The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1926-03-18

tire Charter Commission organized at
the Community Club rooms Thursday
evening of last week by electing
Gunther Hillerud temporary chair
man and Mrs. Emma Moynihan tenn
porary secretary. Later a perma-
nent organization was effected by
electing John McGibbon permanent
chairman and Mrs. Moynihan per-
manent secretary.
1t developed early that the Com
mission were intent on thoroughly
considering every section of the pres
ent charter with the idea of strength
ening the weak places which eight
years of use had brought to light.
The Commission was appointed pri-
marily to submit to the voters the
following amendment to replace Sec
ton "a of Chapter XII of the present
charter.
To the Board of Freeholders of the
City of Sank Centre, duly ap-
pointed by the judges of the Dis
trict Court in and for the Seventh
Judicial District of Minnesota,
pursuant to the provisions of
Section SO of Article w of the
Constitution of the State of Min
nesota and the laws enacted pur-
suant thereto:
Your undersigned petitioners, being
more than five per cent of the voters
of the City of Sank Centre, Mime
sofa, hereby petition your honorable
board to propose for amendment to
the City Charter of said City of Sank
Centre and to submit to an election
of the voters of said city, an amend
ment, providing in substances, as fol-
lows:
1. That Section "a of Article XII
of said Charter be stricken out, re-
pealed and annuled.
2. That the lieu of said Section
81, a section to be known as Section
ga be inserted and enacted providing,
(a) for the election of the members
of the Water, Light and Power Com
mission of the City of Sank Centre
by a majority vote of the voters of
said city at it's general elections, (b)
for the election of each member of
said commission upon the expiration
of his term of office to which he has
been appointed by the District Court
of Stearns County, Minnesota, at the
general election of said city next aft
ter the expiration of his respective
term, (c) that the term of office Of
each member of said commission
shall be three years, (d) for the fill
ing of vacancies in said commission
by appointment by the mayor of
said city by and with the consent of
the council, for said city for the ex-
piration of the term of office so va
Gated, (e) for the taking of the oath
provided by law by each member of
the commission before entering upon
his duties.
8. That the commission serving
the last year of his three year term
shall be president of the commission
during that year. -
4. That the said amendment take
effect from and after it's having been
favorably voted upon as provided by
law.
5. That prompt action be taken
by said Board of Freeholders in or
der that the said amendment may be
submitted at the general election OF
said City of Sank Centre to be held
on April 9Th, 1926.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, we have
hereto subscribed our names at the
City of Sank Centre, Minnesota, this
day of March, 1926.
(Signed by LAG voters J
The petition for this amendment
was signed by LAG Of the voters Of
the city. The Charter provides that
when five per cent of the voters pc
tition for an amendment TO the Chart
er said amendment must be subrnitted
to the people.
Section ga of the present Caa.1cr
provides for the appointment of the
members of the Water, Light and
Fower Commission for three year
terms by the judges of this Ja iiclal
Di<.,ict. The object of he amcnd-
n.ent of course is to bring the cam
troll of the voters.
The Herald understands that when
the charter was drawn eight years
ago the trainers felt, after investi-
CATION of commissions in several cit
les that the best results could be OBJ
tanned by removing the commission
as far away from politics as posi-
BILE, hence the delegating of the APP
pointive power to District Court
Judges.
Chairman McGibbon appointed a
committee consisting of L. l.. Kells,
J. F. Cooper, v. G. Wedge, Asa M.
Wallace and Miss Esther Sprague to
whip the amendment in shape to be
presented to the council. Under the
law the Commission must retain the
salient points of the amendment COW
cred by the petition.
The actual work of organizing the
Commission was delayed for several
days because all of the Commission
appointed had not qualified.
L. L. Kells explained to the Com
mission his reasons for refusing to
qualify as member of the Commits
sion on Wednesday, March 3rd. He
said that on that evening he was adj
vised by the Mayor of his appoint
ment on the Commission and was
asked to qualify so that a proposed
to the Charter could be-