Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-02-25
THE COUNCIL.
More Messages From the
Mayor.
THE SAFE AND THE MONEI'
The Water Rates Fixed 1Or the
Coming Year-0ther Matters
Considered.
THE COUNCIL.
THE SAFE AND THE MONEY


Shafer. wirsching, Brown, Bonsall, Sum-
merland and McLain present.
Mr.. Wirsching moved that the Street
Superintendent be instructed to lay the
granite blocks on First street. between
Spring and Broadway.
The Street Superintendent reported
that it would take II 900 feet OF lumber
to repair the Aliso.street bridge, and that
it would be only few days before he
would have to close the bridge. The
Clerk was instructed to advertise for
bids.
The Street Superintendent recon-
mended that the petition of A. Dallas to
take gravel from First street, near the
cemetery, be denied. Adopted.
The matter of the ownership OF
Boundary street came up. It was stated
that the county owned half of the street,
and that the title to the city's half was in
doubt. The City Attorney was instructed
to investigate the title of the city to the
street.
The City Attorney presented the ordi-
nance agreed upon by the committee on
water rates, and stated that the meter
rates were higher than last year, and
were even so per cent. greater than
double the amount charged last year:
Major Bonsall said that the committee
also desired to make a change in the
rates for sprinkling lawns.
Mr.. Wirsching moved that the commit
tee take time and report at the afternoon
session. Carried.
The City Attorney recommended that
the claims of property-owners for dana
ages on the regarding of Temple street be
filed. Adopted.
An ordinance permitting property
vate contract was read and adopted.
The City Attorney presented contracts
with the following to furnish supplies to
the city: Atlas Milling Company, He'll
man, Haas & Co., Kerckhof, Gunner q
Co., all of which were laid over for
bonds.
An ordinance providing for the opening |
of Mott alley and appointing the com
missioners was read and adopted.
An ordinance providing for the expend-
iture of the city money by the city Off
GERS, with permission of the Council,
when the sum does not exceed $500, was
read and adopted.
An ordinance providing that the City
Assessor shall have one deputy at
$83 3711s, and during April, May and
June fourteen deputies at $83 37Ra per
month that the Tax Collector shall have
one deputy at $75 per month, two
license collectors st $50 per month, and
that the Police Commission shall ap-
point janitor for the old city hall, was
read and adopted.
The City Attorney closed his report by
saving: 'sI have endeavored to devise
some means by which the claims of the
two deputies in the Assessors and three
in the City Tax Collectors Office, for SER
vices rendered in January. could be paid,
and had prepared an ordinance to that
effect, when l was met with the fact that
q suit had been instituted at the instiga
tion of the Mayor by which the Auditor
and Treasurer have been perpetually en-
joined from auditing and paying all OF
these claims, together with several 9TH
ers. You might have been able to pass
an ordinance which would have been
retroactive and which would have au
thorized the payment of these claims had |
it not been for the injunction of the |
court. 1t is true that since this |
injunction has been made perpetual |
several demands of the same nature
and included in the same injunction
have been approved by the Mayor and
paid by the Treasurer, presumably upon
the theory that the filing of a new de-
mand for the same services avoided the
effect of the Injunction as to the claim
itself. Possibly the same evasions
might be made for the purpose of paying
the claims of these persons, but am un.
willing to advise the Council to parti-
cipate in any proceedings which might
be considered in contempt OF said order
of Injunction" Received and filed.
The following message was received
from the Mayor:
The act of March 10, 1889, providing for the
issuance of school improvement bonds requires
that the proceeds of the sale of said bonds,
shall be placed in the municipal treasury to
the credit of the proper improvement fund and
applied exclusively to the purposes and objects
mentioned in the ordinsnes e until II such M objects
the subject might be complied witn and thi-
money kept where by law it is required to be
kept and not farmed out among the various
banks now combined to deprive the city of in
terest on its own money. applied to the City
Treasurer regarding its disposal In case signed
these bonds, and he informed me that the
vault in his office was not in ondition to keep
any money ,afely. owing to the fact that no
safe. had been provided. Learning this
condition Of affairs and further that there
was at that time lying loose in the vault over
$22 900 without any safe whatever and left in
the building night and day, and during the
nighttime there is no one in the building, |
took immed ate steps to and did procure from
Judge Redick the loan of a superb burglar
proc safe, without any expense to the city,
until such time as provisions can be made for
proper safe in said vault. With this safe ia
the city vault, containing as it does time-lock
the city will have one OF the safest places in
the city to keep its funds. The City Treasurer
objects to permitting the safe to be placed in
his office, because the city has made no provi-
kion for safe, holding that 1t requires the con-
currence of he Council to accept the loan of
said safe. would, therefore, ask that your
honorable body accept the loan of said safe
from Judge Redick and take immediate steps
to proyidea proper safe to place in the said
vault as all the money that is paid into the
city treasury goes into that vault and large
portion thereof remains there at night and az
1t is made my iuty by the charter, ito exercise
q careful supervision over all the affairs OF
the city, ,'I call your attention to the dangerous
condition our public money Is left in by theiCity
Treasurer in refusing to permit this safe to be
placed in his Office. To properly discharge
his duty in receiving and disbursing the city
moneys at his office in the city hall there mnst
always remain large sum OF money on hand
in the Office unprotected for the want of a
proper safe and after this notification by the
Treasurer to the Mayor that the vault is not
secure for the want of proper safe. Treas
urers bondsmea may not be Liable for any loss
that may occur thereby As we now have Off
cal notice of tue want of liability on their part,
do not permit night to pass without proper
loss. Be ides the $22 900 that found in the
vaults unprotected, there was distributed
among the various banks, that are lOaning out
this monav and rlsing the proceeds to prevent