Evening star., 1943-04-12
Charter Draft Offers
Merit System Plan
For Montgomery
Tentative Program Drown
For Study, Suggestions
By Area Residents

BY Area Residents
A preliminary draft of proposed
charter for Montgomery County,
providing for a county manager,
peoples control of legislation,
merit system for county employees
and a nine-man council was made
public today by the Charter Board.
Frederic P. Lee, chairman Of the
Charter Board, said individuals and
organizations in the county will be
given chance to study the pro-
posed charter and to make sugges-
tions before the final draft is sub
mitted to residents on May 3.
Under the provisions of the char
ter, county legislation, heretofore
enacted by the State Legislature,
will be passed by county council
OF nine members.
A county personnel board would
be set up to provide merit system
and civil service for county en-
ployes, and political contributions
or assessments by county officers or
employees would be expressly for
hidden.
Centralizes Purchases.
The charter also provides for CEN
trail purchasing and department
talized government, and a capital
budget and an expense budget de-
signed to give the people of the
county a clear picture of fiscal at
fairs at all times.
Mr.. Lee said the new charter
would limit the borrowing capacity
Of the county to 7 per cent of the
assessable base. He said other pro-
visions are believed by members of
the board to offer possibilities for
substantial savings and economies
in county government.
The charter would give the people
the fullest opportunity for partici-
patton in county affairs, Mr.. Lee
said. All sessions of the legislative
council would be open to the public,
hearings on legislative programs are
required and all proposed laws must
be made available to the public, he
said.
Furthermore, he added, the people,
through the charter, would be in
vited to participate in the prepa-
ration of capital and expense budg-
cts and the county manager would
be required to make public compre-
hensive annual reports on county
affairs.
Would Supersede Board.
While the new charter would
supersede the present Board OF
County Commissioners in the exer-
else of executive functions, Mr.. Lee
pointed out that because Of consti-
tutional considerations the commits
sioners would be continued in Office
during the transition period, with
their base pay, until the end of the
terms for which they were elected
last fall.
The bi-county organizations serv-
ing Montgomery and Prince Georges
Counties, such as the Washington
Suburban Sanitary Commission and
the Maryland-National Capital Park
and Planning Commission, would not
be affected by the charter, Mr.. Lee
said.
After the people Of the county
have had an opportunity to study
and to make suggestions, Mr. Lee
said, "the board will make such re-
visions as appear proper and will
submit the charter in deflnitive form
to the commissioners prior to May
3. Any individual or group will be
given hearing at the boards head
quarters in Rockville.
THE new charter will be voted on
in November, 1914" Mr.. Lee said,
land if adopted will become law 30
days following the election. An elec-
ton of members of the new council
will follow Immediately"
Provides 4-Year Terms.
The charter provides that the
nine-man council will be chosen, one
each from the five commissioner dis
tricts and four from the county at
large. Members will be elected for
four-year terms and will serve with
out compensation, except that S. for
expenses may be paid members for
each meeting, the total not to ex-
ceed $500 for the year.
The council would be vested with
lawmaking powers formerly exer-
cised by the General Assembly but
transferred to the people of the
county by virtue of the charter.
While the council would be en-
powered to make county laws, in
order to safeguard against hasty
legislation and to afford the people
adequate opportunity to express
their will, the charter provides that
no bill shall become law until May
Is following the close of legisla-
tive session, to be held in April of
each year. During that time any
person shall have the right to pc
tition the council in writing and to
appear before it to state his reasons
why any proposed bill should not
become law.
The charter provides that
county manager be chosen by the
council at salary of from $1,000
to $4,000 a year. The manager
would be chief administrative officer
in charge Of all departmental heads.
He also would serve as executive
secretary of the county Personnel
Board.
Includes Six Departments.
Departments created by the char
ter include finance, public works,
education, safety, health and well
fare.
The department of finance would
be under director of finance and
would make property assessments as
well as collect taxes, licenses and
fees and handle all disbursements
of county funds.
The construction and maintenance
of roads, buildings and grounds, as
well as mechanical equipment.
would be conducted by the depart
ment OF public works. which would
operate under director of public
works. and the department of edu-
cation would function under the
immediate direction of the co,,n,v