The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1902-02-13
MUNICIPAL MATTERS.

MONlClI AL MA L END.
1t has been suggested on several
occasions to the Signal recently that
1t was high time that taxpayers of
the city of Weiser were furnished
with some information on the finan-
cial conditions of the municipality
proper and just right due the tax
payer under the guarantee of laws
always supposed to be higher than
simple officials-until said laws
struck Weiser, where the opposite
has been persistently demonstlat-
ed. For the benefit of the inquirers
referred to, we take occasion to say
that the giving to the public of this
information is provided for in the
statutes covering the government of
cities and villages, in the following
manner:
SEC 66. 1t shall be the duty of the
treasurer of such towns, cities and vii
lagos to cause to be published for at least
one insertion in some newspaper within
said town, city or village between the
first and second Mondays of January,
April, july and October of each year a
full statement of the receipts and expen-
ditures of said town giving the source
from whence received; to what purpose
applied and to whom paid
SEC, 81. For the purpose of causing
these reports to be published as required
the trustees OF every city, town and viii
lage shall make such provision as may
be necessary, to carry into effect the re-
quirements of this act
SEC. A failure upon the part of the
treasurer of any town, city or village to
comply with the requirements of this
act shall be deemed A MISDEMEANOR
The above calls for published
treasurer's report every three months,
and seems to provide the treasurer
with authority to make such publ
cation without consulting the coun-
Gil. 1t places upon the council the
duty = imperative - of providing
means to pay for said publication.
This is for treasurer's report every
three months, understand. Another
report to the public semi annually
of the general financial operations
Of the city, is provided for in the
following:
The council or trustees shall cause to
be publ shed semiannually, statement
of the receipts of the corporation and
sources thereof and an itemized account
of expenditures, with a statement of the
financial condition OF the city or village.
In the face of the plain command
of the statute, the fact stands forth
that in three years of existence as
city of the second class, not line.
in compliance with the law, has been
placed before the public. 1t has
not been through ignorance, because
each successive council for three
years has had attention called pri-
vstely to these provisions. Each
administration has deliberately io-
nored the legal requirements and Of
fetal duties imposed. This paper
has been reticent to call attention to
the shortcomings OF the various coup-
ellis, as the deprivation of a certain
amount, of business however much of a
just claim to it was ours, might
be construed as the papers main
grievance. But with the public be-
ginning to wonder, and the narrow
disposiho n of selfish municipal au.
thority, and another and more favored
medium for carrying out the law, if
not for publicity, the Signal is de-
prived of nothing and no loss to it
is sustained, and each councilman
should see that, in the future. NUM-
clpal government is properly con-
Quoted whether he has heretofore
been prevented by being too busy to
observe the course of affairs. in TO-
norance of the above provisions, or
too absorbed in studying how
public matters could be conducted to
subserve private and selfish interests