Municipal Reform of 1870

Categories / City Administration/Government Bodies
MUNICIPAL REFORM OF 1870, reorganisation of local power structures as part of the Great Reforms of the 1860s-70s. According to City Regulations approved on 16 June 1870, an All-Estate City Duma was established with two executive bodies, an Administrative Board of the City and the City Electoral Assembly. All subjects of the Russian Empire possessing a defined amount of property, as well as legal entities paying dues to the municipal budget, were given the right to vote. Electors were divided into three curiae (high, middle and low tax-payers). Each curia elected one third of the City Duma's members. Local authorities were entrusted with the administration of economic and social activities, including provision and regulation of urban amenities (lighting, heating, water-supply, cleaning, transportation, arrangement of city roads, embankments), public education, public health, public charitable associations, and trade and industry development. The municipal budget was provided by taxes and duty land taxes, operating revenues from city property, customs dues and contributions from the Treasury. To cover extraordinary or emergency needs, the law allowed city authorities to take loans. Local authorities were entrusted with "necessary expenditure", including the financing of police, fire-fighting services, prisons, and housing (these absorbed a considerable part of the municipal budget). The supervisory body controlling the city authorities was the Principal Municipal Authority (under the chairmanship of the Governor). In St. Petersburg, the City Regulations of 1870 were put in force on 20 June 1872. The standards set by those regulations remained in force until the City Regulations of 1892 were approved.

References: Дитятин И. И. Столетие С.-Петербургского городского общества, 1785-1885 гг. СПб., 1885; Нардова В. А. Городское самоуправление в России в 60-х - начале 90-х годов XIX в.: Правительств. политика. Л., 1984; Ее же. Городское самоуправление в России после реформы 1870 г. // Великие реформы в России, 1856-1874 гг.: [Сб.]. М., 1992. С. 221-238.

Y. N. Kruzhnov. Дитятин И. И. Столетие С.-Петербургского городского общества, 1785-1885 гг. СПб., 1885
Нардова В. А. Городское самоуправление в России после реформы 1870 г. // Великие реформы в России, 1856-1874 гг.: [Сб.]. М., 1992
Нардова В. А. Городское самоуправление в России в 60-х - начале 90-х годов XIX в.: Правительств. политика. Л., 1984 City Duma
Administrative board of the city