The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-12-14
lTSLEGALITY DOUBTED
STILL CONFERENCE COMMITTEE is
WILLING TO HAVE A SHIFT
OF FUNDS
AS SUGGESTED BY NEARBY
Aid. SanbOrn Declares 1t Cannot BE
Done Under the Charter, and
Votes Against It-Street and Sew
Out the Demands of Other De-
DaPtmentH,

The members Of the conference commit
tee, with the exceptions of President
! Clark, of the fire board, and Aid San
| born, gave a quasi Endorsement to the
scheme of Comptroller McCardy to trans
Ter from the general fund money enough
| to assist the school board in putting UP
one new building and repairing others
The committee did not exactly place the
money In the estimate for this specific
| purpose, but on motion of Comptroller
McCardy passed a resolution recommend
ing that the council appropriate 500, 600
from the general fund for one new school
building, and also $4,000 for the repairing
of old buildings. Aid Sanborn voted
against the resolution, for the reason, he
| stated, Because it cannot be done under
| the charter.
In the budget the comptroller recon-
mended that nothing be placed in the
! judgment fund for next year, the able
manner in which the legal affairs were
| handled, he said, making any estimate
unnecessary. In seeming contradiction
| to this statement, Corporation Attorney
GFiggs appeared before the committee
and urged the committee to help out the
office, and at the same time assist in
winning some thirty law suits by insert
| ing S., 900 with which to commence the
work of regarding East Third street.
! The plant of the legal department was
| needed, as it either meant, according to
Mr.. Griggs, $4,000 in judgments to pay
| or S., 900 appropriated in the general fund,
| the latter end Of the dilemma was chosen
Owing to the stand taken by Aid. San
! born, the plan Of the comptroller to make
| provision only for one-half Of the 100000
| in bonds which come due Dec. Is, 1900,
was turned down, and the full amount
! necessary provided for in the estimate
The committee will meet this afternoon
/ at o'clock. and, it is expected, Will COM
plete it's business and formally adopt the
| budget.
The session convened promptly at 2
o'clock with Mayor Kiefer in the chair.
Item seventeen, providing for the raising
| of the city officers salary fund of $49,-
! 600 by paying SIS, 900 from the genral fund
! and $4,000 by levy, was agreed to with
out discussion. President Pottgieser, OF
| the board Of public works, suggested that
some provision should be made for mar
! ket master for the new market. The sug-
| gestion, however, was considered SO out
Of place that no action was taken
Item eighteen, providing for the street
| and sewer maintenance fund. was given
| in the estimate as $150,000, the maximum
! amount allowed under the charter. Guy
Engineer CIaussen, however tnformeq
| the committee that some provision should
| be made for a storm sewer Wh1ch "oulu
have to be built on st. Adams street.
| from Grand avenue to st. Clair street.
| Tbis would cost S. 100 The city would
| also have to build a trunk sewer on
| Martin street, from Fisk to Oxford. ana
| on oxford. from Martin street to SeIDy
| avenue The expense of this would DC
| $4,000 after the property owners hao
| been assessed the maximum amount Oh
| $3.50 per front foot. The money shoulo
| come from somewhere, and ne suggesIeo
! the general fund be drawn upon LOT -.
| The comptroller said this was imposslole,
! hut he recollected that there would De
| bo1ance in the street and sewer fund on
Ien next. and accordingly 1t was pro-
vided that Sc, 600 for each OF the improve
| mcnts mentioned be paid from the 1889
| balance of the fund.
| Assemblyman Dix and Aid Bell urseo
| that $4,000 be taken from the genera
| f,,nd To repair the damage done to rage
atraa+ bv the washout that occurred some
eix wears ago. The taking OF the amount
| FROM the general fund the comptrotier
| would NOT stand, but the balance In the
| street and sewer fund this year, ne sdIu'
| would stand another tap for $S,0Oo lot the
| D,1rpose. and 1t was so ordered. 1ne hl1ni
| was then adopted as reported ny tho
| COMPTROLLER at s15O,000, the budget oelhg
so amended as to allow the Sl5,0Jo extra
! to be paid from balance on hand
| The nineteenth item, bridge repair
| fund 100000; item twenty-one. printing
and stationery, $4,000: item twenty-five,
municipal court fund. $l29OO, ana item
twenty-three for support of the public
| library $4,000, were adopted as returned
| by the comptroller.
| The collection of items under the head
of disbursements from the general fund,
aggregating 100000, provoked lengthy
discussions. The first, calling for 3d.
for armory rent, was referred to a COM
nittee to investigate. Assemblyman Al
brecht sent in a letter showing that the
| property had been mortgaged by the Ar
mory association Oct. II, 1899, to E. w.
Peet for $4,000, and day or so later
had been assigned to the Provident Life
/ and Trust company. In 1894 the mort
gage had been extended and there was
now due $1,000 It was suggested that
the city had better buy the property for
the mortgage rather than spend $500
yearly in renting the building. Messrs
! Sanborn, McCardy and Albrecht We're
named as the committee to investigate
and report on the matter. The items
for police station rent, 81, 200; cycle paths,
S.. 600; garbage fund, $25OOO police fund,
SS5. 600; interest fund, $4,000; fire depart
ment fund, $35, 900; city officers salary
fund, $29, 600; certificates of Indebtedness
| department, $42 900; election expense,
S32, 900, and redemption Of Illegal assess
ment certificates, $1,000, were passed in
rapid order as reported by the comptrol-
Ier The park fund was given In the es-
| innate $50 900, the same as last year. Mr..
| WheeIock made a talk for $4,000 addi-
| tional, but the comptroller said he would
| only stand for an increase Of $1,000 He
was supported in this by a majority of
the committee, but Mr.. Wheelock made
another talk and the comptroller chang
ed his vote, followed by other members,
and the sum of 100000 was allowed, an
increase of $4,000.
Assistant Corporation Attorney Griggs
| explained the predicament the city and
! the legal department was In over the
Third street grading and wanted some
thing put In the budget SO the answer the
department had made In the law suits
could be backed up by facts. Mr.. Nc
| Cardy said unless the tax levy was
raised it would not be possible to spend
any more money for this purpose. Mr..
| Griggs said the matter was now in the
supreme court and unless the city took
| hold and made a bluff at regarding the
| street there would likely be judgments
for $4,000 against the city. A small
| amount he said, In the budget would
make the defense Of the city In the suits
| good. It would cost $4,000 to do the
work, but $1,000 as starter would an
swer the purpose.
Mr.. Wheelock inquired If the property
could not be assessed for the amount.
To this Mr.. Griggs frankly stated that
the entire mile and half of property
in front of which the grading was to be
done was not worth $4,000. Aid San
born suggested that the city might get