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Arlington S Charter ,
LEGISLATION Amended !;
Final Action Nears
By Alex R. Preston
Stor StoH Ccrrespondept

Stor Stof Correspondent
RICHMOND, Va, Mar. AR
lington County charter legislation
providing for incorporation of the
county as city of the first class is
slated for action by the House of
Delegates this afternoon.
Committee amendments have been
added to require the holding of elec-
tions for proposed City Council on
the second Tuesday in June, instead
of November, in accordance with the
general practice for other munich
palities. If a referendum on the
election of a School Board carries,
1t will be selected during the voting
for councilmen.
Amendments also provide that
councilmen would begin their four
year terms on July next succeed
ing their election, and members of
the School Board would begin their
terms on August l next succeeding
their election. Provision is made
for the later date for School Board
members terms to begin in the event
a referendum calling for their cleo
ton fails and they are appointed
by the City Council instead.
Elections Assured.
That section of the proposed char
ter submitted by the special COM
mission in Arlington which pro-
hibited election of city officials in
1947 and 1948 has been stricken out
by the committee.
BY changing the entire local elec-
ton schedule from November until
June-such as is followed in other
municipalities way is left open
for incorporation in this or in any
succeeding year, with assurance that
an election of city officials follows
within a relatively short time.
This will more nearly meet the
requests of some of an Arlington
County delegation which appeared
before the House Committee on
Counties, Cities and Towns last week
and asked that an election of city
officials be held not more than 100
days after incorporation.
Also, by eliminating the prohibi-
ton against local elections in 1947
and 1948, there is no opportunity for
members of the present county board
being held over automatically.
Holdovers Form Problem.
The committee failed to clear up
a question in connection with one
section of the charter raised at last
weeks hearing by H. H. Howe, newly
announced candidate for county
board.
Under provisions of the charter,
members of the present County
Board in Office as of December 81
of the year in which residents vote
to become city, would automat-
ically become members of the City
Council on January /. Thus, Mr..
Howe contended, he might be elected
this fall and the referendum to
incorporate might carry, but by pro-
visions of the charter, the defeated
candidate might hold over on the
City Council by virtue of the fact
that he had been a member of the
County Board on December 81. Mr..
Howe said he believed this was not
the intention of the trainers of the
city plan and the matter is being
studied here.
With respect to requests for nom
partisan elections, it was pointed
out that changing the local elections
from November to June leaves the
way open for agreement on this,
since it was obvious the delegation
desired nonpartiSan elections in con-
nection with local government only
Partisan principles still could be
contests in November. The COM
mittee does ont feel it can recon-
mend a statutory provision for such
nonpartiSan contests, however, it
was said.
Recall Provisions Left Out.
With respect to initiative, ref
erendum and recall, the subcommit-
tee chairman said it is not recon-
mended at this time with the city
manager form of government, any
municipal government is about as
good as the city manager himself,
thus it up for the people, through
their elected local officials, to select
an efficient and capable manager"
the committee said
Another change approved is to
place a limitatio on the proposed
city council, with respect to it's
power to enact ordinances and to
impose licenses and occupational
taxes. The qualification, except as
prohibited by general law" was
inserted
An unexpected development oc-
CURED yesterday when the Senate
General Laws Committee reported
the Moncure-Locher bill prevent
ing the rehiring within five years
any employe who strikes against
State, county or municipal govern
ment. The vote was to S. The
committee last Wednesday voted
7 to 6 to pass by the bill indefi-
nitely.
The same committee unanimously
reported the antipollution bill spon-
sored by Delegate E. Blackburn
Moore, Winchester, and Clarke, with
dIlleIlQInenLS.
Plane Gas Tax Bills Up.
The House of Delegates, in it's
longest session to date, advanced
two bills imposing a sales and use
tax on aviation fuel consumed in
flights over Virginia and sold with
in this State.
Gov. Tuck, Attorney General A.
P. Staples, Senator Andrew w
Clarke, Alexandria, Fairfax and
Prince William, met with group
of airline officials who have ex-
pressed growing concern over the
plan to tax fuel consumed in the
air over Virginia, regardless of
whether planes utilize Virginia air
ports or purchase their fuel within
this State. The measures, if en-
acted, would set a precedent for
sl'"'1 legislation within the United
s. es, it has been pointed out.
advancement of the bills yester-
day was not without opposition
however, but recorded vote was
not taken. The House also reject
ed amendments to each of the two