King Frederick William III and his Ministers Stein and Schrötter, "Ordinance for All Cities of the Prussian Monarchy" (November 19, 1808)

page 5 of 7    print version    return to list

previous document      next document

§ 141. The city councils [Magistratskollegium] should everywhere, however, only consist of members of the citizenry who enjoy the trust of the same.

Every citizen who is filled with a sense of community will, without regard for his personal advantage, gladly accept this honorable position.

To minimize the costs of administration, only those members of the magistracy [Magistratsmitglieder] who are to dedicate themselves to it full time will be compensated for the performance of their duty.

§ 142. The city councils in small cities should have a salaried mayor, and one salaried councillor who is also the treasurer, as well as four to six unpaid councillors, depending on the requirements and needs. [ . . . ]

§ 152. All the members of the magistracy, with the exception of the head mayor [Oberbürgermeister], will be elected in the name of the citizenry by the city officials, and confirmed by the provincial governing authorities. [ . . . ]


Title VIII. Regarding the Organization and Relationship of the Authorities to each other.

§ 166. The state reserves the right to organize its own police authorities in the cities, or to transfer the practice of policing to the magistracy, who may then carry out orders. Just as the particular police authorities in the cities are subordinated to the superior police authorities, the magistracies who receive orders regarding policing are subject to these higher authorities concerning everything that has to do with the practice of policing. In this respect, the magistracies are regarded as authorities of the state. The magistracy must, without fail, take over the practice of policing when it is tasked with it. In this case, the entire citizenry must support the practice of policing as much as is demanded, just as it must when policing is administered through its own authorities.

§ 167. Since the task of the local police of every city is primarily to maintain the security and wellbeing of the city's inhabitants, it is up to the citizenry to pay the costs required for the maintenance of the necessary police personnel and the necessary institutions, according to the disposition of the police authorities. Whether the magistracy or another authority runs the police makes no difference here. [ . . . ]

§ 178. The operations to be carried out by the magistracy alone are the following:

a) the filling of positions in the magistracy, the district superintendent and citizen-official positions, according to the selections of the city officials, as well as the selection and appointment of the lower civil servants;