This Charter shall take effect on the 1st day of January in the year following its adoption, and, on that date, shall become the Charter of the City of Bellingham and the organic law thereof, superseding the existing Charter, pursuant to the laws of the State of Washington. All provisions of this Charter substantially identical with provisions of the Charter superseded hereby, shall be construed as continuation of such former provisions and not as new enactments: Provided; That Article VIII of this Charter, insofar as it pertains to the creation of the position of Finance Director and the duties therein prescribed, shall not take effect until January 1, 1974. Wherever the words Finance Director shall appear in this Charter, until January 1, 1974, it shall be assumed to mean Comptroller or Treasurer as their duties may be defined in the superseded Charter. The office of Comptroller and the office of Treasurer shall carry over until January 1, 1974 when the Finance Director takes office. The incumbent Comptroller and Treasurer shall remain in office until January 1, 1974. The Finance Director will be elected for a 2 year term at the municipal general election in 1973 so that the Finance Director’s election (which is to be for a 4 year term) will coincide with the election of the Mayor in 1975. [Amended April 18, 2008 (Ord. 2008-04-033)]