city the same
 shall be legal and binding, unless
 within ten days after the action of said Common Council in laying salu tax, three hundred electors of said city shall petition in writing for a referendum and shall cause said peti- ton to be lodged within said ten days with the city clerk of said city. With in three days after the lodging of such petition the Mayor, by giving not less than four nor more than seven days notice in some daily newspaper. shall cause such tax to be submitted to the electors of said city at the polls and shall designate the date and the voting places and may require two or more voting districts to vote at the sam 6 , place and shall designate at least four consecutive hours of voting between i a. m. and 8 D. m. on such day.
 | The voting list last made and com = 1 pleted by the registrars shall be the l list of persons entitled to vote upon 1 such referendum Should a majority voting, vote against such tax the ac- 1 tion of the Common Council in laying l such tax shall be thereby rescinded ! and the Common Council shall be re- 1 convened within five days thereafter 1 and shall change and revise the esti- 1 mates and lay and apportion a new 1 tax, which may upon petition be sub ] feet to a further referendum as here l inbefore provided. Whenever the 1 Common Council shall lay 9, tax from l which no referendum is taken within ! the time and in the manner hereinbe- l fore provided, or whenever a tax re I ferred to the electors by such refer l endum is approved by a, majority of , the electors voting. said tax shall be legal and binding upon the ratable and ! districts within said city.