The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-02-15
THE NEW CHARTER
Policemen will be Paid Gradual
ed Salaries.
Board of Public Works vii be Abolish.
I'd, and Boards of Commissioners
Will Make Assessments.

$ The charter commissionsmustered ten
members Monday night and made some
progress with it's work. Chairman
Currier presided.
The Judiciary committee was asked
whether it had any report to make,
and it reported that it had nothing to
recommend formally. At informal
meetings the members present had
favored paying the chief of police $50
month and the patrolmen $50, and
taking from them the work of serving
civil papers; also that there be six
patrolmen, which number could be in
creased to eight by the council, the
mayor to have power to appoint
special police in emergencies.
A long discussion was precipitated
on this subject. A motion by DR..
Andrews approving the report in re-
gard to the number of patrolmen was
carried.
A motion was made to approve the
salaries as reported by the committee.
Prof Koehler moved to amend the
motion so as to allow the council to
|! fix the salaries.
DR.. Andrews was strongly opposed
to this, from his experience in the
council which showed that it placed
the aldermen in an unpleasant posi-
tion. He held that the charter should
definitely fix the salaries.
Messrs. Halstead and Phillips came
to the assistance of Prof. Koehler, but
aside from them his proposition found
little or no favor.
Judge Severance was strongly OF the
opinion that the charter should fix
the salaries, leaving the aldermen as
the legislative body only and not bur-
dened with this duty.
Prof Koehler's amendment was
lost. The commission got tangled up
with number of amendments.
Mr. Ogle favored fixing the salaries
in the charter, and Mr.. Bashaw was
in favor of graduated scale, to be-
gin at $40 month for the first few
months. The graduated scale idea
was generally favored.
AS finally carried, the motion pro-
vided that patrolmen shall receive $50
month the first year, 500 month
the second year, and $50 a month the
n; I'd ,,oor onI
Chief Phillips moved that the salary
of the chief of police be fixed at $75 a
month and that he receive no fees.
DR.. Andrews moved to amend this
by making the salary 500 month.
This was lost and the original motion
was carried.
On motion of Mr.. Farr, it was
voted that the fees received by the
chief of police must be turned over to
the city recorder, and that the police
be prohibited from serving civil pro-
| cesses.
1t was decided to reduce the number
constituting a quorum of the commits
sion from ten to eight, owing to the
difficulty in securing quorum.
The power of the mayor to revoke
saloon licenses crea ted long discus
sion, and the subject was finally laid
over until the next meeting. The
matter will be looked up carefully, so
that any provision that may be
adopted will not conflict with the state
law.
The board of public works was next
taken up and proved fruitful theme
for discussion.
Mr.. Farr stated the feeling of the
informal meeting held a week ago,
when there was not quorum present
but when the subject was talked over.
He said that the meeting had favored
wiping out the board and letting the
city treasurer do the Office work, such
as taking care of the special assess
ments, water rents, etc.
The general opinion of the meeting
last night was in favor of doing away
with the board, and no one had a good
word to say for it. The sentiment
seemed to be that when petition for
public improvement is presented to
the council it should be referred to
the proper committee to Investigate.
This committee should report upon
the ACCESSIBILITY of making the i'm
provement. If it reports favorably,
the matter should be referred to super
intendent of public improvements, who
should make an estimate of the cost
Then the council could order the work
done, and refer the assessment part
of the work to the city engineer and
superintendent.
The whole matter was left in a
chaotic state, the details not being
! worked out. 1t was laid over to the
next meeting and the commission ad-
journed.