Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1891-06-19
CITY COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS
Various Matters Of Public Interest Re
ceiye Consideration.

All the members OF the Council
were present ut Tuesday nights SEES
son except Mr. Ward. 1t was an
interesting meeting and its attrac-
tiou~ filled the chamber with an at
tcutivc audience.
The Committee on Ways and
Means reported the Percival sewerage
resolution with a Recommendation
that it hc referred to the Street Com
mlttec. and it wae so referred.
The Committee on accounts and
expenditures reported favorably on
the following accounts, and warrants
were ordered drawn for The amounts
stated.
Lihcrman, grading Central street,
sop; grading West Fourth street,
$lliO.
Olympia Construction Company,
grading Eleventh street, 1903; grad
ing Twelfth, $72; grading Union,
SN6I; grading Eighth. 1888.
Thomas Graney, grading San Fran
cisco street, 81 ,J0o
I. l.. Brown, deputy city assessor,
$40
The following communication, adj
dressed To- the Mayor and City Council,
was read
OLYMPIA, June l6, 1891.
GENTLEMEN: When the articles in
our city papers first made mention of
ovcrcstimates by the City Engineer,
| went to each member OF the Council
and after making the statement that
my work was honestly done and esti-
mates correct, invited you to my Of
flee To assure yourselves.
Now. that the papers continue to,
and are devoting nearly column
each day to the same subject, | think
il but just to me, and due to your
selves, that you satisfy the doubling
property owners OF the correctness of
estimates for which they have to pay.
/ Let me here state that have been
abligcd to work days, evenings and
/ Sundays, to keep up the work you
have ordered, without employing any
extra held. Notwithstanding the
volume Of work hcaped upon me, let
me say that have been extremely
careful and have not estimated in any
case more quantities than were ac-
tually in the streets.
One favor | would ask OF the COun-
ell is Should they employ an engi-
neer, may he he an unprecedented one
Yours respectfully,
II. C. TILLoTsoN,
City Engineer.
Mr.. Percival moved that a commit
tee of at least four members of the
Council be appointed to thoroughly
investigate the City Engineers Office
and make a report at the earliest
possible moment.
Mr.. Ford announced that he had
prepared resolution on the same
subject.
Mr.. Murphy followed with a state
ment that he had also drawn up a
like resolution.
Mr.. Ford introduced his resolution,
which was as follows:
WHEREAS, 1t appears from news
streets that by reason of gross in
competency on the part OF the City
Engineer, grievous mistakes have
been made by him to the detriment
of the taxpayers of the city, and that
there have been charges of corrup-
ton and collision of the City Engi-
necr and Street Committee with the
contractors of certain public improve
ments; therefore
Be ii Resolved, By the City Council
of the city OF Olympia, that the Mayor
appoint a committee, to consist of one
Councilman from each ward of the
city to investigate the work of the
City Engineer and Street Committee,
and that said committee be empowered
to employ a competent engineer to
make surveys and estimates of the
work done on any street that in their
judgment may require investigation.
Mr.. Percival. referring to the pro-
vision in the Ford resolution provid-
ing for an investigation of the Street
Committee, said that as a member of
that committee he courted the fullest
investigation.
Mayor Horr said, with great earnest.
ness, that it was rather out of place to
cast reflections upon the acts of mem.
bers OF the Council. He expressed the
belief that no Councilman thought
that any member OF the Street Com.
mittee has committed fraud. He did
not think it proper to order an inyes.
tigation unless there was singled out
some man who has done this awful
deed" If any member of the Coun.
Gil, acting in concert with the CITY
Engineer, has been guilty of fraud. |
he, Of course, should be. expOsed.
Mr.. Ford said that the resolution
did not eliminate anyone. He want |
ed thorough investigation from A.
to u.
Mr.. Murphy moved that the Ford
resolution be substituted for Mr..
Percivals motion.
Mr.. Percival said that the COM
mittee should consist of more than
three members.
A vote was taken on Mr.. Murphy's
motion, with the following result:
Yeas-Ford, McBratney, Murphy.
Nays-Marr, Percival, Sickels.
The motion being lost, the Percival
motion was put and, lost by the same
vote.
Mr.. Murphy then moved the adop-
ton of the following resolution:
WHEREAS, Charges have been made
on the incompetency of the City En-.
gineer, and grave doubts exist OF the
accuracy OF his estimates of earth
moved in making certain street grades
therefore be it
Resolred, That the committee on
Ways and Means be empowered and
instructed to investigate said matter,
and that they be authorized to employ
some competent civil engineer to aid
them in said duty.
Mr.. Percival moved to amend the
resolution by providing for the ap-
pointment of two additional council
men on the investigating committee,
and the motion was carried.
The resolution was then unanimous
ly adopted.
The Mayor appointed Councilmen
Murphy and Mari as the additional |
members of the committee, to act
with Messrs. Ford, McBratney and
Ward.
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