Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-07-22
FEE ABOLITION BILL.
COVERING ALL. JOBS
SLATED FOR HOUSE

A bill to abolish the fee system
OF paying Fulton county officials
and substitute a system of salaries
to be fixed by the Fulton county
board OF commissioners, will be in
troduced in the Georgia house of
representatives Monday by Miss Bes-
sic kempton, of the Fulton delega-
ton, according to an. announcement
made by Miss Kempton Saturday.
The bill will affect every sofficial
in the county except the solicitor
general of the Fulton superior court,
a state officer, and another bill COW
ering that office will be introduced
at a later date, Miss Kempton said.
No salaries are fixed IN the bill,
the amount of each being left to
the discretion of the board Of coun-
ty commissioners.
Miss Kempton introduced bill
last week providing for the placing
of the officials of the Atlanta Grim
inal court upon a salary basis, and
providing that the solicitor of that
court should receive at least $4,000
per year, an assistant solicitor ST.
500, the clerk $1,000 and the sheriff
$4,000. This bill will be withdrawn,
Miss Kempton said, and replaced by
the new bill.
Il have had submitted to me a
bill providing salaries of 1900 each
for the various officials of Fulton
county, but I don't believe all the
officials should be paid the same
amount" Miss Kempton stated.
Some Of them do more work than
| others, and the duties OF some re-
quire more than the duties of others.
For these reasons it is my opinion
| that the fixing of the salaries
should be left entirely to the board
! of county commissioners, who are
familiar with the duties of the va
rious offices and the services re-
| quired of the officials"
] The bill Miss Kempton has drawn
, applies only to counties with pOpula-
! tons of more than 100000, and
! therefore would affect Fulton county
only. 1t covers the clerk of the SUI
! perior court, the sheriff, the tax col
| Iector, the tax receiver. the ordinary,
city courts who have been paid fees
in the past. 1t provides for the pay
ment Of all moneys into the county
treasury and withdrawal only by
! county warrants.
Il am of the opinion that the bill
| I have prepared will save the tax
payers of Fulton county at least
! 100000 per annum, and l will do
h iI1o- Gnp11rh
its passage" Miss Kempton stated.
Il have not discussed the matter
with my Fulton county colleagues,
and do not know whether they will
join me in the authorship of the bill.
but [ feel certain that they will sup
port it, since the voters of Fulton
| county have gone on record by an
overwhelming majority as being in
| favor of the adjustment Of the fee
system and the adoption of the sal
| airy system in paying county Off
! Gals"
1t is known that there has been
| agitation for adjustment of the fee
! system in DeKalb, Chatham, Bibb,
! Muscogee, Floyd and other of the
more heavily populated counties of the
state, and similar bills by representa-
| tives of these counties are expected,
when Fulton county takes the lead.
! At the election of county officials
in March. the question of the aboli-
| ton Of the fee system was submitted
/ to the voters of Fulton county. The
vote was 1924 for the substitution
of the salary system, to 1,751 for the
retention of the fee system, putting
| the people of the county on record
against the fee system by almost ten
| to one