The herald., 1897-04-06
BAUCHET STREET
The Council Had Exceeded It's Powers
in the Premises

The third message of the day was one
returning without approval the resolu-
tion awarding the contract to Charles
D. Harmon, and is as follows:
To the Honorable City Council: Cen
tlemen-The enclosed resolution award
ing to Chas D. Harmon the contract to
improve Bauchet street. from the east
line of Date street to the east line of
Avila street, is respectfully returned to
your honorable body unapproved by me.
Why the council should accept the bid
of Chas. d. Harmon, which is not the
lowest of the five proposals received, is
a question as peculiar as other questions
that have come to my attention since
the first of the year.
Your honorable body has completely
ignored the fact that the proposal of S.
b. Clayton is the lowest; 1t has also ig
nored, completely, the recommendations
Of the board of public works ] find,
upon investigation, that in the early
part of last month the board of public
works recommended to your honorable
body that the bid of s. B. Clayton to i'm
prove Bauchet street be accepted This
recommendation was referred back to
the board. A few days later the board
again recommended to the council that
the bid of S. B. Clayton be accepted.
This recommendation was not acted on
till March Goth, when your honorable
body awarded the contract for the i'm
provement of Bauchet street to Chas. d.
Harmon, regardless of the recommended
tion of the board of public works.
Under contract with Mr.. Harmon the
improvement would cost $1402.60, and
under contract with Mr. Clayton, $l194.-
65. Here is difference of $20795, which
property owners on Bauchet street will
have to pay IL this resolution l now re-
turn become a law. There are fifteen
lots with frontage in the district of i'm
provement. and if Mr.. Harmon secure
the contract the owners of this prop
erty would be compelled to pay about
$13 on each lot more than they would If
Mr.. Clayton's bid, the lowest should be
accepted.
haven't the pleasure of acquaintance
with either Mr.. Clayton or Mr.. Harmon,
and such being the case know moth
ing of their standing as contractors,
more than the fact that the council
few days since showed its faith in Mr..
Clayton by awarding him a contract.
No matter how low the bid. con-
tractor must perform the work under
taken to the satisfaction of the superin-
tendent of streets and the council. The
specifications as prepared by the city
engineer fluSt De uNGu up ", tiO
contractor failing so to do is walking
on dangerous ground. In view of these
facts, 1 am unable to find reason why
your honorable body completely ig-
nores a lowest bidder with bond un-
questioned.
This is a time, as / have pointed out
in other messages. when the people OF
our city are practicing the very strict
est economy in their private affairs. 1t
is a time when the council should not
permit a single opportunity to escape
where money can be saved to the peo-
pie on public improvements.
Councilman Hutchison started in with
lengthy explanation, when he was cut
short by being informed by Councilman
Toll that he had ascertained that the
council had exceeded it's powers in the
matter. Assistant City Attorney Crutch-
er confirmed Mr.. Tolls statement, after
which the vote was reconsidered and
action was deferred for one week to en-