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

This branch of the public service is I'M
DER control OF the board of public works,
and is the only branch of the service the
accounts of which are not kept by the
recorder. This appears to have been an
arrangement to relieve the recorder of con-
siderable labor. and to furnish the pres
ident of the board something to do during
his unemployed hours. The charter pro-
vides, however. that the president of such
board shall make out all bills for water
rent and hand them in to the city treasurer
two weeks prior to the time when due. and
it is evident that this clause of the charter
has been construed literally, for the Pres
ident has done the work personally since
the adoption of the charter, although the
recorder, as clerk of said board is supposed
to do all the clerical work of said board,
under direction of the president.
The water rent account has been kept in
such manner that only checked the same
by total footings.
The rents are made out by the board of
public works and the treasurer collects
them and Immediately passes the amount
so collected to the credit of the water
works fund and notifies the president of
said board the amount of such collections
by delivering to him the original notice
duly stamped paid. The amount so re-
ceived is placed to the credit of the con-
sumner and at the end of each month the
treasurer checks his receipts with the
records Of the board together with any
delinquents that may occur, and as the
total footings of their respective accounts
agreed from month to month l did not
consider it necessary to check the vouch-
ers representing the amounts.
The expense vouchers and and amounts
paid for permanent improvements are paid
from the water works fund and are kept
on the recorders books, and we're checked
with the other vouchers. l have made a
statement OF the receipts and expenditures
in this department dating from 1893 down
to and including the year 1898, marked
exhibit S, to which call your attention.
The records of receipts prior to this time
are very imperfect, or / should have gone
back TO the date when the water works
first started in order to show the profits
accruing to the city from this branch of
the service. 1t is the only profitable
branch of the city's property and should
receive more attention on that account.
In the matter of the five cent frontage
tax on water mains running for ten years
from date of laying think the council
have not given this its proper place. 1t
seems to me that the intention was to pro-
vide fund in this way to eventually pay
for the original water mains instead of
using the money for current expenses. BY
reference to this statement it will be seen
that in the past six years some SIG, 900, 90
has been paid in by this tax, and although
the ten years are nearly up for the
greater part of the original contract, still
considerable amount will come in from
now on for mains laid later. But if the
receipts from that source are still placed
to the credit of the expense fund the bonds
outstanding for this improvement will
scarcely be cut down when due by any
assistance from this source. Outside of
the water used by the city from the public
hydrants and for sprinkling. the water de-
partment has been able to meet its current
expenses besides paying interest on its
bonds. and have So, 900 90 surplus.
If the city at large should pay into this
department reasonable price for water
used in sprinkling, the net profit in the six
years as here represented would be $32,-
834.71, or an average of S5,472.45. which
is about five per cent per annum on the
actual cost of the plant.
This is certainly very fair showing
considering that large part or the cost
was used in experiments on Bunker Hill
and in driving other wells for experimental
purposes.
The actual cost of the productive part of
the water department would no doubt
yield seven per cent per annum.
/ understand that the price estimated on
the use of a hydrant at $35 90 is nearly
one half its actual worth, and that the
price of water used for sprinkling will ex-
coed the estimate At least once in every
three years a systematic checking of the
records of consumers of city water should
be made by this department. This can
only be done by house to house canvass on
streets connected by water mains and
service pipes. In this way any neglect on
the part of plumbers to obtain permits will
be discovered and the proper remedy can
be applied.