Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1929-03-15

Broader powers winch they may exercise
for the improvement Of the town are given
the mayor and council Of the town of
Gaithersburg in a bill introduced in the
Maryland House of Delegates last Friday.
The proposed law. which takes the form
Of amendments to the present town char
ter, and some additions. would give the
town fathers authority to provide for the
improvement Of streets. sidewalks and gut
tiers. whereas now they have only author
ity to establish streets. 1t also would
remove the fixed limitation the amount
of money which can be borrowed by the
town for public Improvements, and makes
il flexible on the basis of a percentage Of
the assessed valuation of real property.
Whereas the town officials are now
limited to $4,000 In the amount Of money
VIII oh they may borrow for public i'm
provements. the proposed change would
make the amount not to exceed per cent
of the assessed valuation of real property.
The present charter fixes a minimum
amount which can be borrowed at $3.50.
and the proposed new law would make it
not less than one-twentieth of the amount
Of the Indebtedness.
A section Of the charter gives the OFF,
Gals authority to assess the cost Of opening.
repairing. widening. extending or improv-
ing sidewalks in whole or in part against
the abutting property owners, which the
town officials may collect either before or
after the work is done. However, an owner
il given the right to elect to pay the total
assessment in five annual installments. the
deferred payments to bear interest at 8
per cent. But. before any such assess
ment is to be made against the abutting
property owners, the officials must give 10
days notice by publication, prior to the
passage of an ordinance for this purpose,
and give any owner the right to be heard.
Any decision of the mayor and council in
this respect may be appealed to the circuit
court for Montgomery county and the issue
to be tried by a jury. Provision is made
for further appeal to the Court of Appeals
of Maryland.
Another amendment provides that the
two members Of the town council elected
in 1928 shall serve their four-year terms
from the first Monday in June, 1928. and
the two to be elected at the election on
the first Monday in May. 1880. shall serve
four years from the LIST of June Of that
year.
A new section to the charter provides
that the mayor and couLcil must furnish
the election registrars with a book in
which to register voters and supply a
place where they may sit. II is provided
also that the registrars must give at least
two weeks notice by publication Of the time
and place for their sittings. Another pro-
vision would make il mandatory that reg
! istrations be held on the last Monday In
March or the first Monday in April OF
each election year. but for the con-
venience Of the citizens Of the town the
mayor may appoint another day.
Ii ID made mandatory on the registrars
10 another new section proposed to record
the names Of all persons WIN appear and
make application. together with such in
formation as the mayor and council may
by ordinance require. They would also
be compelled to strike of the names Of all
deceased persons and those who have
moved or remained absent from the town
Tor a period Of six consecutive months
except those who are charged on the books
as taxpayers Provision also is made fo1
those aegrieved by any decision Of the
registrars to appeal to the circuit court foI
Montgomery county, which is given fna
Jurisdiction.