The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-03-15
THE CITY COLLECTOR.

AS noted in these columns in yester-
days issue, quite breeze was created IN
Council at its last meeting by the petition
of SMITH & Co. The prompt action o.!
Council in reducing this firms assessment
for water rent from S275 to $50 for the
wear 1877, seems 10 indicate that the
City Collectors action in adding 5000 10
the assessment originally fixed by Coun-
ell, was illegal il not worse. The resolu.
ton of MIR. HANDLAN, directing the
Committee on Accounts to report plan
by which the accounts of the City Col.
lector might be more clearly kept and
with less difficulty audited, WAS
set forth in this connection yes
terdsy. The additional fact that
the City Collector had made no re-
port of this supplementary assessment OF
$500 which he had made, AS he is re-
CURED by the ordinance 10 do is under
stood to have prompted the following
resolution offered and adopted at the
same meeting OF Council:
"ResoIped, That the City Clerk be re-
quired to report to Council ut its next
regular meeting u statement of the add
tions made by the collection OF water
rents for the year 1877, showing what re-
ports were made each month"
The ordinance, i: seems, requires the
City Collector to enter on the as
sessment books sll supplement
tary assessments which he msy make,
and also to report them every month to
the City Clerk. Hence the above reso
luton requires the City Clerk to report,
&c, showing what reports were made
each month" OF course the report OF
the City Clerk in compliance with this
resolution is looked forward to with much
interest; but it is more than limited tina,
tho City Clerk cannot respond to this
res )lution, because the City Collector hiss
made to him no such monthly reports.
Certainly, if the City Collector has
failed to comply with the law in not
keeping a clear and itemized record o.
his supplementary assessments, it is 5
matter of much importance, and may lead
TO serious doubts IN the minds
ofthose who have heretofore paid their
water rents without question. For in.
stance, this same firm OF SMITH IL Co
paid for water rent for the year 1876
$3.50, and no record is found of this item
in the assessors books for that year,
where, by ordinance, it should have been
entered by the city collector. The only
record OF supplementary assessments tor
that year is An entry in gross of some
thing over 500; but whether this $3.50
collected from SMITH Is Co is included
in this amount is not shown.
Such state of affairs !s unfortunate, to
say the least of it, and it would
seem that an investigation OF
the part of Council is clearly
in order. For if the City Collectors
transactions have all been straight it IL
but fair, in view oil the events which
trsnspired at the last meeting of Coun-
ell, that he should have the benefit OF n
full vindicstior. And if the City Col
lector has not been perfectly regular IN
his dealings with the citizens OF Wheel
ing, it is demanded, OFT of justice to the
already tsN-ridden people, that the broad
light OF day be turned on tho whole
subject, and that Council see to 1t that
tie public money be carefully handled
and frugslly administered.