The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-04-19
A CITIZENS VIEW.
Does Not Like Charter Commits.
siOn's Plan.
He Presents a Substitute, Calculated to
Meet the Conditions as They
Actually Exist.

The proposed amendment to the
charter relative to the board of public
works and engineer meet with approval
in a general way, yet there is fear
expressed that the CHARGER commission
may be making mistake in substi-
tuting a superintendent of improve
ments for the president of the board of
public works. AS the plan now is, it
is inexpensive and the work is well
done.
A gentleman VINO has exceptional
opportunities for understanding the
workings of the city government to-
day discussed the changes proposed to
be made in this chapter of the char
ter by the commission. His views are
entitled to weight, and as they are OF
a very practical nature we reproduce
them here.
''The department of public works
should have three subdivisions, the
board of public works, water board,
and the city engineer.
1.-The board of public works should
consist of the president to be APP
pointed blythe mayor and confirmed by
the council, and the assessor and
treasurer. The duties of the board
should be to report to the council as
to the cost of proposed work,
whether favored by a majority of the
property owners, the ACCESSIBILITY of
doing it, etc; to make assessments for
local improvements, and to attend to
all matters connected Herewith.
THE water board should consist of
the president of the board of public
works and the city engineer. Its
duties should be the same as under the
present charter.
1.-The city engineer should have
three lines of duty. First, he should
be the engineer for the council and
board of public works, to do such
work in this line as they direct. Sec
ond, he should be a member of the
water board. Third, he should have
charge of all public improvements, the
streets and sewers, as provided by the
present charter. Whatever he does
should be subject to the approval of
the council and in conformity with the
ordinances, the same as now.
''The public seems to have mis-
taken notion of the duties of the
board under the present charter and
the probable duties of the superin-
tendent.of public improvements as pro-
posed by the charter commission
Under the present Oh arter there is and
can be no action taken in the matter
of work or expenditures connected
Herewith or as to the kind and man
ner or carrying on of any work, even
down to the hiring of a single man.
that is not subject to the approval of
the council or in conformity with
laws made by it.
"a sample illustration of the
mistaken ideas of the duti es and
powers of the board of public works is
that they can order sidewalks, change
grades at will, when in fact all walks
are ordered by the council and then
laid by the board in conformity with
grades and lines already approved by
the council.
"The proposed superintendent of
public improvements in active charge
of outside works, outranking the engi-
neer, and also having charge of the
Office work in connection with the
water works, can in no way produce
results that will be satisfactory or be
beneficial to the city. 1t is not pos
sible in city the size of Mankato,
for the salary allowed, to find man
properly fitted to perform both duties,
nor is it possible for man to be an
Office man anu an active outside man
at the same time.
Furthermore, having superinten-
dent in active charge of outside work
over the engineer who made the plans
and specifications subject to the ap-
proval of the council will at once re-
suit in conflict of authority that will
result in one official doing the work
and the other sitting in an easy chair
in the Office if he has not enough pride
to resign. From the very nature of
things the engineer must have charge
of the work for which he has made
plans and specifcations-in fact. by far
the larger and by no means unimport-
ant part of the work of the engineer is
to see that his plans are properly car
ried out, and he is certainly better
qualified by education and training to
carry them out than some political ap-
pointee who may be selected from an
entirely different walk in life. If the
engineer is not qualified, let the coun-
Gil get some one who in. 1t not only
has to approve of his plans but has
power to remove him if found incom-
petent.
Zone of the most impor tant chap
tiers of the charter should be that rela-
tive to the control of our water works
system. The plant has already cost
about $115, 600. and great care should
be taken to see that its care and man
agement is invested in a competent
board of managers, free from political
prejudice, who will see that the inter
ests of the city and the water takers
are alike protected.