The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-10-20
HE WANTS AN ASSISTANT
Jhe City Engineer Makes De-
mands on Council.
Cannot Perform His Duties without More
Help, and Those Duties Must he De.
hned-A Lively Question Before Coun.
oh' But the Engineer is Turned Down.
What Will be Done Nowo


the committee on sewers, for the purpose
ct taking action in relation to certain
communications from the city engineer
to the sewer committee, in which the
engineer declined to have ANYTHING
further to do with the completed sewers
of the city unless the laws defining his
duties were made moro clear and further
assistance allowed him in his office,
The following members were present
at tho meeting: Messrs. Andrews,
Boehm, Bachman, Casey, Coulbourn,
Fox, Guy, Hawkins, Houston, Loughery.
McClelland, McNamee, Mays, Terrvl
Wilson and Buckner. J
The clerk read batch of communities
tions between the city engineer and
sewer committee explaining tho situa-
tion. 1t seems that the general laws Of
the city do not state specifically that
the matter OF masking immediate re-
pairs and taking charge OF sewer work
shall be vested in the city engineer UNI
less ne Is ordered directly by the Coun.
ell IL also appears that the city en-
gineer is DESTROYS OF having further
assistance in his office, and had, on tax
ing charge OF the office, appointed an
assistant at SIS per month. The Coun-
Gil abolished this assistant after retain
ing him for one month.
The city engineer has how, besides
himself, one omploye, who is paid a
salary OF $40 per month. The city has
under construction certain repairs to
LICK Kun drain, which requires tho at
tention OF supervising authority on
the part OF the city. The city engineer
alleges that he cannot look after this
work and perform the other duties of
his ot1ce without assistance, At the
last meeting OF Council an effort was
made TO allow him an assistant, but it
was voted down.
Since the last meeting OF Council the
city engineer addressed the following
letter TO the chairman Of the sewer com
mittee:
"RoANoKE, VA October l6, 1893.
"Mr. w. *. Andrews, Chairman OF
Sewer Com mittee.
DEAR SIR:-In tho absence of spec
ihc or general authority given to this
office for supervising, etc, the main.
tensnce of completed sewers and drains,
and the further absence OF adequate
force to run this department as 1t should
be, have decided that until this au-
thority is ordained and the force in this
office Increased, shall be unable to
look after the sewers, and therefore
turn them over to your committee.
shall continue to issue permits for con-
nections, and will advise you OF same
so you can supervise the work. No bills
for sewer repairs, etc., will be approved
by this office after this date. Very
truly yours,
~. FL. Wing ATE, City Engineer
Upon the reception of this commune
cation Chairman Andrews called q meet-
ing OF his committee and after consid
ering the subject decided to ask for q
special meeting OF Council and also ad..
vised tho city engineer to make q ste,e-
ment in writing OF his reasons for re-
fusing to perform this work in order
that II might be laid before Council.
At the meeting last night the engi-
neer presented communication, set
ting forth the reasons as requested.
stating that he had repeatedly asked
for assistance, and he did not feel that
no had the authority to go ahead with
Ger ain work without being direcred by
Council, and said further: 81 have al
ways contended in my reports to Coun
Gil that l had no general authority for
repairing streets, sidewalks, bridges,
sewers, etc, in the absences OF specific
authority from Coun,il, in which | sm
fully borne out by the opinion of the
city solicitor, hereto attached"
The city solicitor states: Il do not
lind in the ordinances OF this city. as at
present In force, any provision requiring
the city engineer to supervise any
other work than that which has been
ordered by tho Council" He thinks the
ordinances ought to be amended so as to
define the duties OF the city engineer in
this respect, IS had been done in re-
spect to streets, as he understood, by
recent ordinance.
Upon this point Mr.. Loughery stated
to the Council that the ordinance COM
mittee was already at work on an ordi-
nance which would define the duties OF
the city engineer as indicated by the
city solicitor.
The city engineer continued his state.
ment by saying that for lack of assist
ance in his office the cost to the city of
flushing the sewers by irresponsible
parties exceeded the month of August
by S55, nearly enough to pay an assistant
lie had also several applications to
survey lots, but could not do so for lack
OF assistance. He then closes his report
with the following recommendation:
"l therefore. in order to avoid any
further friction, recommend that my du-
ties shall be closely and definitely de-.
fined by ordinance, and that be al
lowed additional force to run the office
In satisfactory manner to Council. to
the public and to myself. In order,
however, that this increase Of force may
not in any way affect the arrangements
made by Council in providing hnances
to run the city for this fiscal year, l
will suggest that an assistant at $50 per
month and rodman tS35 per month
be allowed, providing, however, that
the work upon the official map and
cnh haail 4 -. = L