The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-05
CITY ASSESSOR is NEEDED
The Council Will Probably Soon
Create a. New Office.
PLENTY FOR ONE TO DO
He Could Do the Auditing in Connec-
ton With His Other Work. Be-
sides It Is an Eco omical
Proposit on.

After three weeks of peace the city
council will meet once more tonight.
Turning into the new year new subjects
will to some extent now take the at
tention of the legislative branch of the
city government. II is the desire of the
city administration to put into effect the
recommendation of the mayor to have a
city assessor and auditor. The county
assessor has always done the assessing
for the city. but some of the aldermen
at least favor a change and think there
is just as much need of having a city
assessor as well as a county assessor as
there is of having city treasurer in
addition to the county treasurer. 1t is
figured that the city pays the county or
county officials about $500 per month for
making its assessments, preparing It's
tax rolls. etc. and this amount Of money
would enable the city to engage first
class man of its own. The advantage
would be that in addition to attending
to the duties of city assessor he could
fill the position of city auditor, and an
auditor is what Butte long has wanted.
The finance committee meets for short
time once a month to audit the bills
against the city. but 1t is impossible Tor
the bills to be audited as carefully and
thoroughly as they should in the short
time d committee can spare for the
work The mayor is of the opinion that
an auditor could save the city nearly the
amount of his salary. The mayor has
recommended that the office of assessor
be created. to include the duties Of audi
tor, and il is expected that the council
will act on the recommendation at an
early day. If the plan is TO be put into
effect this year the necessary ordinance
viii have to be passed by the council
very soon. as the assessing of property
starts in March.
In case an assessor is appointed the
municipal government will have to
find more room, for there is no place
in the city hall To squeeze another offl-
cial In edgewise. There is no plan for
INFLATED as yet to make room for the
new office. but there has been some talk
of moving the entire police department,
including the police court room. to the
basement of the library which is now
used as an armory The city derives no
revenue from the armory and some OF
the aldermen favor using the library
basement to relieve the crowded condi-
ton of the city hall.
It is likely that the agitation of more
paving will start very soon. Alderman
Pascoe Of the street and alley commit
tee said yesterday:
Il favor starting the movement for
the paving of Park, Broadway and
Granite streets at once. That Will give
the DIRECTORS all the rest of the winter
ana Inc SDIlIS 10 40 lntlI hichilS anu
by the time they are through the good
weather will he on and we can go right
to paving. The trouble was last year
that we We're delayed by the opponents
OF paving until late in August, and the
bad weather came on before the work
could be completed. BY starting now
we can finish all the preliminaries dur
ing the wet season and be able to start
the actual work of paving very early
| in the summer"