Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1886-11-20
CITY COUNCIL.
The Mayor signs the Ordiu ancs FOR
the Relief Of the Street COMMITTEES, ana
sesds Oouneil = scAthipg Lettsr In Re-
ference 20 Expenditures.

Council resumed proceedings last even.
ing at 7.30 o'clock, after the recess from
the preceding evening, with Presiden /
Eckel In the chair. The President an
nounced that the Mayor had returned
with his approval the ordinance author
ixing the Water Commission to create q
loan OF $l5, 900, and that 1t was now q
law of this city. The ordinance for the
relief OF the Street Committee was also
approved and the following communica
tion was received from the Mayor, and
read by the clerk:
MAYORS OFFICE,
WHMINoToN, DEL, Nov. 10, 1885.
To the President and Members of the City
Council.
GENTLEMEN: In considering this oIdi-
nance entitled can Ordinance for the
Relief of the Appropriation for Paving
Streets" passed by your honorable body,
q few thoughts have presented themselves
to my mind which l deem Of sufficient
importance to lay before you, In thelhope
that th y may serve some useful purpose
In dealing with the problem of economy
In its application to public finance. find
by section 85 of the city charter that the
fiscal year Is made to commence on the
first day of July, annually, and that 1t i'm
po. es the duty upon Council to have pre-
pared on or before the first stated meeting
In the month of May. preceding estimates
OF the probable revenue and expenses of
the city for the ensuing year, and also to
prepare an ordinance making appropria-
tion for the expenses based upon those es-
Inmates. These appropriations the chap
ter further declares, shall be specifically
stated under the several heads or Items
designated In the estimates, and further,
tLat after the passage Of such ordinance
the expenditures for that year shall not
exceed the amounts severally appropriated
and when any appropriation shall have
been exhausted, all expenditures under
such head or item shall cease. The same
section, however, provides the method
by which relief may be had for any
exhausted appropriation, and that if
the purpose of the ordinance now before
me.
In referring TO the table or estimates
find that for paving streets alone the ag.
gregate amount appropriated for the fiscal
year commencing July l, 1885, and end.
Ing June 30, 1887, was sac, 200. Now,
while ] am not prepared to say whether
this sum was too much or too little, ! dc
lexpress the belief that 1t was based upon
some data or estimate which satisfied tht
members of CouHGil that 1t was sufficient
to hold out If not the entire year, at leas
1.-THE larger part of the year. But what Il
the facti The whole appropriation O.
$40, 900 is exhausted and only five month";
OF the year have passed away, and the pre-
lsumption IL that unless this ordinance bo
Icomes q law the work In hand viii
have to stop. The contractors ar,
bound by agreement and contract, law
fully executed with the city, TO pave GER
tain streets and have acted In good faith
1t 10 reasonable and fair, therefore, thai
they should be paid for their work. Tha
Ithey are entitled to 1t does not admit o
u legal doubt. But, suddenly, they arr
told that the funds for paving street,
Ihave been exhausted, and the work mus
teither be done on credit or indefinitely
postponed, the streets meanwhile remain
ing, so far az travel is concerned, In {
state of blockade. But, IL may well b
Iasked, why such q condition of thing
should exist at this early period of tn
fiscal year2 The ordinance under consid
GRAFTON offers no answer or explanation
but simply asks for an additional apprc
priation OF over &c 900. Can it be possible
that In making the original appropriation
: of $40. 900 for paving streets, there hs
been such . lack OF judgment o
the part of Council when considering
the cost of the work intended to be don
lbhat 1t shambled blindly and ignorant
lily into the belief that $40, 600 would b
, lsufh oient 70 cover one ysAr's expendi
ruIes and had no knowledge Of the dali
/ developing fact that 1t would not b
snfficient uEtll ut the end Of one shir
! | Ut the yeAr the members found them
/, selves confronted With the disclosur
that the entire appropriation WAS ez
hausted, the streets only half compile
ted, and the street paving depArtmon
in debt to an amount equal or nearly Q
I | to the aggregate sum called for By th
! Especial ordinance? Certainly no men
? Der of Council will admit that any sue
mistake of judgment has occurred, nc
> would / even inferendal!y cast sue
, Isuspicion upon any one Of them, esp'
cially in view OF tho fact that the otnt
v appropriations under other heads G
Items, have thus far proven TO be equi
:. ably and judioiously made.
Il Assuming this view of the sltuatio
to be correct, and taken In connectio
i with the tenor of the debates upon th
Ipassage Of the ordinance, the imprei
: sion forces itself upon me that In th
7 Expenditure of the original appropri,
; lion for paving streets that principle
= Ieoonemy 90 desirable In disbursing th
Ipublic funds has not been observed TO
J. degree that would warrant pablo al
probation, and hence would justify IN