The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1899-08-25

| this report. The amount cOllecGeQ,
however, will not more than take care
of the current expenses OF the year,
and it will be impossible to lessen the
amount of this Indebtedness from the
amounts due the city this year.
The amount due the sinking fund
Of $11 ,436, 13 should be returned soon
as possible; but as it could not be in
vested in any but low interest bearing
securities it would no doubt be wiser
policy to take up some of the per
cent bills payable before returning
this amount to it's proper fund,
No inventory of any kind touching
the city's property is carried upon
the books OF the city. The liabilities
appear in all their strength, but the
assets appear to have been lost sight
of by being charged to expenses when
purchased. With the advice OF former
city officers and the present recorder
assisted by the books, have made an
inventory of the city property and
| improvements and placed the same
upon the books at the figures repre-
sented on exhibit s, amounting as
thus estimated TO about 1926, 600. De-
Quoted from this in connection with
| the other accounts receivable and
payable is the bonded Indebtedness
amounting to s179, 500, leaving net
investment to the citY's credit OF
$229, O07 81.
A statement Of the bonded indebt-
edness is also attached to this report
and marked exhibit 9.
In order to hand this report into
the council this evening l. have been
obliged to rush matters to greater
| extent than would have liked, and
before it's publication desire to cor
rect any errors of omission, and would
| therefore to ask your honorable body
| for that privilege. Before closing
this report would call your atten-
tion to the condition OF the council
proceedings of the board Of public
works, and in fact, all records which
are not indexed, and would recon-
mend that the recorder be instructed
to annotate them upon the margin Of
the record first, and then index all re-
solutions, ordinances and any and all
matters that have anything of i'm.
portance for their subject in indexes
provided for that purpose.
In my examination l found 1t alb
solutely necessary to examine the
council proceedings, and those Of the
board of public works at every step as
important assessments and bills were
entered upon these records which
were not transferred to the books OF
account. Another matter which l
neglected to mention in the recorders
record was the bond required for the
faithful performance OF his duty and
other requirements.
Twas unable to find any bond, mol
could l find any record OF it's being
approved, or even asked for.
Another matter which l have not
finished is the checking Of the annual
levies made by the city, and the pay
ments made by the county treasurer
1t appears that at no time has this
been done as the auditor has in every
year spread larger tax in making 8
rate to compute the tax the result is
that the books of the auditor show
several Thousand dollars greater than
the city's. This could only be done
evenings as the auditor could not
give his attention except at this time
and as / only discovered the differ
ences within the last few days have
not vet completed the work but as
the result will increase the c1ty's as
sets to some extent l wish before the
publication of this report to add the
amount of the county's indebtedness.
l find on reviewing this report that
l have omitted reporting several
items found in my examination, and
as it would require a considerable
number of erasures in order to place
them under their several subjects,
have included all such omissions in
the addenda hereto annexed.
One of the items referred to is an
amount of $50 02 found to be due the
city by it's former treasurer, W. I'll.
Shepard. The amount was collected
by him August 80, 1894, on a special
assessment for sewer connection. The
party who paid the amount produced
his receipt as evidence of payment,
and as the city treasurer failed to &C
count for the money so received L have
charged same to his account.
In the present treasurer's account
| were found several errors OF minor
amounts, the net result OF which is
to present to the city treasurer $3S 90.
The errors referred to are duplicate
entries Of the treasurer, and errors in
| footings. These amounts are set forth
In the exhibit of errors marked No. 4.
| Another item accruing to the city
is payment Of $50 to B. Roemer for
interest paid in excess of amount due.
This amount will either be returned
or deducted when the next yearly in
terest is paid to him.
made no mention of the fire de-
partment or park system for the rea-
son that their accounts are kept by
the city recorder. might say, how
ever, that the fire department has al
ways kept within it's limit as to cur
rent expenses. They have not ex-
ceeded the appropriate amounts set
aside for their maintenance in any
year, and the same can be said Of the
park board. They have usually not
expended the full amount of their ap-
preparation.
In the yearly report Of the park
hoard it would be better to report the
permanent improvements separate
from the expenses, as in the future
the method of keeping the accounts
by the recorder will show these i'm
provements as an added asset to the
park, and not as an expense, as has
heretofore been done. The same can
be said of the fire department. In
the past everything in the way of ex-
penditures, whether for new trucks or
hose has gone int0 eXnanHa and there