1915 City Charter
The 1915 City Charter was not Saratoga Springs' first charter; the town and village wrote and then amended its charter in the ninetenth century.
The 1915 document, however, laid out the framework for the transition from a town and village to a city. It distinguished the tax districts as well as differentiated village and town land outside of the city through the "corporation line" that had been established in 1826. The area inside the corporation line (i.e. downtown Saratoga Springs, the "village") is small when compared to the town as a whole.
The city charter emphasized the role that the City Council would play in beautifying the city and preserving the public peace, health, and safety of its residents.[1] The charter assured transparency between the city government and the public, while promising to revitalize Saratoga Springs through public land acquisition and urban development. Interestingly enough, the city charter contains no mention of ongoing State Reservation planning and development, despite the plan's significant contributions to reviving tourism and industry in the city.
[1] Saratoga Springs Act of Incorporation, 1915. pp. 705, 718.