In response to many solicitations to publish the manner and methods by which certain territory may be organized into a village corporation under the statute, we submit the following statement:
An acre of contiguous territory not exceeding two square miles, containing a population of at least three hundred may be organized under a village act. Any thirty legal residents within such limits may petition the County Judge to cause the question to be submitted to the legal voters whether they will organize or not. The petition must be addressed to the County Judge, contain a definite description of the lands to be embraced in the village, the number of inhabitants’ resident therein, and the name of the village.
When the petition is filed with the county clerk, the county Judge is required to fix the time and place of holding the election and give notice of the appointment of judges.
The returns of the election must be made out to the county Judge, whom with two justices of the peace meet and canvass the returns and cause a statement of the results of the election to be entered on the records of the County court.
If a majority of the votes cast are for village organization, the boundaries mentioned in the petition shall, from thence forth, be deemed and organized village and the county Judge shall fix a time for holding the first village election to elect village officers, and shall cause the notice to be published or posted.
This in brief is the method to be pursued to effect village organization.
At present, there are four organized villages in Calhoun County. We also understand that no opposition was made to the organization of any of those villages, at the time proceedings were had before the county Judge. We suppose sufficient facts were presented to the court to justify it in ordering election in each case—at least the law so presumes. The Board of County Commissioners nor the States Attorney have nothing whatever to do with the creation of these village organizations.
Hardin was organized May 25, 1890; Kampsville November 14, 1887; Brussels June 4, 1888; Hamburg July 15, 1889—all of them without objection or opposition. Whether organized legally was a question for the county Judge, and his decision in each case was, no doubt justified by the facts before him at the time.
Contributed by Allen L Austin
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Pike MO Lincoln MO |
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Greene IL Jersey IL |
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