The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1896-04-16
THE C1TY's BUSINESS.
Adjourned Regular Meeting of the Com
mon Council Thursday Evening.
ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING.
Anil q 1909

mon COUUC1l THURSDAY Evening.
ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING.
April 8, 1896.
Called to order by Mayor Farr.
Present-Ald. Brister, O'Donnell,
Zens, Schend, Head, Yule, McGiVern
and Christman.
The following communication from
the city engineer was read:
To the Honorable Mayor and Common
Council Of the city Of Kessosb0:
GENTLEMEN:-The have been a
great many attacks made on the city
engineer during the last few weeks in
the papers of the city. The parties
writing them have shown, besides their
lack of courage in not signing their
names, so great an ignorance of the
circumstances, that | have thought
that in justice to your honorable body,
as we'll as to myself, an explanation
was due. They have enlarged on the
salary paid. Now there might have
been some ground for that charge a
year ago, but there certainly is none
now, for the city engineer in Kenosha
performs the duties of superintendent
of the water works as well as city en-
gineer; and there are great many
cities no larger than Kenosha that
have two men filling these positions,
each drawing as much salary as the
city engineer gets here. will venture
to say that you will find few cities
whose engineering departments cost
less than the combined departments
in Kenosha.
When the city bought the water
works Mr.. Inman made an offer to act
as superintendent of water works at a
salary of 81 200 a year, and that was in
the fall, when he had little prospect Of
any work in his line for at least five
months. At that time | volunteered to
perform that work without any addi-
tional compensation, and [ think the
results in the water works department
will show that have not neglected my
duty. The old company, after running
several years, had an income, exclusive
of the city hydrant rental, of less than
So, 1000 per year. In eight months we
have increased that income to $4,000,
with every indication of still further in
crease. OF course the board of water
commissioners deserve great deal OF
credit for this great success-a success
that you will have hard work to find
equalled under similar circumstances.
have been blamed for making sur
veys for private parties. Now it is
hard for city engineer to avoid this,
and during the last year | have made
over 100 such surveys, and IN only one
instance did make charge, and that
was ST.; and the work was done in the
evening after the hours the city had
any claim on. The assertion has been
made that I charged the school board
$40 for surveying the ground for the
Frank school. The fact is [ charged
them Sc for some blue prints did not
put finger to. | sent to Milwaukee
and got the paper, hired the work done
and charged the board what it cost me.
At your last meeting Aid. Yule made
a motion that be requested to turn
over to the city the amount have col
lected for private surveying. Now it
happens that he is one who has called
on me for my gratuitous services, and if
he feels that [ did an injustice to the
city in not charging him for my serv-
ice and turning it over to the city, he
still has the opportunity to quiet his
conscience by adding his mite to the
funds of the city.
Respectfully submitted.
j. B. DAVIDSON, City Engineer.
Kenosha, April 8, 1896.
Aid. McGivern moved that the COM
municatlon be accepted and spread
upon the minutes.
Motion carried by the following vote:
Ayes-Ald. Brister, O'Donnell, Zens,
Schend, Head, McGivern and Christ
man.
Nays-Ald Yule.
Ordinance No. 1873, an ordinance
granting to W. Fl. Wheeler and his as
signs the right to construct and main
tain an electric light and power system
in the city of Kenosha, was given its
second reading.
On motion of Aid. Brister, the ordi-
nance was placed upon it's passage and
passed by the following vote:
Ayes AID. Brister, O'Donnell, Zens,
Schend, Head, McGivern and Christ
man.
Nays-Ald. Yule.
The council proceeded to canvass the
returns of the municipal election held
in the various wards and precincts of
the city of Kenosha on April z, 1896,
and the same being opened showed as
follows:
FOR CITY OFFICERS.
FIRST PRECINCT, FIRST WARD.
Whole number of votes cast for the
Office of mayor, 272. William M. Farr
received 149 votes; Charles Frantz 116;