Evening star., 1950-09-30
Braden Resigns
.AsFaIIs Church
City Manager
Makes Report Urging
Cor Tog Tax, 5-Yeor
Improvement Plan

improvement Plan
A city automobile license, tax
and f1ve-year improvement plan
or Falls Church highhgheed rec
lamentations by Roy S. Braden
Is he resigned last night as the
Virginia municipalities city man.
ager.
Mr.. Braden. who accepted the
oh temporarily, August IA, at q
salary rate of $4,000 a year, pre-
'ented a 10,000-word report on
he city's operation and needs to
he Mayor and council in the
Madison School.
At the same time, he said that
II this city could afford to pay
ne the salary you have paid me
temporarily, I would be loath to
cave" Mr.. Braden has accepted
D position as administrative officer
With the Atomic Energy Commits
sion.
Orme introduced.
Mayor Albert M. Orme intro
duced w. Rhodes Woodbury., 43-
year-old former manager of Suf-
folk. Va, who will succeed Mr..
Braden. MIR. Woodbury. will go to
Work Monday at a salary of So, 900
a year. He has been city mana
ger Of four Virginia municipali-
ties.
Mr.. Braden is a former presi-
dent OF the International City
Managers Association and has
served as manager of Arlington.
Greenbelt, Md; Raleigh, N. c..
and other cities.
He told the councilmen that
they seem to feel too much that
we are still under the mayor-
council form of government, where
everything must be done by the.
Council. I do not believe the
Council fully understands the
council-manager form. I believe
the Council handles too much Of
the minor detail which should be
handled by the manager"
City Attorney La Rue A. Van
Meter has lin the past reached
out a little further than his duty"
in "usurping the duties of other
city officers" Mr.. Braden said.
The city attorney should handle
only the regular legal matters
upon the request of the Council,
city manager or department
heads"
Called "Very Valuable"
Mr.. Braden added that Mr.. Van
Meter is very valuable" and he
said he hoped the Council will
continue his services"
The new city charter provides
for a referendum November Z on
whether the city attorney should
be elected or appointed. Mr..
Braden warned "if the people of
Falls Church should decide to
elect the city attorney it would be
the most backward step they
could take. Any elected officer
must imme diately become a poll
tician. The attorney, like other
city officers, should be appointed
oy the Council and should serve
only at its pleasure.
IF you don't like your city at
,orney, then get rid of the Council
that appointed him"
Mr.. Braden urged the Council
TO prepare the five-year plan of
city operations and improvements
as soon as the Supreme Court of
Appeals hands down a decision in
the city's annexation suit against
Fairfax County.
Would Change License Law.
To increase revenues, he urged,
beside the city automobile license
tax, a revision of the business liz
cense ordinance and "other types
of taxation" in addition to levies
on real and personal property.
The time is coming" he predicted.
when all cities will have to re-
ceive a sales tax if they are to
maintain a satisfactory existence"
Mr.. Braden urged the Council
mot to reduce the 1851 tax rate
too low when the reassessment Of
goes into effect"
Other recommendations of the
manager were:
Work with merchants to pro-
vide more parking space in down.
town Falls Church.
Press for construction of q by
pass highway around the city to.
ease traffic congestion on Lee
Give the people a chance to
vote on a bond issue for storm
Better Quarters Urged.
Start preparations for better
quarters" for housing the city gov
you cannot expect to
receive the best service from your
city employees if they must work
in shacks all over the city"
Purchase street construction
equipment. "The city is about as
destitute in it's operating equip
ment as any community I know"
Make arrangements for city coll
lection of garbage and trash.
Prepare retirement and sick
leave plans for city workers and
give consideration at once to in.
creasing salaries of some employees.
Acquire property for parks and
Fairgrounds. 3
Prepare records on city utilitiess
I find that there are no adeouate
maps giving the records of local
ions of valves and other features
If the utilities system. If we had
'he records, we would not have I'd
depend on the memory of en-
oloyes." (
County, Palsy lJni+ Io;ne